A Love Once Known

I arrived early on the day of the reunion, but I'd underestimated how eager some people were.

Aside from a few close friends, almost everyone's attention was on the rumors about me and Ivan.

"Does Mr. Olsen know you're here?"

"I've never seen a man so devoted! Ivan used to be completely invisible at school. Who knew he and our star student had such a heartbreaking story?"

"Please invite me to the wedding if you two get back together!"

"You should get rid of Ivan's girlfriend. I've hated her from the start. Ivan's with her only because she looks like you."

With a loud thud, I slammed the glass of water Tara handed me onto the table. "I have never spoken to Ivan in my entire life. Apart from being former classmates, there's nothing between us. Stop spreading baseless rumors. That's defamation," I warned.

The room fell into silence.

Just then, the music changed, and an unknown crooner started wailing about lost love and second chances.

It got on my nerves.

"Why are you acting all high and mighty?" someone sneered in their corner.

But their words were quickly drowned out by the chorus of phone notifications buzzing around us.

I knew messages were pouring into the class group chat at this moment.

Suddenly, the private room door burst open.

Ivan made his entrance in full style with his arm draped around a woman.

The woman wore a dress almost identical to the one I always wore in high school. Her smile and movements were deliberate imitations of mine as well.

"Sorry we're late. I had to stop and buy Ashley her favorite chestnut cake." Ivan's gaze swept the room but pointedly avoided mine with such precision that it seemed scripted.

Ashley kept her head down as her ears burned red. But when we met eyes, I caught tears shimmering in hers.

"Wow! Aren't you going to introduce her to us, Mr. Olsen?" Someone broke the silence.

"This is Ashley Carpenter, my fiancée." Ivan then turned to me, as if noticing me for the first time, and a smirk crept on his face. "Some people are not worth waiting for. Now, I've found my true love."

In an instant, my expression turned cold as I stared at him.

He stared right back, waiting for a reaction. When he found none, he tightened his grip on Ashley's hand.

She let out a tiny gasp, but he didn't notice.

Fortunately, some people in the room steered the conversation elsewhere after noticing the tense atmosphere, and the place became lively once again.

After three rounds of drinks, Ivan sat in the main seat with Ashley clinging to his side like an accessory.

Whenever someone tried to talk with me, he would roar about his "multi-billion" projects while giving me sidelong glances.

At one point, a drunken classmate staggered up to give a speech. "I'm telling you, some women are just ungrateful and look down on the poor. Just look at how devoted Ivan is. Any other woman would've been moved to tears a long time ago!

"Don't tell me Jennifer's back because she failed to make it abroad, so she decided to crawl back for Ivan's money!"

The sound of my utensils hitting the table sliced through his words.

I rose to my feet. "Is that so? Then let me ask Mr. Olsen a question.

"If I'm so ungrateful, why did your company's partner go out of their way to ensure I got the job? Why did I see billboards with my name plastered across the airport?

"Why was the rent on my six-month lease suddenly paid up for three years? Why do desserts I never ordered keep appearing on my table? I have proof of all of it. Would you like me to show you now?"

The whispers died down immediately, and even Ivan froze in place.

A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, but it vanished quickly and was replaced by his practiced calm. "I was just looking out for an old classmate. Besides, I already have Ashley."

I openly exposed his lies and countered, "Since you've been so eager to claim we were together, please answer a few questions for me, Mr. Olsen.

"First of all, when did we get together? If your devotion is real, you should know the date. Second, when did we have a real conversation, and where are our photos? Surely, we'd have at least one picture after all those supposed years.

"Third, if you were so devoted, why didn't you buy a plane ticket to see me since you're a billionaire? I was just overseas, not dead."

Right then, Ashley broke into a fit of violent coughing, as if she had choked. Ivan leaned over with a dark expression and whispered something that left her pale and motionless.