Liza crossed her arms and stared at Gavin, clearly exasperated. "I’m just trying to help you out here. Sophia is telling everyone she’s your fiancée. If you don’t set the record straight, it’s only a matter of time before things spiral out of control.” She wasn’t exaggerating—Sophia wasn’t someone to take lightly. Her persistence and manipulative tendencies could cause real trouble. Gavin nodded slightly, his expression unreadable. He had no intention of allowing Sophia to keep spreading falsehoods about their relationship. Yet hearing Liza bring it up made the situation unexpectedly entertaining. Raising an eyebrow, he leaned closer to her, his voice dipping into a low, teasing tone. “And you’re sure you’re not jealous? You’re so fixated on Sophia calling herself my fiancée. If that’s not jealousy, then what is it?” Liza stiffened, her face flushing. “…”It wasn’t entirely untrue. How could she not feel irritated? Her legally wedded husband had someone clinging to him, parading around as his fiancée. Sophia wasn’t outright repulsive, but she was certainly irritating—like a buzzing mosquito that refused to leave. Before she could respond, Gavin spoke again, his tone cool and composed. “If you’re so bothered by the idea of me having a fiancée, shouldn’t I have the same feelings about your fiancée?” Liza blinked, taken aback. “My… fiancée? What are you even talking about?” Gavin smirked faintly. He rarely believed in coincidences, yet life seemed to have played a peculiar trick on him. Years ago, during a conversation with his senior mentor, Master Winston, they had bonded over shared interests and mutual respect. At one point, Master Winston had even joked about arranging for Gavin to marry his youngest disciple, someone Master Winston treated like his granddaughter. Gavin hadn’t taken it seriously—how could he? Master Winston adored his disciple, Ruby Co, and treated her like a rare gem. The idea of him giving her away in marriage seemed absurd. Still, Gavin vaguely remembered one thing: when Ruby Co had fallen ill as a child, he had gifted her a jade pendant, meant as a simple token of goodwill. He hadn’t thought much of it since. His eyes met Liza’s, calm yet probing. “Your so-called fiancée gave you a jade pendant, didn’t he? Where is it now?” Liza froze, her body stiffening as chills ran down her spine. How on earth did Gavin know about the jade pendant? She hadn’t mentioned it to anyone—not even her brothers. Years ago, when she was just ten, her master had tried to arrange a marriage between her and a mysterious “big shot.” The arrangement wasn’t serious, but the memory of that day still lingered in her mind. To avoid meeting her supposed future husband, she had pretended to be ill. Her master, softhearted as always, didn’t push her. Later, she overheard that the man wasn’t interested in the arrangement either. Before leaving, he had given her the jade pendant, casually remarking that it was just a trinket for safekeeping—a gift from one generation to another. Snapping out of her daze, Liza looked at Gavin in disbelief. “How… how do you even know about that?” Her reaction amused him, though his expression remained neutral. Little did she know, the story of their intertwined past was far more significant than either of them had realized. Liza’s mind spun as she tried to make sense of Gavin’s unexpected knowledge. To her, the arrangement from years ago had always seemed like something from an elder—a well-meaning but outdated gesture. She had long dismissed it, viewing her supposed “fiancé” as an elder rather than a romantic prospect. But now, she couldn’t help but wonder: how did Gavin know about this? Had someone let it slip? Yet, she couldn’t recall anyone in her circle even being acquainted with Gavin. Her thoughts tangled in confusion as she stared at him, unsure how to respond. Gavin’s gaze sharpened, his tone carrying a subtle challenge. “What’s wrong? Is my question so hard to answer?” It dawned on him then—this thoughtless woman had completely forgotten about him. A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes. Liza, however, misread his expression and became even more convinced that he was here to interrogate her. The realization set her nerves alight, but she refused to let herself lose. Swallowing hard, her cheeks took on a faint blush as she stammered, “Y-Yes, I have a fiancé…” Gavin’s lips curved into a faint smile, though his eyes didn’t lose their intensity. “And where is this fiancé of yours?” A shiver ran through Liza. Of course, he wants to know where this ‘fiancé’ is. He probably suspected her of harboring lingering feelings or, worse, thought she might cheat. She could already imagine him investigating with his unmatched resources. Her heart raced as she tried to keep her composure. After a couple of steadying breaths, she finally said, “I’m sorry to tell you this, but… he’s dead.”Gavin’s expression faltered, caught off guard by her blunt response. Liza maintained a somber air, speaking with the utmost seriousness. “That fiancé was actually a close friend of my grandfather’s. The engagement was entirely my grandfather’s idea—I didn’t have a say in it. He was around my grandfather’s age, and I always saw him as an elder. I’m certain he saw me as nothing more than a junior. My grandfather spent years trying to find him to finalize the arrangement, but the man vanished. Honestly, I suspect he passed away from old age.” She placed a reassuring hand on Gavin’s shoulder, her tone softening. “That’s why I don’t consider myself engaged anymore. It’s time to move forward. Now that I’m married to you, we’ll be together forever. I’m sure my former fiancé, wherever he is, would want me to live a happy and fulfilling life.” The words tumbled out with an air of solemnity, but her goal was clear—to ease any tension that might arise from this ridiculous misunderstanding. After all, the so-called fiancé had disappeared for years, causing nothing but inconvenience. In her eyes, he was hardly worth remembering. Gavin’s expression darkened ever so slightly. Too old? Died of old age? No longer a fiancé? He processed her words with a mixture of disbelief and something he couldn’t quite name. This explanation was far from what he had anticipated, and yet, it left him deeply unsettled.