Chapter 5

I pressed the shortcut key I knew all too well on my phone screen.

Just two seconds later, Zack’s phone, tucked inside his suit pocket, suddenly rang.

It was an extremely childish sweet-girl Japanese song, and under the background of one American jazz song after another, it sounded harsh and ridiculous.

He had insisted on setting it as my exclusive ringtone back then, saying it was to prove I was the most special person on his list.

Zack’s expression changed instantly.

He fumbled to pull out his phone and, without even looking at the screen, hit decline.

"Spam call."

He forced out a smile. "These annoying calls really are getting more and more common."

I looked at him, and instead of putting down my phone, I hit the call button again.

The familiar Japanese song echoed above the booth once more.

This time, Chloe’s eyes fell on Zack’s phone screen.

There, in bright letters, flashed a name: [My baby Selena].

Chloe froze. She looked at the phone, then at me across from her, as if she’d been struck by lightning.

"You..."

Following Chloe’s gaze, Zack finally looked down at his screen.

His expression completely stiffened at that moment. All the fake affection, arrogance, and ease he had been wearing vanished instantly.

He stared at me so hard his eyes looked like they might pop out.

"You’re Selena?"

Zack’s voice even changed pitch, and everyone in the restaurant turned to look this way.

I tossed my phone onto the table, and the metal case clacked against the glass with a crisp sound.

"What? Don’t recognize me anymore?"

I leaned back in my chair and looked at him coldly.

"Didn’t you just say I was like a leech clinging to your life? Didn’t you say bringing me here for vegan food today was to make me give up for good?"

Zack’s chest rose and fell violently.

His gaze kept darting over my slim arms, my clearly defined collarbones, and the face that looked nothing like the one in the photo.

Right now, he simply could not connect the 250-pound fat girl to the top-tier beauty sitting in front of him, the one he had almost just tried to sweet-talk.

The livestream setup that was still running had recorded everything clearly.

The chat had already gone insane, scrolling hundreds of messages per second.

"What’s going on? That hottie is Selena?!"

"The insanely gorgeous girl Zack just hit on is the same giant online girlfriend he was about to publicly humiliate?"

"Holy crap, this has to be the biggest reversal of the year. Zack’s peacock routine from just now was all caught on camera!"

Zack clearly realized the livestream was still going too, and the reason he usually prided himself on his composure completely shattered.

He shot up to his feet, and his handsome face twisted with rage and embarrassment.

"You did this on purpose, didn’t you?"

He braced both hands on the table and stared me down.

"You’ve been thin this whole time, haven’t you? You watched me in the livestream looking like an idiot while you played me like a fool. Did that make you feel accomplished?!"

I met his gaze without any fear.

"You’re the one who wanted to turn me into your cash cow. Since you dared to set up this bet, then you should be ready to face the consequences of losing everything."

I picked up the martini he had ordered for me, then turned my wrist.

The cold liquor splashed perfectly onto Zack’s carefully styled face.

"Now it’s you who isn’t good enough for me."

The drink dripped from his chin onto his expensive custom shirt, leaving ugly dark stains.

From childhood to now, when had Zack ever suffered such a humiliating insult?

His eyes immediately turned red, and after muttering a curse, he reached out to grab my wrist hard.

Just as his hand was about to touch me, a large hand with sharp knuckles and a Patek Philippe black-gold watch on the wrist clamped down hard on Zack’s wrist.

Then, a cold, deep voice full of absolute authority sounded behind Zack.

"Zack, who gave you the guts to touch her with your filthy hands?"