Chapter 2

The next morning, Chloe didn't make breakfast. By the time I walked out of the bedroom, she was already fully dressed, applying her makeup.

"Lily asked me out shopping today," she said to the mirror, touching up her lipstick without glancing in my direction. "I’ll probably be home late."

"Do you want me to give you a lift?" I offered.

"No need." She grabbed the pre-owned Louis Vuitton bag she had bought herself. "I’ll call a cab."

The door slammed shut behind her.

Standing in the quiet living room, I looked down at the luxury cashmere coat discarded on the sofa.

My phone buzzed. A message popped up from Jenkins, our head butler: Young Master, the Chairman is asking if you will be joining the family for dinner tonight.

After a brief pause, I replied: Yes. I’ll be there around seven.

Shall I dispatch a driver to pick you up?

No need. I’ll drive myself.

Setting my phone down, I began clearing the space.

I carefully folded the coat and slipped it back into its subtle, unbranded dust bag.

The atelier never placed loud logos on their garments; only true connoisseurs recognized the fabric.

The brand’s creative director had personally visited my private residence with ten exclusive custom designs for me to review, and I had selected this piece specifically for Chloe.

Yet, she couldn’t recognize it.

Around noon, I logged on to do a couple of rides as usual.

A trip request quickly pinged on my screen, heading toward a high-end shopping district.

When I pulled up to the pickup point, I stopped. It was Chloe and her best friend, Lily.

They were equally stunned to see the car.

"Julian?" Chloe gasped, mortified. "Why are you..."

"I picked up a nearby ride request," I replied calmly. "Hop in."

Lily was the first to snap out of it. She grabbed Chloe’s arm in wild excitement.

"Oh my god, Chloe! Your boyfriend drives a literal hypercar for Uber? How much does this beast even cost?!"

Chloe climbed into the passenger seat, completely rigid. She lowered her voice to a hiss.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to humiliate me on purpose?"

"The app assigned the route automatically," I said, tapping the phone mount.

Lily was already in the back snapping selfies.

"Holy shit, this is going straight to my Ins! I’m literally taking an Uber in a multi-million-dollar hypercar! Chloe, your man is insane!"

"It’s not insane," Chloe muttered, embarrassed. "It’s not even his. It’s borrowed."

"Borrowed?" Lily poked her head forward. "Who would lend someone a car like this?"

"A friend," I answered briefly, shifting into gear.

The entire ride, Lily kept asking relentless questions, and Chloe’s expression grew darker by the minute.

When we arrived at the shopping center, Lily hopped out first. Chloe lingered in the seat.

"Julian, we need to talk tonight," she said with chilling gravity.

"Tonight? I have plans tonight."

"What plans? Driving more Uber?" she scoffed sarcastically.

"Can you just quit doing this? My best friends are here today, and you made me look pathetic!"

I turned to look at her. "Is driving an honest ride something to be ashamed of?"

"What do you think?" she shot back. "Saying my boyfriend is an Uber driver—does that sound glamorous to you? Do you know what Lily’s boyfriend does? He’s a vice president at an investment bank! He makes millions a year!"

I wanted to tell her that a single subsidiary under my father’s umbrella pulled in hundreds of millions in profit annually. But the words died in my throat.

"Chloe, no honest profession is beneath anyone."

"That’s just poor people comforting themselves!" she blurted out. Realizing her harshness, her tone softened slightly.

"Julian, that’s not what I meant. I just want you to be ambitious. We need to buy a home, get a proper car, get married, have children... All of that requires real money..."

"What if I told you we never have to worry about money?" I interrupted.

She blinked, then let out a dry, condescending laugh.

"Here we go again. Are you daydreaming again? Julian, be realistic. We’re ordinary people."

She pushed the door open, pausing before stepping out. "By the way, don’t wait up for dinner."

"Lily introduced me to a friend of her boyfriend's. He’s a private hedge fund manager. We’re all going out for dinner together."

The door shut. Watching her figure disappear into the luxury complex, something deep inside me quietly shattered and sank away.