Chapter 3

Early the next morning, Lauren got up and put on her makeup. Then, taking Cayden by the hand, she said, "Honey, I'm taking Cayden out for the day. Mason isn't feeling well, so stay home and keep an eye on him."

I tamped down my emotions and watched them leave without letting anything show on my face. As soon as they were gone, I got into a rental car and followed them.

I parked about 300 feet away.

The moment Cayden got out of the car, he ran into Gregory's arms with a huge smile and called him "Daddy". Lauren smiled as she walked over and linked her arm through Gregory's.

My eyes burned as I watched them from a distance, but my hands didn't tremble. Instead, I steadily recorded the entire scene.

The more they looked like a happy family of three, the more my hatred grew.

Three months earlier, Gregory had approached me about investing in his new venture. I was hesitant, but Lauren urged me to trust him.

"You two have known each other since childhood. If you can't trust Gregory, who can you trust?" she had argued.

Only then did I decide to invest my entire life savings. I also brought in 20 investors who trusted my judgment.

They believed in the strength of my reputation, giving Gregory the money he needed to get his company off the ground.

Yet, Gregory genuinely believed that he had accomplished everything on his own. He made sure everyone heard about his new company and even arranged an opening ceremony.

But once I announced that I was pulling my investment, the other investors would undoubtedly follow my lead.

I would love to see how Gregory planned to clean up the mess when that happened.

…

On the day of the opening ceremony, I arrived as the company's largest investor, only to be shown to a seat in the corner.

Gregory brushed it off casually, saying, "Henry, we've got several high-profile investors here today, and there isn't enough room in the front. You'll have to make do with this seat."

Before I could respond, Lauren spoke for me. "Henry has known you since childhood. He won't care where he sits."

Then, she turned to Gregory. "Your company is just getting started, so you need to mingle with the investors. I'll help you entertain them."

She eagerly walked away with him.

A commotion soon broke out near the entrance as 20 prominent investors from the industry arrived one after another.

Gregory immediately asked everyone to stand and welcome them, then rushed over to greet them himself. Lauren stood at his side as though she were the hostess.

From the entrance, Gregory loudly introduced each investor, prompting everyone in the room to rise and applaud enthusiastically.

The investor leading the group scanned the venue before spotting me in the corner. With a frown, he gave Gregory a meaningful pat on the shoulder.

"Keep up the good work."

Gregory's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.

Once the investors entered, the other guests crowded around him.

"I can't believe you managed to bring in this many major investors. You've got some incredible connections, Gregory."

"Mr. Hayes, you're bound to become a major player in the industry. Don't forget about us when you make it big!"

Gregory made no effort to hide how pleased he was with himself. He practically looked down his nose at me.

I scoffed.

Did he honestly think those investors had come because of him?

Several guests who didn't know the truth turned toward me and began mocking me.

"You two grew up together, but Mr. Hayes already owns a company while you couldn't even get a seat in the front row. What happened, Henry?"

"You should come over and offer him a toast. After today, the two of you won't exactly be in the same league anymore."

Gregory looked down at me with a smile.

"Henry invested his entire life savings in my company. If he ever falls on hard times, I'll help however I can," he said.

The people around him immediately began flattering him.

"That pocket change of his was probably more trouble than it was worth. You're generous just for letting him invest, Mr. Hayes."

I studied Gregory's smug face before calmly setting my glass on the table.

"That won't be necessary because I'm withdrawing my investment."

At my words, Gregory's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

I knew exactly what he was thinking. With so many other investors backing him, he assumed losing mine wouldn't matter.

Lauren, however, rushed over and grabbed my arm.

"Have you lost your mind?" she hissed.

I coldly shook her off and projected a video onto the screen. I looked at Lauren before turning toward the assembled guests.

"You think I've lost my mind, huh? In that case, let's show everyone why!"

As the video began to play, shock flashed across the guests' faces.

The investors' faces immediately turned grim as they looked at Gregory.