Chapter 2011

Sam's sudden question caught Loreen off guard. Flustered, she stammered, "You you you're talking nonsense! I I don't like Charlie Wade!"

"I don't believe you," Sam scoffed. "I've been dating for years. I know women, and the way you're looking right now, you're secretly in love with Charlie Wade!"

Loreen feigned impatience. "Oh, whatever you think. I'm not bothering to talk to you."

Sam warned, "Loreen, Charlie Wade is married. Stay away from him. If word gets out that the Thomas family's eldest daughter is involved with a married man, you'll disgrace the family!"

Enraged, Loreen retorted, "You have the nerve to talk about me? Your botched surgery is city-wide gossip! And don't forget your infamous green helmet bike ride from Eastcliff to Aurous Hill! That disgraced the Thomas family!"

Shamefaced, Sam exclaimed, "Loreen, is it necessary? Do we have to hurt each other?"

"Who told you to talk about me?" Loreen countered.

Sam sighed. "Look, I get it. You have a crush on Charlie Wade…" He muttered dejectedly, "It's unbelievable! What's so great about Charlie Wade? A married man! Have all the other men in the world died?"

Loreen, no longer concealing her feelings, asked curiously, "Who else likes him?"

Sam was agitated. "Jasmine from the Aurous Hill Moore family! I swallowed that necklace last time for Jasmine's birthday! I wanted to impress her—our families were even arranging a marriage—but she ignored me completely. Her eyes were only on Charlie Wade! That's why I was so angry!"

Loreen exclaimed, "No way! Jasmine likes Charlie Wade? You're kidding, right?"

Sam said, dejectedly, "Why would I lie? I genuinely liked Jasmine. With her now heading the Moore family, marrying her would be a huge boost for the Kilgore family. But she completely dismissed me!"

Loreen pictured Jasmine's beauty. Though the eldest daughter of a prominent family herself, Loreen felt inferior to Jasmine. The Moore family was as powerful as the Thomas family, and Jasmine was exceptionally beautiful and refined—an impeccable beauty. Loreen considered Jasmine Aurous Hill's most beautiful woman. While Claire Wilson was lovely, she lacked Jasmine's elegance and refinement. Even more, Jasmine now headed a massive family business. Most wealthy women eventually married out; their families wouldn't entrust them with the inheritance. The Moore family was different. Jasmine controlled a hundred-billion-dollar empire, making her a top female tycoon in the country—even surpassing Stefanie Sun in net worth.

This stunning beauty's infatuation with Charlie Wade made Loreen acutely aware of the intense competition. She wondered, "Why is he so popular?"