Officially Over

I had looked forward to that day. But now, there was nothing for me to look forward to now, was there?

Still, I could afford to buy fireworks with my own money. I just hoped Rachel wouldn't regret her decision when she got her memories back.

When I got home, I told my parents that Rachel mentioned breaking off the engagement.

My father expressed his disagreement. "You and Rachel should know better. Breaking off the engagement could cause a domino effect throughout our families' collaborations. Stop messing around!"

I inhaled deeply and explained, "Rachel is the one who insisted on breaking things off. Plus, our family has never been one to shake on a bad deal. It's not too late to call it quits now."

My father fell silent. His silence dragged on for so long that my mother couldn't help but remark, "Nicholas is the victim here! You have no reason to hesitate here. Besides, Nicholas has no trouble finding a wife.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find another girl for him even after the wedding's off! I'm certain we'll be able to find a better match for him, one that's far better than Rachel!"

I knew I could always trust my mother to persuade my father to see things our way. In the end, my father caved.

"Okay. I'll drop by Evans Residence with your mother to call off the engagement."

However, Rachel's parents arrived at our house with their unruly daughter in tow before we could drop by.

Rachel, who had just been discharged from the hospital, looked somewhat pale. From the looks of things, she seemed to be here to offer a humble apology. Still, I could tell that she wasn't all that sincere.

Her face was blank when she saw me. I didn't say anything, choosing to play the silent sentinel as I sat quietly next to my mother.

Rachel's mother, Madison Gray, smiled as she broke the ice, saying, "Nicholas and Rachel have been dating for three years, and I've been there for most of their romantic milestones.

"Rachel might not remember how deeply in love they were for the past three years due to head trauma, but we certainly do!"

Rachel's father, Timothy Evans, nodded repeatedly and echoed, "That's right. Nicholas is the only son-in-law we will ever acknowledge." After that, he looked at Rachel and commanded, "Rachel, get over here and apologize!"

Rachel snapped angrily, "Mom, Dad, I've told you! I won't marry him! Jordan is the one I love!"

"You're an absolute disgrace, is what you are!" Timothy roared and slapped her across the face, but I could tell it was just a bluff.

After all, Rachel's cheek didn't even swell after that slap. Rachel was also well aware that Timothy was putting on an act. Therefore, she couldn't help but get angry. "Do what you want, but I will never apologize!"

She glared at me and hissed, "Nicholas, stop wasting your efforts. Let's part ways on good terms!"

Timothy was livid. "Rachel, will your nonsense only cease after I die?"

I sneered at his pitiful acting.

"Mr. Evans, let's just forget about it. You can't force something like this, so it's better for us to end the engagement now rather than drag this on for months," I urged before turning to Rachel. "Rachel, I just hope you won't pester me after we break up."

Rachel raised her chin, looking as smug and proud as always. "I won't," she replied curtly.

After that, she shot me a meaningful look, probably thinking I was playing hard to get.

Sadly for her, I genuinely didn't want to waste my breath on someone like her.

To me, it was better to just get the pain over with now.

My father interjected before Timothy could say anything else. He raised his hand and said, "It's settled, then. Let's call off the engagement!"

When Madison heard that, she couldn't help but sigh in resignation as she took my hand. "Although things didn't work out between the both of you, I'm sure you two can still be friends. You should visit each other more often in the future."

I smiled politely, but said nothing. Instead of agreeing with Madison, I swore to myself that I would never be friends with Rachel, especially since things had ended on such a rotten note.

The Evans family's businesses overlapped with ours. If it weren't for my engagement to Rachel, our families would have been butting heads with each other ages ago.

Now that our engagement was over, the rivalry between our families could no longer be swept under the rug.

Soon after Timothy and Madison left, Rachel made her relationship official.

She took a photo with Jordan and posted it on her Twitter.

Her post caused an uproar among the netizens. Comments started flooding in one after another.

'Holy shit! Rachel, are you for real?!'

'Impressive!'

'Silently getting back with your first love as soon as he's back, huh? Talk about a classic, tell me you're head over heels for your first love without actually telling me that!'

'What about Nicholas?' asked one of our mutual friends.

'It's just a breakup. He can just find someone else,' replied Rachel.

I chuckled and remarked lightly, "She really is something."

When I refreshed the feed again, I realized that her Twitter post was gone from my timeline. That was when I knew she had blocked me.

'She learned to set boundaries with the opposite sex so quickly? Rachel sure is Jordan's obedient puppy.'

I couldn't help but burst into another round of laughter as I thought of that. After the breakup, my best friend, Benjamin Gardner, asked me to hang out. He was worried that I would do something stupid after the breakup.

He practically dragged me out, rendering me both amused and speechless.

Tiffany Wilson

Benjamin kept up a steady chatter along the way, telling me how the breakup wasn't a big deal and that I didn't have to take Rachel seriously.

He even started telling me that there were plenty of fish in the sea, and I could just find someone else now that it was over between us.

"Nicholas, you dated Rachel for three years, but that bitch pulled this stunt as soon as she lost her memory!" Benjamin hissed. "Let's find someone better than her today and piss her off!"

Then, he promptly dragged me to a nightclub.

"I've looked into this place. They have hired lots of pretty girls for their floor show, so you'd better seize the moment!"

His words left me equal parts amused and resigned.

However, I quickly found myself at a complete loss for words once I entered the establishment.

Putting everything else aside, just the sheer number of young models in there was overwhelming.

Even though my approach to women had always been to let things take their course, my heart still couldn't help but tremble with excitement as I sat in the club, listened to the pounding music around me, and watched the sexy young models dancing on stage now.

Just then, Benjamin stretched out his hand and pointed to the front. "See her? She's the most popular model here! You should invite her over for a drink!" he suggested.

I snorted. I was just about to turn him down when I heard a voice behind me, saying, "You're giving up on Nicholas just like that? He's the freaking scion of the Shaw family.

"Plus, your family's collaborating with the Shaw family. Are you seriously going to drop the project just for your romance?"

"I want Jordan. I'll do anything as long as Jordan is happy!"

"Are you really going to choose love over power? Rachel, you'll regret this one day!"

I instinctively turned around when I heard someone talking about Rachel. Sure enough, I saw a gaggle of people surrounding Rachel. There was a look of contempt on her face as she retorted, "Regret it? Ha! You guys are just jealous!"

Rachel, who was suffering from amnesia, rested one hand on her forehead. This was one of her ticks.

"Rachel, Nicholas is a great guy. Are you sure you're breaking up with him?"

I was stunned by the clear, cold voice.

I swiveled my head, and my gaze met with another's. My heart skipped a beat as I mused, 'Tiffany Wilson? What's she doing here?'

Benjamin leaned in and whispered, "Finally, a person with a functioning brain! Nicholas, you should introduce yourself to her! She's even hotter than all the models here."

I was taken aback as I blurted in confusion, "How do you know that? Did you sleep with her or something?"

I failed to control my volume in my shock, so my words naturally caught Tiffany's attention. Her lips curled into an enigmatic smile, which made me shudder.

Before I could say anything, Rachel ruined it all by screeching, "Nicholas, why are you here? You should stop playing hard to get! I promise you that it won't work!"

Before I could reply, Benjamin sprang to his feet and demanded, "Do you own this club?"

Rachel hesitated for a few seconds before answering, "No."

"In that case, why can't we be here? You're here, aren't you?"

Then, he waved his hand in front of his nose and said snidely, "Oh, wait. Let me rephrase that. Why is it that trash like you could be allowed in here when upstanding citizens like us aren't?"

Then, he turned to Tiffany. "Ms. Wilson, shouldn't you be more selective when it comes to your clients? You're going to ruin your club's reputation if you keep letting in customers like her!"

Tiffany merely smiled and replied professionally, "I will definitely take your complaints into consideration."

Benjamin smiled like the cat ate the canary, clearly pleased with himself as he arched a brow at Rachel.

Meanwhile, I was surprised as I hadn't expected that Tiffany was the owner of this fine establishment.

After Benjamin sat back down, I nodded at Tiffany in greeting before turning my attention elsewhere.

Rachel's face had turned livid with rage. "Tiffany, are you implying that you agree with them?"

"Anyone paying is a customer, so I naturally have to listen to their opinions. You may also provide your feedback, such as whether my male models are up to snuff or whether my female models are pleasing to your eyes."

I couldn't help but snort with laughter when I saw the revulsion on Rachel's face. I had never realized that Tiffany had quite the silvertongue.

Nevertheless, the words that escaped Tiffany's lips the very next moment nearly made me jump.

"Rachel, you still haven't answered my question. Are you really not going to make up with Nicholas? Are you breaking up with him for good?" Tiffany asked.

Rachel was so incensed that she yelled, "Yes! We're through! I don't love him!"

"Oh, that's good. In that case, I'll start pursuing him."

I stared at her in disbelief after hearing her bold declaration. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if I looked just like a deer in headlights when she turned to wink at me flirtatiously..