Chapter 1309 Others Judge; I Rate

Fortunately, Kaiser’s attitude did not fluctuate at all. Zayn’s apparent downfall was undeserving of a call for his contempt. Still, it was strange to not find Kaiser or Roxanne Harrison after scanning the venue. Were those two not the first ones to arrive? Where were they, then? Just then, he heard shuffling footsteps echoing from outside, followed by an explosion of fanfare out of the venue’s usherettes. He turned to the source and immediately found himself staring at Kaiser and Roxanne, who were walking toward the interior with a group of bodyguards flanking them. “Look! It’s Roxanne!” “Oh my God! Now that’s Ms. Harrison to you! She’s getting more beautiful by the year! I swear she looks like one of these really gorgeous stars on the big screen! Whoever gets to date that fine, bodacious chick is gonna be the luckiest bastard in the world!” “Uh, duh! As if Roxanne isn’t the CEO of several companies with her net-worth climbing to the millions! She’s a goddamn powerhouse who shattered the goddamned glass ceiling, man. Hell, the money she spent on her beauty routine alone is equivalent to the money we could make in a year! With maintenance of this premium, how is her beauty ever going to be tarnished?!” “That settles it, man. Roxanne Harrison is the richest gal in this class!” Their eyes blazed in zeal as soon as the named woman sashayed into the center of the room. The men, most notably, ogled at her without trying to hide their amorous thirst. Shepherd’s eyes were especially glued to her, gulping hard. He was definitely the one who desired her the most. Zayn sized Roxanne up impassively, obviously unimpressed. Sure, Roxanne could be counted as beautiful with a decent enough figure. But compared to the likes of Faye, Shaelyn, or even other houris Zayn personally knew? Roxanne was a big “meh”. She was especially unimpressive in the way she carried herself—her countenance lacked sublimity and grace. Honestly, Zayn had been rather eager to see Roxanne like many of them, but after seeing her attitude back there, that thought was more or less snuffed out. Much like many of his classmates, Roxanne had changed. Gone was the innocent little girl he had known. The crowd began to rush toward Roxanne with all the glowing flattery they could summon, as though buttering the young woman up and kissing her boots were a competitive sport the likes of the Olympics. As for poor Kaiser Tate—he was given the attention one would spare the air around them. In fact, his old classmates had forgotten to greet him altogether. To his credit, the man did not seem offended nor upset—almost as if he had gotten accustomed to it. He willingly left his spot beside her and walked alone, though it took him only two steps before he noticed Zayn. His eyes twinkled. He gleefully strode toward Zayn and gave him a good-natured pat. “Ayeeee! You’re here already! And here I thought you’re gonna get lost on the way!” Zayn’s lips stretched into a grin lasting about a second long before putting distance between himself and Kaiser. “The thirteenth floor, right? That’s hardly a brain teaser! Or did you really think I’m that big of a moron?” “Ha! C’mon, man. I was just fooling around!’ Kaiser chuckled, his laughter boisterous. Zayn’s bankruptcy did not spur him into detesting his old classmate—quite the opposite, in fact. He seemed to gaze at Zayn with the same fervency the rest of his classmates had when they looked at Roxanne. Something else seemed to seize his mind because he suddenly changed topic. “Hey, Shepherd and his clique bullied you again, didn’t they?” he said, putting on a happy-go-lucky affectation, “Don’t let ‘em get to you, okay? They talk sh*t all the damn time, but they really aren’t rotten at their core, you know. I’ll let you in on a secret—they’re the ones paying out of their wallet just so the rest of us don’t have to. So relax a bit, man! Enjoy yourself!” Zayn felt a little warm inside. He was just about to respond to him when he spotted Roxanne walking toward him.