Jaycie froze mid-step, instinctively ending the call. She couldn't help but wonder why everyone seemed to enjoy sneaking up behind her and speaking out of nowhere.

Turning around, she saw Cole standing there, his expression far from pleasant.

After a moment of hesitation, she explained, "It's nothing. Just an old colleague asking what I'm planning to do after quitting my job. I joked that I was going home to inherit the family business."

Cole frowned. Jaycie wasn't the type to make such jokes. Something felt off, but before he could press further, she had already taken a few steps ahead and called back to him, "Aren't you coming? There are still a few jewelry pieces left to be auctioned."

Assuming she wanted to buy some jewelry, Cole nodded and followed her.

Back in the auction hall, Cole bid on several high-end jewelry pieces, winning them all. Once they were packaged, he handed them to Jaycie. She looked down at the boxes and said softly, "I don't wear jewelry like this."

Cole smiled, ruffling her hair. "You'll get used to it. Don't worry about the cost. I'll buy you diamonds for the rest of your life."

She opened her mouth to respond but decided against it. The truth was, she didn't wear million-dollar jewelry—her own collection was worth billions.

As the auction ended, the attendees began to disperse. Cole and Jaycie's group also prepared to leave. Everyone had driven separately, so they were ready to head home.

But just as Cole and Jaycie got into their car, before he could even start the engine, Eileen tapped on the passenger-side window.

The window rolled down, revealing her shy, delicate face. Her voice was soft and sweet, a stark contrast to the sharp, cutting tone she'd used with Jaycie in the restroom. "Cole, my car broke down. Could you give me a ride home?"

Cole frowned, about to refuse, but she quickly added, "Your parents did say you should look after me. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

His expression darkened, and after a moment, he reluctantly agreed. Seeing his nod, Eileen smiled. She then turned her attention to Jaycie, her tone dripping with false concern. "But I get carsick. I can't sit in the back. What should we do?"

Cole glanced at Jaycie, but before he could say anything, she had already opened the car door, stepped out, and moved to the back seat. Her movements were so smooth that Cole barely had time to react before she was settled in the back.

His words caught in his throat, leaving him frustrated. He wanted to say it was just a seat—it wasn't a big deal. But when he glanced at her through the rearview mirror, she had already closed her eyes, as if she were resting.

Eileen, now seated in the front, smirked as she looked back at Jaycie.

Even if Cole still loved Jaycie now, Eileen was confident that everything she wanted would end up in her hands. Winning his heart was only a matter of time.

Feeling pleased with herself, Eileen turned to Cole, her voice sweet and demure. "Ms. Stanton seems tired. Let her rest for a while."

Sensing Jaycie's unusual behavior, Cole remained quiet and nodded before starting the car in silence.

Jaycie must have dozed off at some point, because when she woke up, the car was parked in the Bensons' garage, and Eileen was long gone.

Cole gently touched her cheek. "You're awake? You were sleeping so soundly. I didn't want to wake you."

Still groggy, Jaycie nodded and stepped out of the car, heading straight for the front door without waiting for Cole. By the time he caught up, she was already at the entrance.

He blocked her path, his voice soft. "Are you angry? Eileen's just a family friend. Don't take it to heart."

Jaycie hummed in response.

Thinking she was still upset, Cole reached out to hold her hand, his voice low and coaxing. "She's really just a family friend. Babe, you know I only love you."

As he spoke, the faint scent of roses from her skin reminded him how long it had been since they'd been close. His throat tightened, and he leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him away.

Ignoring his surprised expression, Jaycie stepped inside. "It's that time of the month. I'm not feeling well, so I'm going to rest in my room."

She then walked into her room and locked the door, keeping Cole outside.

The next morning, Jaycie and Cole were having breakfast in the dining room when her phone buzzed. It was an alarm she'd set weeks ago, labeled "Meeting the Parents". Cole noticed the notification.

Jaycie had planned to reveal her true identity to him and suggested taking him to meet her parents. He had agreed.

Their eyes met, and Jaycie was about to suggest canceling the meeting when his phone rang. It was Eileen.

After a brief conversation, Cole wore a troubled look. He turned to Jaycie with an apologetic smile. "Jaycie, something urgent came up. Can we reschedule the meeting with your parents for another time?"

Cole had expected her to be upset or even angry, but instead, she simply nodded calmly. "Alright. I actually have some things to take care of today too."

Not long after Cole left, Jaycie also headed out. She went shopping, picking out gifts for each of her close friends whom she was planning to meet later. When they gathered at the designated spot, her friends unwrapped the presents and gasped in shock—each box contained a brand-new luxury item.

"Jaycie, where did you get all these knockoffs? They look so real!"

"They're not knockoffs. They're genuine."

Seeing their disbelief, she couldn't help but laugh. She then revealed her true identity. "Actually, the story I told you about my father gambling and my mother being seriously ill was made up. I'm actually the only daughter of the richest family in Housleton. I'm saying goodbye because I'm going home to inherit the family fortune."

Her friends were stunned at first, then shocked, and finally overjoyed. They couldn't stop exclaiming, "I can't believe an heiress has been right here with us all along!" Their excitement was so loud it felt like the restaurant's ceiling might collapse.

Once the initial excitement died down, someone remembered Cole and asked, "But what about Cole? Does he know your real identity?"

At the mention of Cole, Jaycie froze slightly, her smile fading. "He's planning to marry someone else."

"What? No way!" Her friends were in disbelief. "He's always been so devoted to you. We've never seen anyone so head over heels for someone."

"Yeah, remember three years ago when you said you liked the Queen of the Night? He spent a fortune buying every single one of that plant he could find just to make you smile. And two years ago, when you caught the flu, he canceled a billion-dollar deal abroad and flew back to take care of you himself. He stayed up all night, refusing to sleep."

"And then a year ago, when you were in that car accident—the truck was heading straight for your side, but he swerved to protect you. You walked away without a scratch, but he broke three ribs and was in the hospital for three months, barely waking up. How could he marry someone else now? It doesn't make sense!"

Hearing her friends recount these memories, Jaycie felt a wave of emotion. Back then, Cole had loved her so much he would have given his life for her. But now...

She shook her head and smiled faintly. "He did love me, but his family thinks I'm not good enough for him and forced him to marry someone else. I didn't even get a chance to tell him the truth before he had the wedding invitations printed. From what he's said, he probably expects me to be his mistress after he's married."

Her friends were outraged.

"What? A mistress?"

"He wants the heiress of the richest family to be a mistress? He must've lost his mind!"

"Oh, he's going to regret this big time. Just wait until he realizes what he's lost!"

"Yeah, when he finds out you've left and your true identity is revealed, his family is going to lose it!"

Just then, Cole and Eileen walked into the restaurant. Hearing the commotion, Cole frowned. "What true identity?"

Seeing them walk in together, one of Jaycie's friends was about to lash out, but Jaycie stopped her. She looked at Cole and Eileen, her expression cool. "What are you doing here?"

Cole looked uneasy, avoiding her gaze. "The Bensons and the Wises have a business collaboration to discuss, so we arranged to meet."

Jaycie smiled knowingly. Of course she knew about their "collaboration"—it was a marriage arrangement, after all.

Because they were there to discuss their "collaboration", Cole and Eileen didn't join Jaycie and her friends. Instead, they sat at a separate table nearby, close enough for Jaycie to see their intimate interactions.

He cut her steak for her, and she shared her favorite dishes with him; he handed her a napkin, then she wiped a smudge from the corner of his mouth...

The back-and-forth between them made Jaycie's friends furious, but Jaycie herself remained calm, her expression unreadable.

After the meal, Jaycie and her friends parted ways, and Cole offered to drive both her and Eileen home. Perhaps remembering the earlier incident with the front seat, Cole had learned his lesson. This time, he brought out the family’s limousine, complete with a chauffeur, eliminating any need for a front-seat debate.

The car glided smoothly toward the Wises’ residence, the ride uneventful. No one could have predicted what would happen next. Out of nowhere, a speeding, out-of-control truck barreled toward them from the opposite direction.

The driver instinctively swerved, but with a deafening crash, the two vehicles collided.

As the windows shattered and the force of the impact threw Jaycie to the side, she caught a glimpse of Cole shielding Eileen in his arms, protecting her from harm. He was gently patting her back and soothing her, his focus entirely on her.

Jaycie’s consciousness began to fade, and at that moment, she remembered the accident her friends had mentioned earlier. It had been during their fourth year together, when his love for her was still at its peak.

It had been at an intersection just like this, with a truck speeding toward them. Her side of the car had been in the direct path of the collision. In a split second, realizing they couldn’t avoid the truck, Cole had forcefully turned the wheel, putting himself in harm’s way instead.

The front of the car had crumpled, trapping him in the driver’s seat. It had taken firefighters and doctors working together to free him. He had nearly died that day, but even when he woke up, his first words had been to ask if she was okay.

Now, in a similar accident, the person he instinctively protected was no longer her.

The rear of the car was a mangled mess. Once everyone had gotten out of the car, Cole, who had been comforting Eileen, finally noticed Jaycie.

She was standing silently, holding a hand to her bleeding forehead. Fortunately, her injuries weren’t severe, and after being treated at the hospital, she was declared fine. However, because the injury was to her head, the doctor recommended she stay for observation for a couple of days.

Cole looked at the bandage on her head, his face filled with guilt. "Jaycie, I’m so sorry. Eileen and I have an upcoming collaboration, and we have to attend some events together, so her face couldn’t be injured. That was why I protected her. You can hit me, yell at me—I’ll take it all. Just don’t shut me out, okay?"

His apology seemed sincere, and his reasoning almost made sense—if Jaycie hadn’t known the wedding was less than two weeks away. The event he mentioned was likely the wedding.

She kept her eyes down, neither accepting nor rejecting his apology. Her expression remained unreadable, calm and detached.

Cole continued to apologize, his words tumbling out in a rush. Suddenly, as if he was struck by an idea, his eyes lit up with hope. "Your birthday is coming up in a few days. Let me give you your gift early, okay? What do you want? I’ll buy you anything."

At this, she finally looked up at him, her gaze steady and emotionless. "Then buy me a plane ticket to Housleton, three days from now."

"Housleton? What for?" He was surprised but quickly supplied his own answer. "Do you want to go on a trip?"

Jaycie didn’t explain. She simply nodded and said, "Yeah."

Cole didn’t press further. Right there in front of her, he pulled out his phone and booked a ticket to Housleton. After completing the purchase, he added, "I’ve been really busy lately, so I can’t go with you. But you go ahead and enjoy Housleton. When I have time, I’ll join you. A plane ticket is too small for a birthday gift. I’ll make it up to you with a bigger surprise later."

Jaycie shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. "It’s not small. Not at all."

After all, this plane ticket was her ticket home.

She wanted to thank Cole for the gift—for sending her home with his own hands.