Chapter 39:

Jacob's gaze met Elyse's, and she quickly averted her eyes, firmly stating, "No, I don't think it's necessary."

Trying to smooth things over, Lizzie intervened. "Don't dismiss the idea so quickly. Jacob has been waiting a long time for you. You're single now, after all. Why not give him a chance?"

Elyse almost laughed—out of irritation, not amusement. During high school, Jacob was known as a troublemaker and was eventually expelled. Later, she heard he'd moved to a big city, seized business opportunities, and now ran his own small company, achieving a decent level of success. Yet, Elyse couldn't erase the memory of him stealing her money and falsely accusing her.

Trying to project the image of a successful businessman, Jacob straightened his clothes and offered, with affected affection, "Elyse, we'd make a great pair. You're beautiful, and I'm wealthy. We're perfectly matched."

Elyse responded immediately, "I'm not single. I'm married. You should find someone else, Jacob."

Her words silenced the room.

"You're married? To Theo Ward? That's news to me," Lizzie blurted out.

Elyse retorted, "I didn't say it was Theo. Can't I marry someone else?"

At this, one classmate burst out laughing incredulously. "You've concocted such an absurd story just to avoid Jacob. Who would you marry otherwise? Did you really marry someone disabled to spite Theo?"

Another chimed in, "Surely, even if you were upset over being rejected, you wouldn't go to such lengths, right? What's so bad about Jacob that you'd prefer using a disabled person as a pretext rather than accept him?"

Jacob's expression darkened. Since his rise to success, he hadn't faced such disrespect. In a fit of anger, he hurled a wine bottle to the ground, exclaiming, "I asked you out of pity! Do you actually think I was trying to win you over?"

Lizzie, further stirring the pot, said, "Why are you so ungrateful? Jacob was acting out of goodwill, yet this is how you repay him?"

Suddenly, Elyse found herself the target of everyone's criticism, as if it were her fault for not wanting to date Jacob.

A message from Jayden caught her eye: "Aren't you at your class reunion? How's it going?"

She responded, "It feels awful."

"You got picked on. You really reflect poorly on me," Jayden replied.

As Elyse pondered her reply, another text from Jayden appeared: "I'm coming to pick you up." A wave of relief washed over Elyse. But her reassurance was short-lived. Jacob, seeing she was ignoring him, marched over and knocked the phone from her hand.

"I was talking to you! How dare you ignore me?"

Elyse's anger flared. Standing up, she confronted him. "Jacob Duffy, have you lost your mind? That's my phone. Who do you think you are? Why should I have to grovel to you?"

Lizzie chimed in, defending Jacob. "Don't be so harsh, Elyse. You embarrassed him first." She continued with feigned sincerity, "Besides, we all know about your family's situation. They treat you terribly. Now that you no longer have Theo's support, why not consider Jacob? He could really love you, maybe even marry you."

Jacob sneered. "She doesn't deserve to be my wife. Theo probably got tired of being intimate with her. I don't want to be Theo's discarded leftovers."

The room erupted in laughter, though Freddy tried to console Elyse. The mockery was overwhelming.

"My husband is Jayden Owen," Elyse declared, mentioning Jayden for the first time. She had previously avoided mentioning him to prevent trouble, but since he often said she reflected poorly on him, it seemed appropriate to use his name now.

The laughter intensified. "Jayden Owen? You're hilarious. Are you delusional?" Freddy interjected, "We were all classmates once. Why are you treating Elyse with such hostility?"

Elyse stood there, her expression cold, realizing this reunion was merely a stage for them to flaunt their fame, wealth, and status. Now labeled as someone abandoned by Theo and deemed worthless, she was the target of their cruelty.

Lizzie remained silent, her mind occupied with other thoughts. She had learned from her fiancé that the Owen family was extremely wealthy—even more so than the Wards—and wielded significant, though discreet, influence.