Chapter 9

"Who knows how badly this will reflect on me in the future if he continues to get involved with various women?" Stacy said. Judging from Mrs. Whitfield Senior's expression, she was angered by this matter. "What's going on here, Xavier? I was one of the witnesses when your parents and Stacy's parents made that promise to marry. How did things end up like this? "If you don't have feelings for Stacy, you could've told your parents or any of the adults about this earlier. It's not like we're old coots who won't listen to reason." I frowned slightly. Still, I remained polite as I leaned closer to Mrs. Whitfield Senior. "I adored Stacy, Mrs. Whitfield Senior." "Would you have done something like this if you truly adored her? Why would you get involved with another woman, especially a starlet?" She swatted my arm. Everyone looked at me with disappointment. They seemed to be lamenting the fact that I'd turned out to be a worthless trust fund baby. I shook my head. "I adored Stacy, but that's a thing of the past now. Over the years, I've cared for her with all my heart and treated her like a princess. She's never felt anything for me, though. "And so, I'm not the one playing the field or being unfaithful here. Besides, there's nothing between me and the woman in the photo." I turned to look into Stacy's eyes, but my words were still directed at Mrs. Whitfield Senior. "She knows very well that we made a promise to get married, but she still got involved with another man. How does that make her any better?" "You'd better make yourself clear, Xavier. What do you mean I'm involved with another man?" Stacy cried. I shook my head again. "I wanted to leave your dignity intact, Stacy. You're the one who's forced me into this. The baby you're carrying is enough to tell everyone whether or not you're involved with someone else. The child isn't mine; don't even think of pushing the blame on me." Mrs. Whitfield Senior was stunned by my words. Her gaze traveled between me and Stacy. For a moment, she didn't know how to react. The crowd watched us, their mouths agape. Everyone was waiting to see what else would happen. "Y-You're spouting nonsense!" "A simple investigation will be enough to prove whether or not I'm talking nonsense. Being pregnant isn't a small matter, Gina. I think you and your husband should find the time to meet Stacy's actual boyfriend. Take a look at the piece of trash who's won her heart!" With that, I turned and left. Before doing so, I ripped the photo Stacy had used to frame me. Chaos ensued behind me. Gina charged forward to drag Stacy away. The latter screamed, "Who told you about that, Xavier? Who?" I didn't bother turning to look at her. I could imagine how ugly she looked at the moment. "I know—it must've been Cindy! How could you tell him everything, you little bitch?" Stacy screeched. Amidst her screeches was Mrs. Whitfield Senior's reprimanding voice. As I drove off, I saw Gina and her husband, Bobby Greene, dragging Stacy to their car. The Greene family had to be humiliated because of the mess Stacy had caused tonight. Everyone in attendance was from an affluent family. Would any one of them come from poor backgrounds? Who would want to be involved with a woman who'd gotten pregnant out of wedlock? If Stacy thought she could still marry someone from an affluent family after tonight's fiasco, she was wrong. She would probably have trouble finding someone who would want her. I knew why Stacy had pulled such a stunt tonight. Everyone knew she and I had a promise to get married, after all. Her goal had been to humiliate me before all the affluent families and to sever ties with me. That way, she wouldn't have to worry about anything getting in the way of her and Luca's relationship. I wasn't against her wanting to sever ties with me. Her mistake had been to try to ruin my reputation. Since she'd tried to pull something like that, I'd given her a taste of her own medicine and ruined her reputation instead. Stacy had always been a pro at shooting herself in the foot.