Chapter 2The Perfect Stand-In: Why I Chose My Sugar Baby Over My First Love

After the party wrapped up and everyone left, I went upstairs.

Liam was sitting at his easel, earnestly studying a canvas.

The soft bedroom light spilled over him, highlighting his elegant profile.

He didn't know that he was far more breathtaking than the art he painted.

Sneaking up behind him, I suddenly felt playful and reached out to cover his eyes.

"Guess who?"

Liam needed total concentration when he painted, but he never got mad at me for interrupting him.

I could feel the corners of his lips curve upward as he played along:

"I don't know. Who is this?"

"I'm your baby," I said sweetly.

I let go. He tilted his head back, smiling up at me, and then pulled me right into his lap.

His embrace was broad, soft, yet strong. He enveloped me effortlessly.

I buried my face in his chest and took a deep breath.

That faint, signature scent that belonged only to Liam always intoxicated me.

But then, he suddenly asked:

"What's wrong with you today?"

"Huh? Nothing's wrong."

"I just feel..." His gaze fell on me, thoughtful. "You seem a little off."

I didn't expect him to be so perceptive.

Seeing the man I had longed for for years, no matter how calm I tried to be, I was inevitably affected.

But I had no intention of telling him.

To my surprise, he asked: "That guy today, the one you said was a high school classmate. I've never seen him around you before."

Alarm bells rang in my head.

"Oh... he went abroad right after graduation. He just moved back recently..."

I thought I was acting perfectly normal, but I couldn't help the guilty flutter in my chest, silently praying he wouldn't press further.

But he looked at me with a half-smile, effortlessly piercing my disguise.

"That was your ex, wasn't it?"

"...How did you know?"

"I guessed."

Looking into his eyes, I surrendered.

Maybe this was a man's sixth sense.

I raised three fingers, swearing to the heavens, the earth, and my heart.

"I admit it, yes, he is."

"But it's been so long. I have absolutely zero feelings for him anymore."

"Don't you know who fills my head completely right now?"

By the time I finished that last sentence, I couldn't help but grin cheekily.

He gently pinched my cheek.

"I know."

He didn't ask anything else.

This was Liam. Always graceful, always knowing exactly where the boundaries were, knowing when to advance and when to retreat.

Sometimes I thought it made perfect sense why people secretly called him "Liam the Accommodating."

Otherwise, with so many people coming and going in my life over the years, why was he the only one who stayed?

That weekend, I was invited to play golf.

It was a standard social event for the upper crust, a place where everyone networked and exchanged market insights between swings.

I brought Liam with me.

Many people in our circle knew about our relationship.

While those elites were gossips, they wouldn't disrespect me to my face. The caddies picking up the golf balls, however, were a different story.

I heard them whispering:

"See that pretty boy? He's sponsored by Ms. Sterling. I heard she drops hundreds of thousands on him every month."

"She treats him so well, even bringing him to play golf. A high-end place like this... he's dirtying our club's grass."

"Exactly. A broke kid like him has probably never touched a golf club in his life."

...

A spot opened up on the green, so I asked Liam.

"Want to give it a try?"

He didn't refuse. He nodded, looking incredibly elegant.

He stepped up to the tee, took a ball, gripped the club, and swung.

Hole in one.

Perfect.

People around us turned their heads in surprise.

I clapped delightedly, cheering loudly,

"Beautiful!"