Chapter 2

The next day, I called Ivy and invited her to go shopping with me at the biggest mall in the city.

It had been a while since we last met. Ivy showed up all decked out in a flashy outfit, like a peacock showing off its feathers, which was a rare sight for her.

That eye-catching red dress she wore was from the latest collection released by a famous brand. It was completely at odds with her usual taste in clothing, which leaned toward a sweet, dainty aesthetic.

I pretended to admire her outfit. "This dress is a new release! I haven't even bought it yet. Did your boyfriend give it to you?"

On Valentine's Day, she uploaded a vague screenshot of the money Michael had transferred to her on social media. All of her friends thought she'd found a boyfriend, and she didn't deny it.

Smiling smugly, Ivy replied, "That's right. My boyfriend dotes on me a lot. He buys me everything I want."

"When are you going to introduce him to me? I'll help you figure out if he's a good guy," I said.

Her doe eyes flashed with just the slightest hint of guilt as she tucked her hair behind her ear and said, "Oh, he's quite busy. Maybe next time."

I scoffed to myself.

Looking at her heavily made-up face, I exclaimed, "Has your skin been acting up lately? Your foundation looks all cakey."

Ivy had always been incredibly obsessed with her face. She claimed that her looks were her most significant asset and had always taken great pride in them.

As expected, once she heard what I said, she took a compact mirror out of her handbag and quickly checked her face, looking all nervous as she did.

"You must have had a lot of late nights, huh? Your skin is suffering because of it. You should buy some skincare products today to pamper your skin a little," I remarked.

As she looked in the mirror, she thought of something, and her eyes flashed with a hint of bashfulness. "I have been staying up quite a lot lately…"

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I dragged her into the nearest luxury beauty store. The sales associate enthusiastically showed her every new skincare and makeup line. Since she rarely entered stores like this one, she happily sampled everything.

I picked up a random bottle of face essence and sighed. "All of these products would be perfect for you. It's such a shame you can't buy them all."

Ivy, who was trying on some lipstick, stiffened for a moment, but she soon said somewhat proudly, "I'll get everything today. My boyfriend's got money."

The sales associate grinned from ear to ear when she heard that. She eagerly ushered Ivy to the counter for payment.

Then, I heard the wonderful voice of the system saying, "Congratulations. You have received 10,000 dollars."

As I watched Ivy from behind, my lips curled ever so slightly.

…

When Ivy and I ate together, I deliberately brought up her birthday. "Your birthday's coming soon, right, Ivy? How do you plan on celebrating it this year?"

Ivy took a sip of water before saying nonchalantly, "How else can I celebrate it? I'll just gather some of my friends and have a meal together, like I always do."

I smiled and insisted, "That won't do! It's your 25th birthday—your quarter-life milestone! You need to have a big celebration. Throw a huge bash, maybe? After all, your boyfriend's paying for it."

That last sentence definitely made Ivy waver, so I seized the chance to add on, "I have a contact at an event-planning company that specializes in influencer events. They've handled tons of birthdays and can definitely make you the envy of everyone at your party."

Ivy seemed to be picturing the scene already. She smiled giddily and said, "You're right. I should have a grand celebration."

I smiled just as happily as she did, knowing that the company I recommended was the most expensive in the industry.

This time, someone was about to shell out a fortune.

…

That night, when Michael got home and saw the shopping bags from luxury brands that I'd left on the couch, he frowned and questioned, "Have you been shopping for handbags again? What's the point of these anyway? Can they be used to feed you?

"You know very well that I don't like materialistic women. I fell in love with you because you're not vain and shallow like all those other wealthy socialites, the ones who buy everything they see. Even if you have money, you shouldn't be wasting it on things that are this expensive."

In the past, he could've fooled me with all of his self-righteous preaching.

But now, all I wanted was to smack him in the face with a wad of cash. I was spending my own money, yet he still found fault with it.

Did he just say he didn't like vain, shallow, and materialistic women?

Well, just earlier that day, he spent thousands of dollars on cosmetics for Ivy. He even liked the photo she uploaded of her shopping haul this evening.