RICHEST boy in the world

The atmosphere in the box was vaguely tinged with tension, like the faint scent of gunpowder.

Then, someone stood up to lighten the mood.

"Finally, we're all here! Come on, let's have a drink together!"

"Yes, let's toast!"

One by one, everyone raised their glasses and drank. After a round of toasts, the tension eased, and classmates started chatting and laughing more freely.

It had to be said that Samuvel had excellent social skills. Before long, he became the center of attention in the room. He glanced at Alex, who sat quietly in the corner, not saying a word.

With a casual and indifferent tone, Samuvel said, "Alex, why so silent?"

It seemed as though he'd forgotten that Alex had once publicly exposed his scandal with Aunt Susan.

After a pause, he added, "By the way, Alex, you went straight to work after high school, right? You must have made quite a bit of money by now. What kind of car did you buy?"

Abishake sneered, "Alex's salary is only a few thousand dollars. What kind of car could he possibly afford? He probably can barely support himself."

In high school, Alex had been tall, handsome, and academically gifted, admired by many girls in the class—something that had always made Abishake jealous. Now, seeing Alex in a humbler state, he seized the chance to ridicule him, relishing in the feeling of bringing him down.

"What? Only a few thousand dollars?" Samuvel feigned surprise.

Alex ignored them. To him, their words were childish, entirely beneath his attention. But his indifference only seemed to spur them on.

"Hey! Alex, you're wearing a watch? It looks nice! Let's see it," Samuvel persisted.

Alex replied calmly, "It's just a watch, nothing special."

"Come on! We're all classmates here. Show it to us! We'll just have a quick look," Samuvel pressed.

"Yeah, let us take a look," Abishake chimed in, his tone mocking.

Encouraged by Dani, who Alex had a good impression of, he finally placed his Vacheron Constantin Tour de l'Ile on the table. Samuvel picked it up, turning it over in his hands.

"It's got some weight to it," he remarked.

Abishake asked, "What brand is this? It does look fancy."

"My friend Paul is a watch expert. He'll know for sure." Without asking Alex, Samuvel snapped a picture and sent it to his friend, hoping to flaunt his connections while subtly mocking Alex. However, Paul didn't respond immediately.

"Let's give him a minute. He's probably busy," Samuvel said.

Dani, clearly intrigued by the watch, asked, "Alex, how much did this watch cost?"

"Nothing," Alex replied simply.

He wasn't lying; he'd received the watch as a gift. But his answer drew immediate skepticism.

"No money? Alex, was it some kind of promotional gift?" Abishake sneered.

Samuvel chimed in, "Oh, it's a gift? Alex, you should've said so! I hope my friend doesn't get mad seeing a knockoff."

With that, he tossed the watch back onto the table dismissively, as if it were unworthy of further attention.

Trying to lecture Alex, he added, "Pretending to have something real doesn't make any sense. No one here would even think about wearing knockoffs, right?"

Several classmates, although some had privately bought replicas before, shook their heads in agreement. Saving face was paramount.

"No, the quality is totally different from the real thing."

"Who'd want an imitation?"

Angle raised her Gucci bag, saying, "Only broke losers would buy knockoffs. My husband never buys me anything fake."

With that, she held Dustin's arm affectionately. Feeling her closeness, his irritation seemed to melt away.

Meanwhile, Alex was becoming annoyed by the buzzing of petty remarks around him. Finally, he snapped, "I like it, and it's none of your business!"

With that, he took his Vacheron Constantin back and put it on his wrist. The classmates' faces fell, realizing that Alex's words were directed at all of them.

Feeling partially responsible, Dani tried to smooth things over. "Everyone's pretty much finished eating. How about we go sing?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

"Let's do it!"

Most agreed, but Alex declined. His primary reason for attending the reunion had been to reconnect with old friends, yet they hadn't shown up. Staying through dinner had been enough of an effort.

"I won't go," Alex said.

Maya added, "I have something to do later, so I'll skip it too. Have a good time!"

Many were pleased Alex wouldn't be joining, but they were disappointed to lose Maya, a beautiful classmate.

As people tried to convince her to stay, she politely declined, explaining she had a family matter to attend to.

"Want me to walk you out?" Alex asked casually.

"I'd appreciate that," Maya replied with a smile.

Alex was caught off guard, but he followed through and escorted her to the parking lot.

The classmates watched them leave, speculating.

"You don't think there's something between them, do you?"

"No way! Why would Maya be interested in him?"

"They're headed to the parking lot. Doesn't Alex not even have a car?"

"Oh, a taxi just pulled in. He probably just wants to get her a ride," Abishake sneered.

The idea of Maya being sent home in a taxi, rather than a luxury car, seemed outrageous to them.

Angle scoffed, "When my husband picks me up, it's always in a Mercedes or BMW. A taxi? Alex really has no shame."

Seeing Alex and Maya leave, Samuvel's desire to impress Maya surged.

"Let me go give her a proper ride," he said with a grin, feeling encouraged by the others.

After some persuasion, he made his way out, hoping to turn this farewell into an opportunity.