?<strong>Chapter 613:</strong>


    At a party full of Watscar’s elite, Freda sat elegantly on a leather couch, a ss of red wine in hand. She chatted with ady her age, but her eyes kept wandering to her right.


    “Freda, what are you staring at? Is it Theo?” Thedy sitting across from Freda noticed her distraction and smiled. “You and Theo had a history, right? Even though you broke up, there’s no harm in saying hello.”


    Freda’s cheeks flushed at her friend’s words. She waved her hand awkwardly. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. We ended things a long time ago. It’d be weird to go up and say hi.”


    Her friend sensed her hesitation and urged her, “Come on, it’s just a greeting. What’s the big deal? Go on!”


    With a yful push, she sent Freda stumbling forward in her high heels.


    Steadying herself, Freda turned back to see her friend giving her an excited wave, urging her to go on. Freda turned back to Theo. She hoped he’d be polite in front of all the banquet attendees.


    Taking a deep breath, Freda adjusted her fringe, lifted the hem of her dress slightly, and nervously approached Theo. “Theo, what a pleasant surprise to see you here,” she greeted him.


    Theo had been deep in conversation with a friend. A flicker of annoyance crossed his eyes when he saw Freda, but he quickly masked it.


    Raising his ss, he clinked it with Freda’s and said calmly, “It has been a while. I didn’t expect to see you here. How have you been?”


    Freda was overjoyed to see Theo facing her with such calmness. She thought he wouldn’t dislike her anymore.


    “Can I have the first dance with youter?” Freda asked, blushing and trying to appearposed.


    “Of course, it’s my honor, Miss Jimenez,” Theo responded without hesitation.


    “Great. I’lle find youter.” With that, Freda turned and went back to her friend.


    Once Freda was out of earshot, Theo’s friend asked curiously, “Didn’t you promise anotherdy your first dance about ten minutes ago? Who do you actually want to dance with?”


    Taking a sip of wine, Theo replied calmly, “The one I truly wanted to dance with didn’t show up. As for these two, I couldn’t care less who gets the opportunity.”


    Theo’s friend gasped. He knew exactly who Theo meant. He had heard that Elyse, who had suffered a miscarriage, was at home recuperating and wouldn’t be attending any events recently.


    After a moment of thought, he asked, “Elyse is married to Jayden and they even had a child. Why are you still hung up on her? And Jayden’s not a cripple, right? How do you n to win Elyse over?”


    “Shut up! Don’t mention it.” Thest thing Theo wanted to acknowledge was that Jayden could stand and walk. Jayden’s mobility meant he wasn’t crippled, dashing Theo’s hopes of winning Elyse.


    epting the truth, Theo realized that all his ns to pursue Elyse were in vain. He didn’t even have the chance to take the first step. His dreams were shattered.


    Seeing Theo’s pain, his friend tried tofort him. “Let it go. You missed your chance with Elyse. Now, she’s living a good life. Why would she abandon everything for you?”


    Theo’s heart ached as his friend’s words hit home. Deep down, he realized it was because he hadn’t valued Elyse. There was a time when Elyse showed him sincere love. He had belittled it and carelessly crushed it, deeming it worthless.


    But when he lost her, he realized some things were priceless, far beyond money. Love seemed like a fleeting dream, but it was very real.


    When Elyse left, Theo realized just how much he needed her. It dawned on him that it wasn’t Elyse who needed to be with him; it was he who desperately needed to be with her.


    Despite being surrounded by wealth, Theo felt his heart was barren and deste. Born into a rich family, he nevercked material things, but without Elyse, he felt like he had nothing.


    Theo sighed and admitted, “Elyse used to treat me like a king. She was so good to me that it inted my ego. I even thought I was the greatest man in the world.”


    His friend was baffled. “Where did you get that confidence?”


    “Haha, it was from Elyse. I felt like the most awesome man in the world when I was loved by her.” Theo chuckled a few more times, but then his smile faded.


    With a heavy heart, he said, “But I was too arrogant. I should have been the happiest man in the world, not the most arrogant.”


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