Nathan’s wine had been stored on the second floor.

And someone had smashed it.

And I had just come down from the second floor.

Combine that with the little scene from earlier.

They had already tried and convicted me in their minds.

"That's just you being a good guy, Nathan. If it were me, I'd launch a full investigation!"

"Exactly. Some people just have no class, always resorting to sneaky, petty tricks!"

I frowned, my patience gone.

"We're all adults here. If you have something to say, say it to my face. Stop whispering in corners."

"Oh, what's this? We're whispering because you're a coward who does things behind people's backs!" a portly guy I vaguely remembered sneered.

I took a long stride toward him.

He instinctively took two steps back.

"What? Did I strike a nerve? You gonna take a swing at me?"

"Take a swing at you? You're not worth the effort."

"You!"

Seeing that things were about to get ugly, a few others quickly stepped in to play peacemaker.

"Alright, alright, let's all calm down. It's the alumni gala, a happy occasion. No need for all this drama!"

Nathan chimed in with his fake generosity.

"It's okay, we're all alumni here. Why make things so unpleasant? Let's just forget it..."

I turned and stared at his phony face, then let out a short, sharp laugh.

"Forget it? Hell no. Investigate. Let's investigate right now."

"I want to see which son of a bitch decided to frame me for this."

"A few bottles of wine that cost a hundred grand and you'd think it was the holy grail!"

My words hit their mark with Nathan.

His face turned an ugly shade of red as he shot back sarcastically.

"Oh, I see. I suppose Liam here drinks million-dollar bottles on the regular!"

"I had no idea you were so modest about your wealth..."

The others snickered.

"What modesty? He's just putting on airs!"

"I saw him when I was pulling in. He ran all the way here... couldn't even splurge for a cab."

"Hey, careful what you say. He'll just tell you he loves exercising in the rain."

The group erupted in laughter.

Just then, Jenna came back in. "What's so funny?"

The laughter died instantly.

Her voice was trembling slightly.

Her eyes were red and puffy.

It looked a lot like she’d just been crying.

The second Nathan saw her, he rushed to her side, took her hand, and asked in a gentle voice what was wrong.

Jenna leaned into his embrace and just shook her head.

The crowd immediately started gushing again.

"They're such a perfect couple!"

Jenna asked again what had happened.

Nathan glanced at me, then pursed his lips.

"The case of wine I brought was smashed, and Liam happened to be on the second floor..."

"And the security camera is broken..."

I had to laugh to myself.

What convenient timing.

Jenna pulled away from Nathan and fixed her gaze on me.

"Well, then whoever did it should pay for it."

"All these years running a startup, you can't possibly tell me you can't afford a few bottles of wine."

Her tone made it clear she thought I was the guilty one.

"Nathan, just name your price."

Nathan held up a single finger.

"One hundred thousand dollars."

A collective gasp went through the room.

"I knew that wine wasn't cheap."

"You get what you pay for. I had one sip earlier and I felt like my soul was leaving my body."

"Yeah, a hundred grand isn't much for a car, but for a few bottles of wine... that's a different story."

Nathan put on his superior air again.

He cleared his throat.

"Frankly, it cost me more than that, but we're all alumni. I don't want to make this ugly."

Jenna stood beside him, watching me with cold eyes.

Then Nathan made his final, magnanimous move.

"Actually, this doesn't have to cost you a dime. Just apologize to me. Apologize, and we'll put this whole thing behind us."