Chapter 3

Someone said, "Lucas, you're a lucky man. Not only is your girlfriend a top student, but she also knows when to spend and when to save. You'd better cherish her."

Lucas basked in the praise, visibly pleased with himself.

I'd fallen for him back then because I thought we were the same kind of person—someone practical who understood how to live within their means. I thought I'd found someone on my wavelength.

Turned out he was just vain and spineless, more than happy to live off others.

I deliberately sat farther away from him, but he kept drifting back, sticking close no matter what. When the meal ended, he even insisted on walking me back and asked to spend time alone together.

Joyce, meanwhile, grew increasingly unhappy as everyone crowded around me and ignored her.

She leaned toward Lucas and sneered, "Your girlfriend's pretty scheming, huh? She's plain-looking, but she sure knows how to throw money around. You're going to suffer for it sooner or later."

For once, Lucas only brushed Joyce off with a half-hearted response before insisting on taking me back to the dorm.

I knew it wasn't because he'd suddenly grown fond of me. He had his eye on the tens of thousands of dollars that had just landed in my bank account.

Back in the dorm, my thoughts were still a tangled mess.

Even though I'd survived this time around and avoided being ostracized, I still hadn't figured out how Joyce's curse worked.

She could drain my balance at any time. Worse, she could drain my life.

At least 30 thousand dollars had just come in. Joyce probably wouldn't burn through it that fast.

With that in mind, I grabbed my towel and stood to get ready for bed.

The moment I rose, a crushing tightness seized my throat. My legs gave out, and I dropped straight to my knees.

Instinctively, I glanced at my phone.

That was when I saw that my bank account had been emptied.

Before my roommates could help me up, Joyce had already rushed in. She told them to rest and insisted on taking me to the hospital herself.

I wanted to refuse, but the suffocating pressure in my throat left me unable to make a single sound.

My roommates thought Joyce was kind. Even the nurse remarked how fortunate I was to have such a beautiful, caring friend.

Listening to that, all I felt was fury.

Lucas arrived and immediately started yelling at me. "The doctor says there's nothing wrong with you! Why are you pretending to be sick? Do you have any idea how much a hospital visit costs?"

He stared at the bill, his brow deeply furrowed.

He had no intention of paying for me. As long as he could claim I was faking it, he could ask me for the money without shame.

Joyce gave him her card and said, "Take my card. We're classmates, so I can't possibly sit by and do nothing."

I reached out to stop him, but it was useless.

Lucas glared at me. "It's not even your money. What are you getting worked up for? Poor people really are nothing but trouble."

Soon, only Joyce and I were left in the ward.

She leaned down and whispered in my ear, "You shouldn't have stolen my spotlight. This is your punishment. Melanie, your family is really dirt poor.

"I just bought washing machines for every dorm and paid one thousand dollars in electricity for each. And that's enough to start draining your life? Don't panic. You're not dying yet, and what you're feeling is just temporary."

As soon as she finished speaking, the pressure around my throat eased.

I grabbed her by the collar. "What exactly is going on?"

Joyce smiled. "I thought you'd get on your knees and beg for mercy."

She pushed my hand away and straightened up, looking down at me with open disdain. "Melanie, you're destined to be nothing but a tool for me. Once you're ruined and dead, everything you have will be mine."

She left the ward, leaving me completely lost.

Once I was dead, there'd be nothing left to take.

So what exactly was she after?

With my bank balance wiped clean, my body was growing weaker by the minute. No matter how hard I worked, I couldn't earn money faster than Joyce could spend it.

I hated her so much that I wanted to kill her outright. But with my current condition, I wouldn't even be able to hurt her before she finished me off.

Just as I was at my wits' end, I spotted the registration for the closed-door Eddish competition.

During the competition, all participants would be confined together. If Joyce couldn't leave, she couldn't spend money.

And if I could win the prize money, I might finally make up what I'd lost.