"But now that you two are officially no longer engaged, he's free, right? So I’m his girlfriend now. What, is that not allowed?" Ashley turned to Arthur, her fiery eyes still burning with the remnants of her anger. "Hey, do you want to be my boyfriend?" Arthur froze for a second. Then, as a slow smile spread across his face, he said cheerfully, "I do." Had he just… been confessed to by Ashley? Ashley herself was stunned. Her face turned scarlet at a visible speed. The moment the words left her mouth, regret crashed into her like a tidal wave. What the hell was she doing?! Ashley internally screamed at herself. How could she just blurt something like that out? The entire crowd, which had been busy watching the drama, was now completely dumbfounded. Tia and Zac looked like they had been slapped across the face. She actually dared to say they were two peas in a pod. She outright called them shameless fakes. And worst of all, she publicly declared Tia had no morals. Not just them—Martin and his wife’s expressions turned darker than storm clouds. But the most frustrating part? They couldn't even refute her words because they were true. Zac ground his teeth so hard it nearly cracked his jaw. After a long moment, he forcibly swallowed down his rage, barely managing to keep his composure. Then, he smirked. "Since you’re a couple now, and since you don’t need our charity, then you wouldn’t let your girlfriend pay for your clothes, would you?" So what if Arthur suddenly had a sharp-tongued girlfriend? So what if Ashley could out-argue them? It didn’t change the fact that Arthur was still broke and still had to rely on a woman to pay for him! Zac wanted Arthur to make a fool of himself in front of everyone. No—he wanted him utterly humiliated. Trash was always trash. He would never rise above his station. Ashley clenched her fists. She knew Arthur didn’t have money. That was why she had planned to buy him clothes in the first place. If she had known, she wouldn’t have taken him to such an expensive store! Ashley berated herself internally. She thought about slipping her card into Arthur’s hand, but with so many eyes on them, it was impossible to do it unnoticed. If people saw her giving him money, it would only make things worse for him. Ashley’s mind raced, sweat forming at the back of her neck as she desperately searched for a way out. Meanwhile, Arthur leisurely observed Zac’s barely contained fury. "And what makes you so sure I don’t have money?" Arthur asked lazily. "Do you think I’d come here if I were broke? You deliberately said all of that in front of everyone just to make me look bad—to confirm your little ‘Arthur is a kept man’ fantasy, right?" Zac’s expression stiffened. The crowd began murmuring again, their opinions starting to shift. "Wait… yeah, something feels off. Zac keeps acting like he’s helping Arthur, but he’s the one who started all this in the first place." "If he really wanted to help, he could’ve just paid for the clothes himself instead of putting on this whole show." "Zac’s got some serious mind games going on." "Honestly, rich families are worse than soap operas. The scheming between men is even pettier than the women’s." "The Fraser family really handed their daughter to a snake. Who knows if that’ll be a blessing or a curse?" "Blessing or not, she probably won’t even realize she’s being used until it’s too late." "Damn, Zac is really playing 4D chess here. Makes you wonder if we’re all just extras in his little act." Zac’s face darkened, nearly black with rage. This trick had worked for years. His mother had taught him how to manipulate people since he was a child. This was the very method he used to climb his way into the Gray family’s favor. For over a decade, it had never failed him. And now, this worthless bastard Arthur had exposed him so easily! There were too many people around to pinpoint exactly who was whispering, but the words stabbed into Zac’s ears like daggers. The Fraser family’s expressions weren’t any better. Martin finally realized what had been bothering him. Zac had played them all. Arthur’s situation aside, the more pressing issue was his own daughter. Tia was entangled with someone as scheming as Zac—how would she survive in the long run? As a man himself, Martin knew exactly how men like Zac operated. Zac was unlikely to stay loyal to Tia forever. But it was too late now. The Fraser family had thoroughly burned their bridges with Arthur. Zac clenched his fists, his jaw twitching. He forced a composed expression onto his face and said through gritted teeth, "Arthur Gray, I don’t understand what you’re implying. I was only looking out for you, hoping you wouldn’t disappoint Dad and Mom by sinking too low."