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?"

"Father, what are you doing here?" As Clint saw Roderick descending the stairs, Clint's earlier arrogance vanished instantly. He greeted Roderick with utmost respect.

Paulina stood frozen in shock and was unable to utter a word.

It was Paulina's first time meeting Roderick, and she was immediately captivated by his dignified aura.

Only when Roderick went close to her did she snap out of her daze. Her face blushed rapidly as she felt her face grow warm.

She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear and stammered, "Father…"

But Roderick didn't spare her a glance.

His disregard left Paulina feeling awkward. She tugged on Clint's sleeve in distress.

Clint was awkward and stepped forward and took Paulina's hand. He said, "Father, I forgot to introduce you. This is my fiancée, Paulina Bailey."

With Clint's formal introduction, Paulina eagerly expressed her gratitude for Roderick. "Thank you, Father, for letting Clint bring me here to choose a ring…"

She was interrupted abruptly by Roderick's cold voice. "Miss, I think you're thanking the wrong one."

Under everyone's gaze, Roderick walked towards Sylvia and naturally took her hand. "I came today to help my wife choose our wedding rings."

The room was stunned into silence.

Clint's eyes widened in disbelief. He even failed to keep his good manners as he exclaimed, "Father, what did you say? How can you marry Sylvia? She's…"

Roderick's icy stare cut Clint off. "Who is she?"

Meeting Roderick's gaze, Clint immediately realized his impulsive behavior and dared not continue. "Sylvia is now my wife, which makes her your mother. I expect you to be polite to her. Do you understand?"

Clint gritted his teeth and nodded.

He couldn't fathom how Sylvia, whom he had dumped, could become his mother.

"Okay then," Roderick said. "Now, apologize to your mother for your earlier behavior."

Clint lifted his head in shock.

He never imagined his ex-girlfriend would become his mother, and now he had to apologize to her in front of everyone.

A wave of humiliation washed over him.

He wanted to refuse, but under the pressure from Roderick, he knew he had no choice.

Just as he was about to speak, Paulina rushed to Roderick and cried, with tears in her eyes, "Please don't blame Clint for this. It's my fault…"

Paulina tried to continue, but Roderick silenced her with a gesture. "Miss, we're dealing with our family matters. It's quite impolite for you to interrupt us like that."

Though Roderick kept smiling, his tone was chilling.

Paulina's face turned pale. Her lips trembled. And her eyes betrayed unmistakable jealousy as she glared at Sylvia.

The atmosphere in the hall was frigid. No one dared make a voice.

Even Roderick's closest friend, Michael, refrained from any unnecessary actions, as he was well aware of how terrifying Roderick could be when angered.

One business partner had offended Roderick before, and he quickly found his company go bankrupt.

A daughter from a rich family tried to seduce Roderick by drugging him at a party. Her family disappeared from the city soon.

Michael had already known that Clint and Paulina would be punished harshly.

Sylvia hadn't intended for things to escalate like that, but she understood that Roderick was establishing her authority and acknowledging her status.

Warmth filled her heart.

She had once hoped Clint would recognize her identity so that she would have a sense of security.

Yet Clint continuously used work as an excuse.

He repeatedly claimed that he was too busy to announce her status publicly.

During that period, Sylvia spiraled into self-doubt and questioned whether she was unworthy and inadequate, so Clint was unwilling to officially accept her.

But now it was clear that those were merely Clint's excuses.

Roderick wanted to publicly recognize her identity and seize every opportunity to provide her with security and respect.

"I'm sorry…" Clint finally said after a long pause, though he sounded reluctant.

Listening to Clint's apology, Roderick frowned slightly and said sternly, "What? Say it completely."

Clint's fists clenched tightly, and his nails dug into his palms. "I'm sorry, Mother."