Chapter 2

"Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!"

The chants echoed through the hall.

The crowd was swooning.

"Oh my god, I want a love story like this."

"Julian is so romantic! I can't believe I’m witnessing this fairy-tale proposal."

"Someone give me a man like him, please."

......

Overcome with emotion, Chloe’s eyes welled with tears. With trembling hands, she reached out toward Julian.

The moment the ring slipped onto her finger, the usually cold and composed Chloe completely lost her cool. Huge tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I love you," she whispered.

They gazed into each other's eyes, deeply in love.

Looking at Julian’s simple proposal, I let out a bitter, silent laugh.

In my past life, I had meticulously planned several grand proposals for her.

Drones, fireworks, amusement parks, luxury cruises...

But Chloe had always shot me down, using her fear of marriage as an excuse.

Because of that, I had doubled my efforts, treating her like royalty, hoping to earn her trust and make her want to marry me.

It wasn’t until her mother fell gravely ill that she finally agreed to my proposal.

Now I realized her "fear of marriage" was reserved strictly for me.

When it came to the man she actually loved, a simple proposal could make her beam with absolute joy.

I let out a deep sigh, realizing how worthless my devotion had been in my past life.

Fortunately, in this life, it wasn’t too late to fix things.

Just then, a sneaky little figure crawled out from under a nearby table and made a funny face at me.

I quickly pushed through the crowd and hurried toward her.

The onlookers, annoyed that I was disrupting their view, began to grumble.

"Hey! What's wrong with this waiter? Can't you see we’re watching something here?"

"Get out of the way! Don't block our view."

"Is this how you train your staff? Why are you walking against the crowd?"

I ignored their complaints, my eyes locked onto my daughter. I was terrified she’d slip away again if I blinked.

"Dammit! Watch where you're going! Do you have any idea how much these limited-edition shoes cost?"

In my rush to catch my daughter, I hadn't noticed I'd stepped on someone’s foot.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to step on you. How much were the shoes? I'll have my assistant wire you the money right away."

I thought a sincere apology would let me leave.

But as I turned to go, the man grabbed my collar tightly.

"Are you looking down on me? Do you even know how much these cost? You couldn't afford them even if you worked here for years. Now, get on your knees and lick them clean!"

I ignored him, standing on my tiptoes to scan the room for my daughter.

Unfortunately, hearing my voice, she had already scurried off.

"What, trying to run?"

"If you don't lick my shoes clean today, I'll make sure you vanish from this city forever."

I turned back to look at the bloated, arrogant man. Just as I was about to fire back, my eyes met Chloe’s.

She was frowning at me, her face full of annoyance.

The man shoved me again. "I'm talking to you, loser! Did you hear me?"

I stumbled backward, crashing right into a massive champagne tower. Red and white wine splashed all over me, leaving me completely drenched and utterly disheveled.

"Ethan? Are you okay?"

I shook off my ruined suit jacket and shook my head. "I'm fine."

Julian stared at me for a long time, trying to place my face. When it finally clicked, his voice shot up. "Ethan? What the hell are you doing here?"

"You’re like chewing gum stuck to a shoe, aren't you? It's been five years, and you still managed to sniff us out. Chloe is my fiancé now. I suggest you stay the hell away from her."

He looked at my wine-soaked clothes and scoffed, suddenly realizing. "Ah, so you've fallen so low that you’re working as a waiter now? Tell you what, if you get on your knees and beg me, I might recommend you for a few more service jobs."

"A toad trying to catch a swan," the bloated man, Leo, sneered. "Who do you think you are to even look at Chloe? You aren't even worthy of wiping her shoes.

You know what? I don't even want you to pay for my shoes anymore. Get on your knees, crawl through my legs, bark like a dog, and I'll let you go."

At his words, the crowd watched with cruel amusement.