Chapter 3

Jeremy covered his nose, yelling that he'd get someone to take me out.

I didn't back down. "Go ahead if you've got the guts. I'll make sure everyone knows you're a shameless side piece!"

Jeremy froze on the spot and just watched me walk away.

I thought this meant things between Priscilla and me were over for good, but the next day, she called me.

"Gideon, what's wrong with you? Why didn't you transfer my living expenses this month?"

I was speechless.

"Whatever. I'm not gonna argue with you. Just transfer me 10,000 dollars first. It's my birthday this month, and I want to treat my roommates to dinner."

Had she lost her memory, or did she think I had?

I hung up on her without the slightest hesitation. She called again, and I declined the call. After a few rounds of this, I blocked her number.

Not long after, a new number came through. I picked up, and Priscilla's enraged voice blasted in my ear.

"You've really grown a pair, haven't you, Gideon? How dare you hang up on me!"

"What do you want? Spit it out, or I'm hanging up ag—"

"Wait!" she screeched.

Her tone remained haughty as she said, "Look, whatever. I won't ask for 10,000 dollars this month. Just give me 5,000 dollars for—"

I hung up again without a word.

…

That afternoon, I was out in the fields turning the soil when one of my classmates ran over, waggling his brows and saying a hot girl was looking for me.

I walked over and saw Priscilla. She was gingerly standing at the edge of the field, one hand hooked around a small designer bag, and the other clamped over her nose as if something reeked.

When she saw me come over, her brows drew together in annoyance. "Why did you hang up on me? If you hadn't done that, would I have had to come all the way out here to look for you?"

Looking at how disgusted she acted, one would think she'd forgotten that we were both kids from the countryside. Hadn't we all worked the harvest back in the day? Now that she was all polished and put together, she actually looked down on a bit of dirt.

She must have snuck out here, because the second she saw her roommates walking by, she immediately covered her face. She hadn't expected them to notice anyway.

They spotted her and stared in surprise. "Priscilla, what are you doing out here?"

Then, they noticed me. They instantly formed a protective circle around Priscilla like mother hens with a chick.

"Is he harassing you? Don't be scared. We'll report him to his advisor."

I met Priscilla's diffident gaze and deliberately asked, "Was I the one who asked you to come here?"

She faltered, tongue-tied, but in everyone else's eyes, it just looked like I was putting her on the spot.

One of her roommates said angrily, "Don't be scared of him. I already texted Jeremy. He's on his way."

This time, Priscilla truly panicked. She stammered, "N-No, that's not necessary."

"Relax. Jeremy's got connections with the university. He'll definitely make them expel Gideon so he'll never get the chance to harass you again."

"Gideon wasn't harassing me. Let's just go," Priscilla muttered.

She wanted to leave, but I wasn't going to let her. I stepped in front of them, blocking their way. "Priscilla, didn't you come here to get money from me? Have you changed your mind?"

"What? He owes you money? Priscilla, don't be afraid. You have to make him pay you back!"

Priscilla couldn't back out, but she couldn't push me, either. She could only force herself to put on a calm front. "Gideon, forget it. Just pay me back what you owe, and I won't hold this against you."

She'd told that lie so many times that she actually believed it herself now. But the truth was, I'd been throwing money at her since elementary school.

The year her parents divorced, neither of them had wanted her. I'd kneeled the whole day and taken a beating so bad I was bedridden for three days before Mom relented and agreed to let Priscilla live with us so she wouldn't starve to death.

As Mom dabbed ointment on my bruises, she had asked if it was worth it.

My ass had been on fire, but I'd felt sweet on the inside. "Of course it's worth it. Priscilla's going to be my wife in the future. It's only right for a man to protect his wife."

Later, Priscilla ended up living with her mother, who had no income. I'd skipped breakfast and saved every cent so I could buy her food instead.

Yet the girl I'd once protected with everything I had was now demanding that I pay her back like it was only natural.

While we were at a stalemate, a flashy sports car screeched to a halt in front of us. Jeremy climbed out with all the swagger in the world and lifted his chin slightly. He said, "I heard someone's been bullying my woman."