Kyle reached Linda's company 45 minutes later. As he stepped toward the entrance, a security man blocked him like an iron gate, humming his baton at the sight of him. His voice was cold and sharp.
"Get away. We don't welcome beggars here."
Kyle had just woken up and had no time to clean himself. His shirt was faded and patched, his shorts worn out. To anyone passing, he looked no different from a man living off the streets.
But Kyle was used to such stares and such words. He forced a faint smile. "Sir, I only came to deliver a document to my wife."
"Your wife?" The security guard scanned him from head to toe with disbelief . "Looking like this? Who would marry you? Is it Evelyn from cleaning or Chloe from the kitchen?"
"My wife is Linda," Kyle answered softly.
The security guard froze for a second before bursting into wild laughter. "So you are the famous son-in-law of the Blackwell family. No wonder you look so pathetic." His laughter echoed like knives in Kyle's chest.
Kyle remained calm, but the sting was hard to swallow. He had never imagined that even here his name was nothing but a mockery.
"That's enough," the security man waved. "Hand me the file. Miss Blackwell told me to collect it from you if you show up."
"No," Kyle shook his head firmly. "My sister-in-law said this document is important. I must give it to Linda myself. Please let me through."
"You!" the man snapped. "Are you insane? Do you not know how much Miss Blackwell despises you? And dressed like this, you dare show your face at the company? You will shame her and stain the company's image."
As the argument lingered, the roar of an engine shook the air. Both men turned their heads. A Lamborghini screeched to a stop, its sleek body gleaming as it parked beside Kyle's battered electric bike.
Tyler Ravenwood stepped out, holding a bouquet of roses, his presence loud and arrogant.
"Mr. Ravenwood, what an honor!" The same guard who mocked Kyle instantly bent into a flattering smile. "Miss Blackwell has been waiting for you upstairs."
Tyler nodded lazily and walked in without even glancing at Kyle, as if Kyle was nothing but dust on the ground.
Kyle moved to follow, but the guard struck out his baton again, blocking him.
"What is this? Why can he enter but I cannot?" Kyle's eyes narrowed.
The guard gave a long sigh, his tone dripping with pity and ridicule. "Kyle, you are nothing but a live-in son-in-law. How can you compare with Mr. Ravenwood? Look at the roses in his hand, the perfume he wears. All cost more than one hundred and fifty dollars. Can you even afford that? To be honest, you will not stay the Blackwell son-in-law much longer."
Kyle stiffened. His face darkened. "What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean? Are you pretending not to know? The whole of Zinland is talking about last night. Mr. Ravenwood proposed to Miss Blackwell in public. Everyone says they are a perfect pair. Look at you. Poor, dirty, useless. Why did Miss Blackwell even marry you?" The words tore through him like a blade.
At that moment, the elevator doors slid open. Linda stepped out in a soft floral dress, her beauty striking under the lobby lights.
Her eyes fell on Tyler, and she smiled politely. "Mr. Ravenwood, I have been waiting for you."
A faint glimmer of greed flickered in Tyler's eyes. He licked his lips and offered the bouquet. "They say beauty deserves to be matched with roses. Linda, you are a flower yourself, and only you deserve these."
Linda frowned slightly, the memory of last night weighing heavily. Tyler had humiliated her with his bold proposal in front of countless eyes. Yet today, he appeared again, even more daring.
She had wanted to avoid him, but the company was sinking fast, and only his money could buy time. For that, she forced a smile. "Mr. Ravenwood, you flatter me. I invited you today to discuss business. I cannot accept personal gifts."
Tyler chuckled, pleased. "A small gift is nothing. Do you think it unworthy of you? Then how about roses flown in from Skycity? I can have them here by tomorrow."
"You don't need to," Linda shook her head. "I heard roses in Skycity are rare this year. They cost more than a thousand each. It's not worth such a price."
Tyler's eyes lit with arrogance. "A thousand per rose? Then a single rose is nothing. I hold over a hundred here. That is more than two million. For you, Linda, it is nothing." His voice faltered at the end, pride and awkwardness battling on his face.
Before anyone could speak further, Kyle broke past the guard and stormed inside. Without a word, he seized the bouquet from Tyler's hand and flung it to the floor.
"Linda, don't accept things from other men. If you want roses, I will buy them. They are only flowers." His grip closed over her soft hand as he pulled her toward the elevator.
"Kyle, let go. What nonsense are you saying?" Linda whispered harshly, panic flashing in her eyes. This was her company lobby, filled with staff. She was the CEO. She could not afford to lose face, yet Kyle held her hand tightly as if clinging to the last thread of dignity left to him.
"You asshole!" Tyler's face twisted in rage. He bent to rescue the roses, careful with each petal, for they had cost him dearly. "How dare you throw them? Do you know what you destroyed?" His fury grew wild.
But what burned him most was the sight of Kyle holding Linda's hand. His voice cracked with madness. "You ruined my flowers. Can you pay for that? Who the hell are you to touch my girl before me?"
He slammed his hand against the elevator door, forcing it open again. His voice cut the air like a blade. "You fool, give me an explanation now, or I swear you will pay with your life."