Finally, Zac dropped the pretense of brotherly affection. He had been so sure Arthur would embarrass himself, yet to his shock, Arthur simply handed his bank card to the cashier and pointed at the most eye-catching display. "Please pack up those outfits as well," Arthur said calmly. "Charge everything to my card." Ashley followed his gaze and gasped. She quickly leaned in and whispered, "Arthur, those clothes are really expensive!" Arthur simply smiled. "I noticed you kept looking at them when we first walked in. You must really like them. You’re already stunning, but you’d look even better in those." Ashley froze. He noticed? When they first entered the store, she had indeed been drawn to those outfits. Everything about them—the cut, the color, the design—was exactly her style. But her monthly allowance was limited. She had planned to spend her money on Arthur’s clothes, which meant she couldn’t afford to buy those for herself. She had only glanced at them a few times. Yet he had picked up on it. Whether Arthur actually had the money to buy them or not, Ashley’s heart was inexplicably warm. For the first time, someone truly paid attention to what she liked. The other women watching couldn’t help but sigh dreamily. "This Arthur… I thought he was just some neglected rich kid, but he’s actually really sweet." "Seriously! This is the dream boyfriend material right here! If my boyfriend was even half as thoughtful, I’d be in heaven." "Money aside, a guy who actually notices the little things? He already beats 99% of men out there." "Handsome, attentive, and still a Gray family son? I see the appeal." "No wonder that girl’s into him! If it were me, I’d be all over him too!" On the sidelines, Tia’s nails dug into her palm. She had been with Zac for a long time now, yet he had never once paid attention to her preferences.Every time they went out, it was always to places Zac liked. If she showed interest in something, Zac would either ignore it or impatiently brush her off. Now, seeing Arthur’s casual but thoughtful gesture, a faint trace of regret crept into Tia’s heart. Zac, meanwhile, heard the murmurs of admiration around him, and his irritation flared. Scoffing, he sneered, "Arthur, those outfits are pricey. Don’t tell me you’re making empty promises just to impress a girl? Disappointing her wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of you." If Zac weren’t trying to keep up appearances, he would have outright called Arthur a fraud—pretending to be richer than he really was! Arthur wasn’t interested in entertaining him. He simply nudged his card toward the cashier again. "Go ahead and process the payment." The cashier, who happened to be Ashley’s friend, hesitated. She knew Ashley cared about Arthur. The last thing she wanted was to see him humiliated in front of so many people. Zac was the definition of a fake nice guy—a master manipulator who wore kindness like a mask. The cashier shot Ashley a pleading look. Ashley was getting anxious too. She wanted to secretly switch the payment to her card, but with all these people watching, there was no way she could do it discreetly. If anyone saw her pay, it would only make things worse for Arthur. But Arthur’s unwavering insistence left the cashier with no choice. She reluctantly took his card and packed up the clothes he had pointed to. If his card was declined, she figured she could just cover it for now and sort it out with Ashley later. At least this way, Arthur wouldn’t have to suffer the humiliation of being publicly rejected. A moment later, the cashier printed out the receipt and handed it to Arthur. "Mr. Gray, your total comes to 700 thousand dollars. Here’s your receipt." The entire store went silent. Seven. Hundred. Thousand. Dollars.The bystanders all sucked in a breath. 700 thousand dollars?! Even among the wealthy, that was not an amount people spent on clothes without thinking twice. Many of them couldn’t help but murmur about the sheer extravagance. "Damn, this store really is for the elite. I knew it was expensive, but this is insane." "Even for us, dropping 700k on clothes isn’t something we do casually…" Zac, too, was momentarily stunned. Then, as realization hit, he let out a loud laugh. "Arthur, 700 thousand dollars? That’s more than you’d make in a lifetime of part-time jobs!" Before Arthur could respond, Zac suddenly leaned in closer, lowering his voice so only Arthur could hear. "You embarrassed me earlier, but I’m willing to be generous," Zac whispered. "All you have to do is apologize. Admit that everything was your fault, and publicly say that I was right about you all along. Do that, and I’ll pay for everything. I’ll even save you from making a fool of yourself. How about it?"