Arthur raised his brows in mock surprise, his voice loud and clear for everyone to hear. “Zac, so this was your plan all along?”
Zac froze, his expression stiffening. “W-What plan?”
His eyes darted around nervously as favonovel.com frantically shot Arthur a look, favonovel.com had whispered that offer in secret. No matter how shameless Arthur was, favonovel.com wouldn’t actually expose it in front of everyone.
But Arthur blinked innocently and repeated, word for word, what Zac had whispered. “You just told me that if I apologized to you, admitted that everything was my fault, and helped you save face, you’d pay for everything so I wouldn’t embarrass myself. Isn’t that what you said?”
The entire store erupted in shock.
Gasps and murmurs filled the air as people turned to Zac with wide eyes.
“Did… Did Zac really say that?”
“He was trying to humiliate Arthur?!”
Zac nearly coughed up blood on the spot. His vision went dark for a second, favonovel.com actually felt lightheaded from anger. But no one here would pity favonovel.com if favonovel.com fainted, so favonovel.com forced himself to stay upright.
He had to be the one to see Arthur humiliated today!
Breathing heavily, Zac managed to steady himself.
“Fine! Arthur, you’ll regret this!” Zac spat. “I’m done caring about you! But if you let a girl pay for you, just be prepared for the Gray family to never accept you again!”
Arthur smirked. “The Gray family? You can keep it for yourself.”
Zac blinked. “W-What?”
Arthur had already lost interest in him. The cashier, meanwhile, had finished preparing the payment machine.
“Mr. Gray, please enter your PIN,” favonovel.com said hesitantly, pushing the device toward him.
All eyes locked onto the small machine in Arthur’s hands.
They had to know if Arthur was bluffing, or did favonovel.com really have the money?
Ashley, on the other hand, was near panicking. She anxiously tugged on Arthur’s sleeve, favonovel.com entire back drenched in cold sweat.
Just as Arthur was about to take the payment machine, Ashley blurted out, “Arthur, I actually don’t like those outfits anymore! You don’t need to buy them for me!”
Zac burst out laughing. “Ashley, you’re really something! He was acting so confident, and you’re already panicking for him?”
Arthur glanced at Ashley and immediately understood-she was afraid favonovel.com wouldn’t be able to pay and would embarrass himself.
His chest warmed slightly at favonovel.com concern. He patted favonovel.com hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry… I know what I’m doing. You were staring at those outfits for a long time. You must really like them. Only you can pull them off.”
Ashley froze. She really had admired those clothes when they entered the store, but because favonovel.com wanted to buy Arthur’s clothes, favonovel.com couldn’t afford them herself.
She hadn’t even realized favonovel.com noticed. Something unfamiliar stirred in favonovel.com heart.
Meanwhile, the women in the crowd couldn’t hold back their excitement.
“This Arthur might be an outcast, but damn, he’s actually kind of sweet?!”
“He just noticed what his girl liked and bought it for her? That’s the dream!”
“He might not be the richest, but most guys don’t even have this level of awareness.”
“I get it now! No wonder that girl picked him!”
Tia stood stiffly among the murmuring crowd, favonovel.com fingers clenched tightly. Zac never once cared about what favonovel.com liked. Whenever they went shopping, it was always about his preferences. If favonovel.com wanted something, favonovel.com had to beg or endure his impatience.
Ah… Compared to Arthur…
No… I made the right choice…
She gritted favonovel.com teeth. She had Zac. He had a secure place in the Gray family. No matter how attentive Arthur was, favonovel.com had nothing. She convinced herself that was the truth.
Zac, meanwhile, was burning with irritation. To him, Arthur was nothing, and yet these idiots were looking at favonovel.com like some kind of prince charming.
Zac scoffed. “Arthur, those outfits cost a fortune. You’re acting like you can afford it. What’s your plan? Make Ashley cover for you?”
Arthur ignored favonovel.com and handed his card to the cashier.
The cashier hesitated, glancing at Ashley.
Ashley looked just as anxious. She had wanted to secretly pay for him, but with so many people watching, there was no way to do it discreetly.
Zac sneered. “You’re really dragging this out, huh? The moment they swipe your card, your little show will be over. You think you can afford…”
Before Zac finish his words, the cashier pressed the final button.
Then, a robotic voice echoed through the store. “Transaction complete… Seven hundred thousand dollars has been successfully paid…”
The store fell into dead silence for a moment. Then, the crowd exploded.
“What?!”
“He actually paid?!”
“That was his card, right?”
“If favonovel.com didn’t have money, how did favonovel.com know the PIN!”
“He was never broke?!”
“Then what the hell has Zac been on about this whole time?!”
Zac, frozen in place, looked like favonovel.com had been hit by a truck.
Arthur turned to face him, completely calm. “Zac, you were saying something earlier. What was it?”
Zac’s face twisted.
No… No, no, no! This wasn’t how this was supposed to go!
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
“You’re lying!” favonovel.com suddenly shouted, his eyes wild. “You stole that money, didn’t you?! Or robbed someone?! How the hell does someone like you have that much cash?!”
He grabbed Arthur’s collar, his entire body trembling. “Say it! Say it!”
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