Hearing this, Rhea lowered her head and walked over to Hogan, threading her arm through his with a sheepish expression. "See? We thought our little act was flawless, but she saw right through us from the start." Hogan looked equally chagrined. He glanced at his wife, then back at his son, who was glaring at them with palpable frustration. Hogan felt the entire scheme had been a bust, failing before it even truly began. However, he quickly found a way to salvage his pride. He straightened his posture and looked at Eugene with a stern expression. "So this is the woman you're so taken with! Tsk, tsk!" He deliberately injected a note of disdain into his voice, his eyes flicking meaningfully toward the signed check on the table. "In this woman's eyes, you're only worth this piece of paper. You lost in the end, boy." Hogan let out a dismissive snort. "I told you, you don't really know her. Throwing your heart at someone so completely without truly understanding them—aren't you afraid of getting it trampled?" Eugene glanced at the check. He didn't look at Chloe, simply scanning the signature. He feigned confusion. "Dad, Mom, this is the woman I love. If anything, I should thank you for staging this little performance. It only confirms I've made the right choice." "What?" Rhea immediately grew flustered. "Darling, are you hearing yourself? She doesn't want you. She chose the money. In her mind, you're worth less than a check!" "Getting a billion dollars so effortlessly... such a clever move. I'm impressed." Eugene looked at Chloe, a faint smile touching his lips. "Chloe, thanks for securing the pocket money from Mom and Dad." Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Robert wants that deluxe Lego set. You're handling that." "No problem. I'll buy him ten. We'll split the rest. Consider it an early New Year's gift from the folks." Eugene's smile widened as he played along. Listening to their exchange, Hogan's anger flared. "You foolish boy! Have you lost your mind? This girl took a billion to walk away from you, and you're over here happily dividing the spoils with her! How did you ever build a fortune?" "Darling, don't get so worked up! You know your blood pressure," Rhea interjected, holding Hogan's arm and looking pleadingly at Eugene. "Eugene, you're truly disappointing us. We could accept you marrying anyone, as long as she loved and cherished you wholeheartedly. But this woman..." Eugene ignored their protests. He reached over, picked up the check, and held it out for his parents to see clearly. "Open your eyes and look at the name on it."Hogan was ready to unleash another tirade, but he stopped short, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the signature. Eugene Rosewood. The name signed on the check was Eugene's, in handwriting identical to his own. They knew their son's signature intimately. For a split second, they thought he had signed it himself. But they knew perfectly well it was Chloe who had held the pen moments ago. This... The young woman had signed Eugene's name. This was a cashier's check for one billion dollars. Once endorsed, the funds belonged to the named payee. Chloe had signed Eugene's name, making the check legally his. No wonder she had just told Eugene to buy toys for the child with it. They felt thoroughly outplayed. It was nothing short of madness—letting yourself be sold a bridge, then handing over the cash with a smile. "Pocket money? Who gives that much pocket money? Give that check back right now," Hogan demanded, annoyed. He reached for it, but Eugene effortlessly moved it out of his grasp. "A gift, once given, cannot be taken back," Eugene said with a faint, triumphant smile. "Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom. I'll hold onto this for Chloe. Consider it your meeting gift to her. When I finally win her over and marry her, I'll be sure to thank you properly." "Son, who gives a billion-dollar meeting gift?" Rhea exclaimed, her own anxiety rising. This was no small sum. They had brought it out to test the girl, and now they were the ones left holding the bag. "Mom, you're not usually this petty. Chloe saved you. Aren't you even going to thank her? And now you want to take back her 'thank you' gift? That's not very gracious." Eugene pressed the point, hitting a nerve. Rhea fell silent. She had to admit, Chloe had been incredibly impressive during the staged incident. But... wasn't the whole thing a setup? Even if Chloe hadn't intervened, the "staff" lying in wait would have stepped in at the last moment. Still, losing a billion dollars felt excessively generous for a lesson learned.