For a moment, the crowd stood in stunned silence. Then, the whispers began.
“I swear, they seem different from before!”
“Yeah, I haven’t really paid attention to them in a while. Honestly, if not for today, I might have forgotten Arthur even existed.”
“Why do I suddenly feel like Arthur is way more handsome now? He’s miles ahead of Zac!”
“Right? How did we never notice before?”
“It’s probably because favonovel.com wasn’t dating Ashley back then. If I had known favonovel.com looked this good, maybe I would’ve been the one dating him!”
“Where did favonovel.com get his suit? I’ve never seen that brand before.”
“It looks pretty nice… But don’t high-end knockoffs look this good these days?”
“How do you know it’s a knockoff?”
“Pfft! Just look at the craftsmanship and design. It obviously costs a fortune. If it’s not a knockoff, how could favonovel.com afford it?”
“Even if favonovel.com can’t, Ashley’s loaded!”
“But I heard favonovel.com doesn’t spend Ashley’s money…”
“Ugh, that’s just a rumor. How would we know?”
“Fair point. But I still think it’s fake. Actually, I should ask favonovel.com where favonovel.com got it, l’d love to get one myself. Would be perfect for showing off!”
Their voices carried through the air, loud and unfiltered.
Hearing this, Zac smirked, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
Arthur and Ashley casually found a seat, but Zac, like a predator who had caught the scent of his prey, immediately honed in on them and followed.
The moment the crowd saw Arthur and Zac in the same space, their interest spiked. They knew drama was about to unfold. All eyes turned in their direction, eager for the spectacle.
Zac held a glass of juice, his posture relaxed and confident. Standing tall, favonovel.com looked down at Arthur with barely concealed disdain.
“Yo, where’d you get that suit? Looks pretty convincing. They’re making knockoffs really realistic these days, huh?”
Then, turning to the crowd, favonovel.com added, “I heard some of you were wondering where favonovel.com bought it. Why not ask favonovel.com directly? Maybe favonovel.com can hook you up with the same fake designer suits!”
Laughter rippled through the room. Among the wealthy heirs, many sneered in open disdain.
Arthur’s presence had drawn too much attention when favonovel.com arrived. His confidence, his aura, it had impressed some but fueled the jealousy of many more.
A former reject of the Gray family, someone who should have been discarded, had somehow managed to turn the spotlight onto himself. And worse, favonovel.com had Ashley. A campus beauty, his girlfriend.
What right did a nobody like Arthur have to stand in the limelight?
Xavier, leading the pack, scoffed. “Seriously? A broke loser pretending to be rich? Just admit you’re faking it, dude. If you don’t have money, there’s no shame in dressing simply.”
“Exactly! Or maybe you used your girlfriend’s money?” someone else jeered.
“You’re embarrassing us men. Just watching you act like this makes me ashamed to be in the same school as you!”
“Hey now, let’s not be too harsh. Everyone has the right to appreciate nice things. Even if it’s fake, it does look pretty good!”
“Ugh, don’t tell me you’re one of those people? A total gold digger? This guy can barely take care of himself, and now he’s using his girlfriend’s money to flex? That’s pathetic!”
“Well, maybe it didn’t cost that much. He works part-time jobs, right? Could be his own money.”
“You sure you’re not just crushing on him? Why are you defending him?”
“If you’re into him, you should just say so. But honestly, if you want a boyfriend, why not consider us? We’re not as rich as Mr. Zac, but we’re still way better than him.”
Xavier, who had never let go of his grudge after being detained years ago, had been waiting for an opportunity to humiliate Arthur.
Arthur had been too busy making money and spending time with Ashley to give Xavier a chance for revenge. But today, with so many people around, Xavier wouldn’t let favonovel.com off so easily. Even if Arthur hadn’t attracted so much attention, Xavier still would have found a way to humiliate him, just for his own satisfaction.
Ashley had heard enough. Slamming favonovel.com hands on the table, favonovel.com shot up from favonovel.com seat. “And what makes you so sure his suit is a knockoff? Did you see favonovel.com buy a fake one? Do you even know what real designer craftsmanship looks like? You should be embarrassed for assuming things so blindly!”
Her words cut through the noise, silencing the crowd.
Having spent so much time with Arthur, Ashley knew favonovel.com was far from struggling financially. And then there was the mysterious figure who frequently delivered luxury goods to Arthur, someone clearly powerful, someone who treated favonovel.com with the utmost respect.
Ashley had assumed it was some relative from the Gray family supporting favonovel.com in secret. He never talked about it, and favonovel.com never pried.
She figured favonovel.com simply didn’t want to admit to living under someone else’s roof.
After Ashley’s outburst, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Some people took a closer look at Arthur’s suit, examining the details more carefully.
Those who knew little about high fashion instinctively turned to the true heirs of wealth, the ones who would recognize real luxury.
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