As soon as Sylvia entered the MT Jewelry Store, a commotion greeted her.

It was Clint and Paulina.

They stood in the reception hall and were blocked by dozens of staff at the entrance to the second floor.

Paulina pointed angrily at the receptionist. "Are you out of your mind? Do you even know who my husband is? My husband is the sole heir of the Norris family, the wealthiest family! Why aren't we allowed on the second floor?"

MT was a leading global jewelry brand and catered exclusively to the affluent and influential.

However, based on net worth calculations, only top-tier individuals had the privilege of accessing exclusive services on the second floor.

Clearly, Clint was not one of them.

Sylvia clutched the hem of her dress tightly.

She hadn't expected Roderick to let her buy the wedding ring in such a place.

She assumed he would just pass off something simple, as he might suspect she had ulterior motives after she accidentally slept with him.

Yet, Roderick not only trusted her but also offered her the best.

Reflecting on her past eight years, Sylvia suddenly felt a sense of irony.

Seeing Sylvia in the store, Clint didn't feel angry anymore. He said helplessly, "Sylvia? Haven't you caused enough trouble today? Just leave as soon as possible. Even though you follow me all day, I won't change my mind."

Sylvia brushed aside a few stray hairs from her forehead and didn't want to talk with that hypocrite.

She turned to a receptionist and said, "Hello, I'm here to choose a ring."

Upon hearing this, Paulina laughed, with her hand covering her mouth. "Sylvia, do you even know what kind of jewelry store MT is? Please, stop being so stubborn. Clint and I are getting married soon. Please don't disrupt us anymore. Plus, it's really quite embarrassing for a woman to buy herself a ring and beg a guy to marry her."

Ignoring Paulina's taunts, Sylvia simply handed over her prestigious credit card. "May I go to the second floor?"

Paulina burst into laughter as Sylvia's words fell. "Sylvia, do you know who can go to the second floor? Either you're very wealthy or incredibly valuable. Don't do such ridiculous things just to get Clint's attention."

Sylvia shrugged indifferently. She was no longer the same woman she had been before.

Over those eight years, she gave up her talent in biomedical research to delve into finance just because Clint once said he wanted his own company.

She had tried her best to support him.

But thankfully, she broke up with Clint and got back to her beloved career.

She was a sought-after biomedical expert internationally now.

The latest breakthrough in cancer spread delay was her own creation.

She intended to reciprocate Roderick's generosity with the finest ring she could buy.

She did that under her own name, not as Mrs. Norris.

From the moment she left Clint, Sylvia knew that she was herself first and then a guy's wife.

The receptionist hesitated as she accepted Sylvia's prestigious credit card.

She was uncertain if Sylvia could qualify for the second floor, as she was plainly dressed.

But the receptionist left with Sylvia's credit card as she saw Sylvia's graceful and composed demeanor.

Everyone waited to ridicule Sylvia, as she was too confident, especially Paulina, standing behind Clint.

Her eyes were filled with gleeful delight.

She was eager to see Sylvia humiliated, to highlight her own sophistication.

But then, the receptionist gasped, and the store manager came to welcome Sylvia. The entire hall fell silent.

The manager rushed down from the second floor and bowed respectfully to Sylvia. "Ms. Sylvia Payne, welcome to MT. I am Michael Clark, the manager here."

"How is that possible? You must be mistaken!" Paulina's eyes widened in disbelief. "She's just a normal employee at a pharmaceutical company. How could she be allowed to go to the second floor? Sylvia! Did you use some dirty tricks?"

The moment Paulina's words fell, the entire hall fell silent, and Michael's gaze turned piercing.

Michael turned to Clint and said sternly, "Mr. Norris, please discipline your fiancée, or I will have to ban you both from entering the store."

Paulina trembled and clutched tightly onto Clint's sleeve.

Clint stared at Sylvia, utterly shocked. "Sylvia, you..."

Sylvia ignored him and followed Michael upstairs.

At the same time, an understatedly luxurious Maybach was pulling slowly into MT's VIP garage.

Roderick stepped out, headed towards the private entrance reserved for VIPs.

He looked slightly anxious.

Arriving at MT, he checked his reservation record. Then his heart sank.

His voice was deep, tinged with a threatening intensity. "Has my wife not arrived?"

The receptionist looked puzzled. "Mr. Norris, we haven't seen your wife, but your son is here. He and his fiancée are in a booth on the first floor picking out rings. Shall I take you to them?"

Roderick had a bad feeling.

Had she changed her mind?

Did she no longer want to marry him?

Or was the ring she mentioned that evening not for her and him, but for her and her ex-boyfriend instead?

As his thoughts went wild, Michael's sarcastic voice snapped him into reality.

"What took you so long? I was shocked when you told me you were getting married." Michael casually threw an arm over Roderick's shoulder. "You know what? I always thought you weren't interested in women. Who reaches forty without ever touching a woman? Even your son is..."

"Enough!" Roderick cut Michael off coldly.

Michael sensed Roderick's displeasure and quickly reined in his laughter. "What's wrong?"

Roderick glanced at Michael, making the latter feel as if the air around him had suddenly turned frigid.

"Tell me, how do you make a young woman happy?"

Michael paused for a long time at Roderick's words.

Michael had thought that Roderick intended to acquire MT or have his rival go bankrupt.

But he couldn't imagine how Roderick, known for being serious and harsh, could ask such a tender question.

"Do you think a young woman truly cares about age?" As Roderick asked, his eyes dimmed, resembling an unwanted large dog.

Michael still hadn't processed the situation and could only shake his head repeatedly. "Man! How can you think like that?" What woman wouldn't be charmed by you? You're upstanding, fit, and wealthy. You look like a young man in your twenties."

With that, Roderick suddenly looked up at Michael. "Is she unwilling to pick out a ring because her heart belongs to another guy..."

Before Roderick could sink further into melancholy, Sylvia appeared. She poked her head out of the second-floor railing and said, "Roderick?"

In the next moment, Michael was astounded to see Roderick, his composed and dignified friend, eagerly rush to Sylvia, with his eyes lit up instantly.

Watching Roderick and Sylvia inside the room selecting rings, Michael understood what was happening after a long moment.

He looked at Roderick and was shocked and envious.

"So your wife is Ms. Payne? The enigmatic genius in the biology field?"

Sylvia nodded bashfully, while Roderick couldn't hide his complacency behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

At that moment, Michael was so shocked that he almost slammed his fist on the table.

Actually, when he first saw Sylvia, he was captivated by her grace.

He had hoped to get to know her better, only to find out that she was Roderick's wife.

While choosing the ring, Roderick placed Sylvia's hand in his palm and held it tenderly.

"Sylvia, which one do you like?"

Hearing Roderick's question, Sylvia took out the men's ring she had chosen and pointed to a design sketch of a women's. "As long as it matches yours."

Roderick looked at the ring in Sylvia's hand with delight. He hadn't expected her to buy one for him.

His voice trembled with excitement. Though he tried to restrain it, he couldn't hold back his smile.

As they descended the stairs, Sylvia noticed Clint and Paulina, who had been waiting in the hall for a long time.

Seeing Sylvia coming down, Clint gazed at her empty fingers. Then he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Sylvia, Paulina likes none of the rings on the first floor. Why don't you take her upstairs to have a look? Of course, if you find something you like, I'll buy it for you, too."

Paulina pretended to be gentle and intellectual and stepped forward. She took Sylvia's hand and said softly, "Sylvia, I know you have feelings for Clint. I'll have him buy you the ring you like as a memento of your previous relationship. After all, you and he can never be together..."

Sylvia took back her hand and said indifferently, "You are right. He and I can never be together. But if you continue to disgust me, you won't be with him, either."

Paulina feigned sadness and threw herself into Clint's arms.

She sobbed and said, "Sylvia, please stop being stubborn. It's not good for anyone..."

Seeing Paulina's grievance, Clint felt sorry for her and frowned at Sylvia. "Sylvia, apologize to Paulina. Otherwise, you and I can't even be friends."

Sylvia didn't understand where Clint found the nerve, and she sneered, "Are you out of your mind? Plus, you and I indeed will never be friends."

Upon hearing Sylvia's words, Clint was embarrassed, and his face flushed.

He then took a deep breath and said, "Sylvia, let me be honest with you. My father is the richest man in the city, Roderick. Back when we were together, I had nothing because he wanted to train me. That's why I didn't tell you who I was. Paulina is about to become my wife. I hope you understand the difference in our status. If you concede now, I'll consider helping you in your life and will also buy you the ring you like."

Paulina echoed, "Sylvia, don't be so arrogant. So many people want to get close to me, but they don't have the chance. I'm offering you this chance. You'd better make the most of it."

Seeing Sylvia remain silent, Clint assumed she was agreeing.

He added, "Now apologize to Paulina. After she chooses her ring, I'll give you some extra money if she's pleased."

Paulina held her head high and was about to go to the second floor.

Just then, a group of bodyguards suddenly appeared and blocked the way expressionless.

Following that, Roderick's authoritative voice rang out from upstairs. "Clint, how could you speak to your elder like that?"