Riches in Disguise

"New girlfriend?" Oliver asked, his face full of disbelief. "Dorian, what about Cherry? Didn't she just start dating you less than a month ago?"

Dorian sneered. "I dumped her! Don't bring up Cherry again. If my girlfriend hears you, she'll get jealous. You all hear me? Don't mention any of my exes in front of my girlfriend, or I'll tear your scalps off."

The group nodded in confusion and started muttering among themselves.

"Who's this new girlfriend? She must be amazing to have replaced Cherry."

"She's probably even more beautiful than Cherry. I liked Cherry. She really loved Dorian and was good to us. Plus, her family was rich. I thought Dorian and Cherry were headed toward marriage, but who knew they'd break up in less than a month?"

"Dorian seems really into this new girlfriend. She must either be a stunning beauty or a rich heiress. Otherwise, Dorian wouldn't be treating her so well."

I wasn't interested in their gossip about Dorian's exes and new flames. What bothered me was Crystal's piercing gaze.

I came here hoping to slip away quietly, but now I had become the center of attention. With the crowd blocking the door, I couldn't even leave.

Then, someone with a big mouth asked, "Hey Dorian, why isn't Maximus here today?"

Dorian smiled at the question. "He couldn't make it."

"Why? Wherever Dorian goes, Maximus is always there. They're inseparable. Isn't that a rule we all know?"

"Yeah, you two are so close," another person added.

Dorian grinned, then looked directly at Crystal. "Crystal, you should know the reason. Didn't you tell them?"

Crystal ignored him, still glaring at me.noveldrama

Dorian looked puzzled for a moment, then glanced at me, probably noticing I was unfamiliar. He frowned but said nothing more.

As the group continued pestering him about Maximus, Dorian finally relented. "Maximus was pursuing Crystal the other day. He blocked off an entire street with flowers, candles and barriers. Then, out of nowhere, a quy in a luxury car appeared and hit him. Maximus was in the hospital for three days before he could get out of bed."

The crowd was stunned into silence.

"Someone hit Maximus? Who the hell has a death wish like that?"

"I can't even imagine. Whoever drives a luxury car probably has money, but if they're a trust fund kid, they'd definitely know Maximus. Who would dare hit him? Are they crazy?"

"That guy probably ran off. Maybe even out of the country by now."

Only Lily seemed to take some twisted pleasure in the story. She glanced at me with a smug expression.

However, she didn't reveal anything to the group. She was still somewhat considerate.

I caught her eye and felt a sense of helplessness.

Lily was so contradictory. On one hand, she thought I was a loser and didn't want her good friend Crystal choosing me as her boyfriend. On the other hand, she thought being with me would benefit Crystal somehow.

"Alright, enough of this," Dorian said, cutting her off. "My girlfriend's almost here. Everyone, straighten up and be on your best behavior. When she arrives, don't say anything out of line, Crystal, Lily, and that guy over there-everyone, go downstairs. When my girlfriend arrives, we all need to welcome her properly."

I couldn't help but glance at Dorian. He seemed to treat his girlfriend with a lot of respect.

Crystal followed him downstairs. It seemed like Dorian held a lot of sway with this group.

Once we were downstairs, I found an empty couch and casually sat down.