“Kirsty Roberts?” she said, enunciating every syllable.

“Oh,” Kai said dramatically, somehow refraining from smacking his forehead. “Right, right, of course. Sorry. It’s because I was in all the advanced classes, so my memory’s fuzzy with people in the lower levels.”

He chuckled genially, but Amy watched in glee as Kirsty snapped her mouth shut.

“Nobody thought you were coming,” Jade said, looking at Kai with wide eyes.

“I had to come and support my fiancée, didn’t I, honey?” he said, giving Amy an affectionate squeeze. Amy, meanwhile, nearly choked on her own saliva.

“You’re engaged to her?” Kirsty asked, dumbfounded, while Shelley and Jade watched on with open mouths.

“I thought you were dating a model,” Jade said, sounding deflated, as if she’d been entertaining the possibility of marrying Kai herself. Amy was too stunned to speak. All of these people were insane, and that definitely included Kai. What was he doing?

Kai chuckled, enjoying himself immensely.

“The tabloids say the craziest things. No, it’s Amy and me, always has been. We’ve known each other since high school, after all. You know, when no one else wanted to hang around us for being poor.”

Amy was still processing, but the look of something that resembled guilt that flashed across Shelley and Jade’s faces was priceless.

“Where’s the ring?” said Kirsty.

“What?” Kai asked.

“If you’re engaged to him,” she said, her attention now focused on Amy like a death ray. “Then why aren’t you wearing a ring?”

Oh, God. She was so smug and so awful, and if pretending to be engaged to Kai was the one thing that got under this woman’s skin, then screw it. Amy was all in.

“Had to get resized,” Amy said with a shrug. “Such a shame. But the diamond was so heavy that it kept sagging on my finger, nearly fell off a couple of times! And you know, you’re so concerned with food safety, Kirsty, you should know I wouldn’t be so careless as to wear it while preparing food.”

Kai nodded solemnly but snuck her a look out the corner of his eye that was nearly the undoing of her. She was going to have a bruised rib from trying not to laugh.

“Oh, uh…” Kirsty began, desperately trying to get back on top of the situation but too green with envy to do anything about it.

“So good to catch up,” Kai said, dismissing them. “But I’m here to help my fiancée after all. Did you need some help, baby?” he asked.

“Yes, honey. That would be wonderful.”

While they still had a scrap of composure left, Kai picked up the empty trays that were scattered on the table, acting the perfect gentleman, and followed Amy towards the exit of the gym.

Amy hadn’t realized how many people were now looking their way. It was a jarring experience to go from being ignored to being watched like a hawk. But she shouldn’t have been surprised. To her, Kai was just Kai, and that had never really changed, no matter their circumstances. But to the rest of the people here, he was that scrawny kid who had grown up and become a billionaire success story — that literal ugly duckling story that they’d all been gossiping about earlier. Here he was in his swan form: rich beyond anyone’s wildest understanding, grown-up and handsome and in the gossip columns and most eligible bachelor lists every other week. The crowd was looking on with something like awe, and Amy felt smug on Kai’s behalf.

Good. They should look at him like that. She knew how hard he worked to get where he was, and the least these people could do was admire the ground he walked on.