Starting as the President of a Billionaire Group Chapter 1066: 1041: Are You Worthy?

Ye Chen took Lin Wanrou out for a stroll to help lighten her mood. With him by her side, all of Lin Wanrou's anxieties seemed to melt away, and a long-absent, genuine smile finally returned to her face.

However, a pair of ice-cold eyes were locked onto the couple from a distance.

“I refuse to believe this is happening.”

Calis watched them walk hand-in-hand, his blood boiling with fury. She was supposed to be his. Now, here she was, shopping and acting intimate with another man. Calis felt like a complete fool.

“I never imagined Lin Wanrou would have so little self-respect that she’d tangle herself with some man from Hua Country.”

Calis had been pursuing her aggressively for quite some time, firing off messages and making endless calls—none of which were ever answered. With no other options, he had flown to Hua Country himself to propose, bolstered by the fact that he had already coordinated with her family back in Hawk Country. They had promised to ensure she married him to solidify their mutual alliance, as a union with the prince of S Country carried immense strategic weight for the Dodd Clan. And yet, after traveling across the world, he discovered his own goddess was infatuated with another.

Calis felt his sanity slipping. He viewed her behavior as a personal betrayal and a deceit, though he was clearly living in a fantasy world; Lin Wanrou had never once entertained his advances. Watching them together felt like a stinging slap to his face.

Having grown up getting whatever he desired, his infatuation with Lin Wanrou had been instantaneous. “This man from Hua Country must have used his looks to trick her,” he told himself, his rage festering. While he dared not approach her directly, he directed his seething hatred toward Ye Chen. The fact that a common delivery boy had supposedly stolen his woman felt like an unbearable stain on his honor.

He toyed with the idea of rushing over to deliver a beating, but his assistant grabbed his arm. “Your Highness, that would be incredibly reckless. Please, reconsider.”

Calis paused. Who was he? He was a prince, the heir to the throne of S Country. A street brawl with a lowly commoner from Hua Country would not only be beneath him but, if captured by the media, would cause a scandal that could cripple his standing within the monarchy.

“Then what do you suggest?” Calis asked, fuming.

The assistant offered a thin smile. “There is a world-class jewelry exhibition being held at a private museum in this city. We could leverage this situation.”

Calis’s eyes lit up. He had come to the country partly for that very exhibition, bringing with him a priceless diamond necklace—a family heirloom traditionally worn by the Empresses of his kingdom. He realized that if he presented the necklace to Lin Wanrou at such a high-profile event, he would be signaling to the entire world that she belonged to him. The assistant chimed in, “Women cannot resist diamonds, Your Highness. Once she sees that piece, she will surely come to her senses.”

Calis grew excited. The vision of her donning the iconic pink diamond and falling into his arms was intoxicating. “Ha-ha, I will show this delivery boy exactly how far apart we are. I’ll make him realize his place so he leaves her be.”

He was determined to force the issue. If she attended, he would humiliate Ye Chen in public and drive a wedge between them. The more he planned, the more ecstatic he became. He had to ensure she attended, or his entire narrative would collapse.

Steeling himself, he smoothed his suit and adopted a refined, gentlemanly air as he marched toward them. The onlookers watched with confused expressions. Calis stopped in front of Lin Wanrou and dropped into a deep, elaborate bow. “My dear princess, it is a pleasure to cross paths with you.”

The surrounding crowd was baffled. “Did this guy take his medicine?” “Is he insane?” “Is he filming some drama?” His grand display of royal etiquette meant nothing to them, serving only to invite ridicule.

Calis ignored the murmurs, annoyed by the shallowness of these commoners, and refocused on Ye Chen. Lin Wanrou looked at his approach with undisguised disgust. “Calis, why are you here?” Seeing him felt like finding a fly in her soup.

Calis disregarded her cold tone. “My dear Miss Lin, I traveled thousands of miles across the globe just to see you. Are you not the least bit moved?”

“Not at all,” she snapped, her frustration clear.

He stood upright, his ego bruising. “Miss Lin, you clearly don't understand the gravity of this offer. I am the Prince of S Country; the future King. A marriage to me would make you the Empress. It is a dream every woman aspires to.”

He reached out to capture her hand, preparing to press a kiss to her knuckles. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment, but suddenly realized the texture of the skin was coarse and weathered. He snapped his eyes open, only to find himself holding the gnarled, wrinkled hand of a seventy-year-old grandmother. Calis recoiled in horror, nearly retching.

Just as he had moved to grab her hand, Ye Chen had deftly pulled Lin Wanrou aside, leaving the old woman in her place. Calis looked at the granny, who was beaming at him, and then at Ye Chen, who stood calmly nearby. “Boy, did you do this?”

Ye Chen answered with a chilling gaze. “Why not ask yourself what you were attempting to do?”

“I was going to kiss Miss Lin’s hand,” Calis declared with sneering arrogance.

Ye Chen looked him dead in the eyes and replied, “Are you even worthy?”