Chapter 6

Benjamin was astounded to learn that Celine dropped out of school at the age of 16. People associated with Benjamin respected Carly not just because she was beautiful but also because she was incredibly smart. She graduated from a top-tier college, and in Mercity's high society, no one was more accomplished than her. She was the perfect match for Adam. Beauty alone hadn't gotten her far. It was looks paired with brains that really mattered. The higher up you went in society, the more they valued a woman's education. Benjamin lost all the little goodwill he had toward Celine. His tone was full of disdain. "Celine, you seriously dropped out at 16?" Celine glanced at the proud Carly and smiled calmly. "Yeah, you're right." Benjamin scoffed. "Well, funny coincidence. Adam also dropped out at 16. But unlike you, he's the real deal. At 16, he earned his double master's degrees from Haffard University. He made history. On the other hand, you stopped studying and probably didn't even finish high school!" Carly acted like she was all above Celine, looking down on her. Tall and handsome, Adam stood there in silence, the hallway lights casting a cool glow on his striking, aloof face as he looked at Celine. For the past three years, Celine had been a housewife, her life revolving around him. It made sense that she hadn't pursued much education. Celine didn't seem embarrassed or back down. In fact, her clear, bright eyes met his as she smiled gracefully and said, "Yeah, such a coincidence." Adam felt a strange flutter in his chest, though he couldn't quite explain why. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful Celine's eyes were—bright and full of life, drawing his attention in a way that made him feel connected to her. "Celine!" Just then, Robin came running over, looking furious. "Carly, are you bullying Celine again?" Carly held her head high. "We're not bullying Celine. We were actually trying to help her find a job." Robin was stunned. "You're helping her find a job?" Carly continued with an air of generosity, "Yeah, even though Celine doesn't have a degree or high school diploma, we'll do our best to find her a good job." Robin laughed, clearly annoyed. "Do you even know who Celine really is? She's—" Before she could finish, Celine grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Robin, let's go." Robin swallowed her words, but she said to Carly disdainfully, "You'll get what's coming to you one day." With that, Robin and Celine walked away. Fuming, Benjamin said, "What's her deal? She dropped out at 16, and she's acting like this? If I were her, I'd be too embarrassed to show my face." Carly didn't get angry. In fact, she had never even bothered to take Celine seriously. Celine wasn't even worthy of being her rival. Getting upset over Celine would only lower her own standards. She smiled at Benjamin. "Benjamin, forget it. Ignorance is bliss." Benjamin then turned to Adam and said, "Adam, you need to divorce Celine. You deserve better." Adam maintained the same cool demeanor while looking at Carly. "Let's go." Carly responded with a nod. … Benjamin and Carly followed Adam out. When Adam looked up, he saw a familiar face—the President of Haffard University, Samuel Peyton. He approached him. "Mr. Peyton, what brings you to Mercity?" Carly held a lot of respect for Samuel. Although she was academically gifted, she had never had the chance to enter a prestigious university like Haffard. Samuel smiled. "I'm here for a seminar. Funny coincidence, your junior is also in Mercity." Adam paused. "My junior?" Samuel said, "Yeah. We have two big names at Haffard. First, there's Adam, and then there's your junior here. Just like you, she's got her double degrees at 16. She's incredibly smart. Too bad you're a few years apart, so you don't know her." Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "Wow, this junior of yours is that impressive? How does she compare to you?" Samuel smiled and glanced at Adam. "They're equally matched." Adam raised an eyebrow, not having met a girl who could match him before. Carly was hearing about this genius junior for the first time. While she didn't have anything against Celine, this impressive junior immediately sparked her jealousy and curiosity. Samuel pulled out his phone. "Mr. Alvarez, I've sent you your junior's number. You should get in touch with her. She's also in Mercity, and as her senior, you should look out for her." Adam nodded. "Got it, Mr. Peyton." Samuel left, and Benjamin urged, "Adam, check out her WhatsApp now. I want to see what she looks like." Adam pulled out his phone and searched for the number Samuel gave her on WhatsApp. The name was just a letter—C, with a white cover photo. Benjamin frowned. "What does the 'C' mean?" Adam wasn't sure. Still, he added the number to his contacts. Carly, noticing their fascination with this junior, felt annoyed. Just then, a Rolls-Royce pulled up, and Adam's personal assistant, Leo Zimmer, got out. Carly quickly ended the discussion. "Adam, the car's here. Let's go." Benjamin waved. "Adam, Carly, see you later." … The Rolls-Royce cruised smoothly down the road. Inside the quiet, luxurious cabin, Leo, who was behind the wheel, looked into the rearview mirror and asked, "Where to, Mr. Alvarez?" Adam simply said, "To the office." Carly looked at Adam, the city's neon lights spilling through the window and lighting up his handsome, mysterious face. Her eyes softened with affection. "Adam, what's going on between you and Celine? Don't tell me you're starting to find her pretty and want something to happen between you two?" Adam glanced at her, his voice nonchalant, almost lazy. "She's my wife. Anything between us is normal. Didn't you push her onto me?" Carly knew he was still mad at her for what happened three years ago. Back then, Celine had to marry Adam in her place because she had left him. She tried to explain. "Adam, Celine insisted on marrying you. I couldn't just stand in her way…" Adam looked at her coldly, "Do you think you sound convincing?" Carly bit her lip, upset. "Fine, I left you three years ago. If you couldn't look past it, then let's break up. You don't have to be with me." Carly turned to Leo and said, "Leo, stop the car!" She was about to get out, but Adam's hand shot out, grabbing her wrist with surprising strength and pulling her into his chest. With a mix of exasperation and affection, he said, "Carly, you're just taking advantage of me because you know I spoil you too much."