Zoe scrutinized Elias's attire as she nodded nonchalantly.
"We are here to support Zoe's uncle," Nathan responded, redirecting his gaze back to Elias.
Hearing Nathan's response, Elias's eyes widened, instantly focusing on Zoe. "You are Isaac Hart's niece?" he asked, his voice filled with surprise.
Isaac Hart was the author of this event. He was also one of Emily's favourite authors, with a novel that obtained a notable New Land Times best-selling award. He had no idea that such a person was connected to Zoe, his former classmate.
Zoe nodded in response, "Isaac Hart is my uncle. Not many know about this, but the very reason he had held this event was for my sake. So you can say that we are quite close," she responded, her voice tinged with a hint of pride. "How about you?" What are you doing here?" she added, her gaze filled with Elias, awaiting his response.
"Ahem! I came here with my girlfriend. She's a big fan of Isaac Hart's works and has always wanted to meet him," Elias cleared his throat before responding.
"Oh," Zoe's eyes widened in surprise. "Where is she, then?" she asked, her eyes shifting from side to side, trying to locate Elias's girlfriend.
"Yeah, where is she? Let's greet her," Nathan chimed in.
Since Elias was the only classmate who had dropped out of their school just before they could graduate, he was very curious to see how well he was doing now and what kind of woman was in a relationship with Elias.
Elias briefly hesitates before responding, "She's not here exactly. She's in the VIP section. I'll introduce you to her when the main event commences."
Nathan and Zoe's eyes immediately widened in realization. Initially, they had thought that maybe Elias was now doing better for himself even after dropping out of university because they were aware that the world was still large enough for anyone to still be able to make it without getting a degree; however, after hearing his words, their gazes were filled with contempt.
Nathan sighed deeply, shaking his head, and focused his gaze on Elias in disappointment. "Sigh! I thought you'd be well off by yourself now, but you haven't progressed. How disappointing!!"
It was obvious that Elias wasn't doing well for himself and was clutching the thighs of an accomplished woman who could pay for their tickets to the book signing event.
Nathan even began to suspect that Elias was a gigolo accompanying his mistress to an event because there was no way a woman who truly loved her man would leave him in the regular section while she was in the VIP section unless their relationship wasn't deep.
"I told you that seeing him at the gathering was strange. Now we know why he couldn't come to the Alumni gathering; he was actually doing himself a favour," Zoe remarked, her tone filled with mockery. Her expression swiftly changed, and she gazed at Elias with disgust.
Elias's hands tightened into a fist. He wanted to respond, but he couldn't. Nathan and Zoe knew more about his previous circumstances than Emily did, and they could easily see through any lies which would do him more harm than good and land him in trouble. He wanted to avoid that until he had fully established himself financially.
So, despite his desire to speak, he knew it was better to remain silent.
"Unfortunately, I was busy working, so I couldn't make it to the alumni gathering," Elias finally said before swiftly changing the subject."Why don't you tell me why the two of you are together? Are you dating?"
Nathan and Zoe weren't the type you'd expect to be together after graduating. They had hated each other so much that they couldn't stand each other's presence, so he was truly surprised by their sudden closeness.
'How shameless!' Zoe thought, her gaze filled with even more contempt. Watching as Elias made no effort to defend himself, she realized their conclusions were accurate, and her opinion of him dropped even lower. She snorted, not even bothering to respond.
Nathan responded, taking the lead, "Yes, we are dating. After graduating, Zoe and I discovered we had secured jobs at the same company. At first, we were quite distant, but once we realized we could depend on each other, we hit it off and started dating before we realized what was happening," Nathan wrapped his arms around Zoe's waist, pulled her in for a kiss, and then turned back to Elias with a smirk.
"We just came down from the VIP section to help Zoe's uncle handle some important matters, so we must get going."
After finishing his sentence, Nathan began to leave with Zoe, but he suddenly halted and looked back at Elias with a long sigh. "All our mates are doing well, but you seem to be the only one who still doesn't grasp what to do with his life. For once, work hard instead of depending on others to pull you through. Maybe then you'll see some changes," he said.
Satisfied with his advice, Nathan walked away, his smile lingering as he relished how wise his words sounded. Although he doubted Elias would take them to heart, given his stagnant situation, it felt good to show this side of himself to Zoe.
Zoe didn't even glance at Elias as she followed Nathan. She was happy to have a hardworking man like Nathan rather than a gigolo like Elias. Some people like Elias never achieve financial success in life.
Upon hearing Nathan's words, Elias stood rooted in his position, a mix of emotions coursing through him—from shame and defeat to an inexplicable anger. He held back these feelings as he watched them walk away until they disappeared from view.
'Just you wait; I'll make you swallow your words and eat them like grass,' Elias thought, his fist clenched as he took several deep breaths to calm himself down.
Elias turned back to focus on the snacks on the table. However, his phone suddenly began to ring.