I actually did have a photo of Evan and me on my phone.
If we were going to act, we had to go all the way.
Yesterday, before Evan and I parted ways, we made sure to take some couple photos to make our relationship look more convincing.
I pulled up a photo of Evan and me from my gallery.
In the photo, Evan and I had our faces pressed together, and I was holding a sparkler he had given me.
The vibrant light of the fireworks illuminated our smiling faces, making the picture particularly lively.
Just by looking at this photo, it would be hard for anyone to believe we weren't a couple.
But when Griffin saw the photo, he burst into laughter and mocked, "Katie, you did a good job editing this photo. If I didn't know the guy in the picture, I might have actually believed you two were a couple."
"Katie, do you even know who the man in the picture is? He's our company's President. He's young and has made a name for himself in the business world through his own abilities."
"I've heard he has very high standards and isn't interested in women. Many people have introduced him to excellent prospects, but he's turned them all down. How could he possibly be interested in you?"
"The gap between you and him is as big as that between a toad and a swan. You two aren't even from the same world. You're really lying without any regard for the truth."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
At that moment, Evan's deep, slightly irritated voice echoed from the doorway.
Evan stood tall, exuding an air of cold detachment and nobility, completely out of place in this chaotic setting.
Everyone around was instantly subdued by his imposing presence.
As for Griffin, who had just been mocking me with such arrogance, he now stammered like a mouse facing a cat, "M-Mr. Barry? What brings you here?"
The comment section was exploding.
"Ahhh, Evan, you're finally here!"
"Hilarious—Griffin actually dares to ask why Evan is here. Obviously, he's here to meet the female lead's parents!"
"Evan, tear these arrogant fools apart!"
"Rip them to shreds, and make it loud!"
Evan glanced at Griffin with a mocking look, then smirked slightly. "I'm here to meet my girlfriend's family."
"What?!"
Griffin was stunned on the spot.
He quickly realized that I hadn't been lying—Evan really was my boyfriend!
His legs went weak, and he almost collapsed.
Luckily, my aunt and Macey caught him, preventing an even bigger embarrassment.
The relatives began murmuring among themselves, "Macey, it looks like Katie wasn't lying. After all that mocking, don't you think you owe her an apology?"
The two of them looked embarrassed, their lips tightly pressed together, saying nothing.
The relatives, always eager for drama, added fuel to the fire: "Katie's boyfriend is Griffin's boss. After he just insulted Katie in front of him, do you think he'll keep his job?"
My aunt and Macey's faces grew even more grim.
Griffin was thinking the same thing, realizing that the supervisor position he had worked so hard to attain might now be in jeopardy.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Griffin tried to backtrack: "Mr. Barry… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mock Katie. I had a misunderstanding about her, which led me to say those irrational things. I've realized my mistake deeply. Please, Mr. Barry, be magnanimous and forgive me this once."
Evan glanced at him, his tone cold, "The person you should be apologizing to isn't me, it's Katie."
Griffin looked at me, regret evident in his eyes: "Miss Daniels, I'm sorry. I was momentarily foolish and said some very unkind things to you. You're beautiful and kind-hearted. I'm sure you'll forgive me, right?"
I gave him a faint, sarcastic smile and replied, "I'm not worthy of being called beautiful and kind-hearted. I'm just a toad who doesn't deserve Evan, isn't that right?"
Hearing this, Griffin nervously wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He forced a laugh and said, "No, it was my loose tongue that led me to say such ridiculous things. You and Mr. Barry are a match made in heaven. No one else could possibly be worthy of him but you."
Griffin continued with a long string of apologies, all of them essentially begging for my forgiveness, admitting that he knew he was wrong.
