Chapter 4

After the wedding, I slept for a day and a night straight.

In the evening, my classmate came knocking, inviting me to join her, her husband, and some friends for a party.

I got dressed up and went out.

"Do you know Jack Collins?" my classmate asked.

I shook my head.

She looked surprised. "The heir to the biggest family business conglomerate in New England? You don't know him?"

I was also surprised: "I really don't."

"But he says he knows you!"

"He's my husband's friend. Like my husband, he basically grew up abroad and just recently came back to take over the family business."

I was even more surprised: "Did he say how he knows me?"

My classmate shook her head.

At the venue, after introductions from my classmate and her husband, I finally realized who Jack Collins was.

He was the man whose foot I had stepped on at the wedding, the one who told me to say thank you.

"Mr. Collins, it's an honor to meet you!" I said politely.

"How can it be an honor when you don't even know me?" he replied.

"..."

I imperceptibly raised an eyebrow, then tactfully turned away with my drink.

Afterwards, I constantly felt two burning gazes fixed on me, unwilling to move away.

My classmate finished socializing and came over to tease me: "I bet Jack Collins has taken a liking to you."

Hearing this, I casually glanced over at Jack Collins.

To my surprise, he happened to be looking my way too.

Our eyes met, and I suddenly felt my breath catch, an inexplicable sense of embarrassment washing over me.

I forced myself to control my emotions, raising my glass in a distant toast to Jack Collins.

But he ignored me, turning his head away.

I: "..."

How ungentlemanly.

I drank quite a bit that night, almost to the point of drunkenness.

When Jack Collins was about to leave, my classmate stopped him, supporting my unsteady steps as she brought me in front of him.

"Mr. Collins, we can't get a car home. Would you mind giving Mia a ride?" she asked.

I mumbled "No need."

My classmate quickly said "Yes, please," then smiled at Jack Collins and added, "I'd feel uneasy letting anyone else take such a beautiful girl home."

Jack Collins' face was expressionless as he looked me over coolly, then said in a deep voice, "Alright, help Miss Johnson into my car then."