Chapter 01

Gia's POV

"Another rejection letter?"

My father held the envelope up between two fingers like it smelled bad. He hadn't even let me take my shoes off.

"Dad, give it to me."

"Why? So you can cry over it in your room again?" He tore it open and read it out loud. "*We regret to inform you…*" He tossed it on the dining table. "That's number seven, Gia. Seven companies. Not one wants you."

"I still have interviews coming."

"Interviews." He laughed and leaned back in his chair. "You finish school in a month. A month! Look at your cousin Pandora. She's already working at a bank. And you? You can't even get a cleaning job."

My hands curled into fists. "That's not fair."

"Fair?" His voice rose. "I paid your fees for four years. Four years of my sweat! And this is what I get back? A big, lazy daughter who eats more than she earns."

The words hit like a slap. I felt my face go hot.

"If you don't find work before graduation," he said, standing up, "pack your bags. I'm not feeding you forever."

He picked up his car keys and walked out. The gate creaked shut behind him.

I stood in the empty dining room, staring at the torn letter.

A father who hated me. A house that felt like a cage. And me in the middle of it, too big, too slow, too useless.

"Gia Hart," I muttered, climbing the stairs, "you're a lost cause."

In my room, I locked the door and sat on my narrow bed. My mirror was on the wall facing me. I turned it around so I wouldn't have to look.

Then I reached for my phone.

Because there was one place where nobody called me fat. Where nobody called me useless.

On StarLive, I was *Honeybee*.

I opened the app. A guy with a deep voice and soft brown eyes was singing slow love songs to his fans. I sent him a golden yacht.

Confetti rained across the screen.

"Honeybee! Thank you, sweetheart." He touched his chest. "This next song is just for you. Tonight, you own my heart."

I buried my face in my pillow and squealed.

No man in real life ever looked at me that way. Boys at school only looked at me when they wanted a laugh.

"Worth it," I whispered. "Totally worth it."

I switched to my favorite channel.

Enzo was already live, sitting by his piano with his sleeves rolled up. Messy dark hair. A smile that could melt ice.

"Look who's here!" He waved at the camera. "Honeybee, my lucky charm. Tonight I'm picking one fan for a private video call. Want to be my lucky girl?"

My heart almost stopped. I typed with shaking thumbs. *Yes, please!*

He tilted his head, reading my profile. "Cute name. I like it."

Before I could think twice, I sent ten golden yachts.

The whole screen turned gold.

"Ten yachts?" Enzo jumped up from the piano bench. "Honeybee! You're crazy! Okay, okay, the private call is yours. Stay close, baby."

The chat exploded with hearts.

Then a pink username slid into view. *BellaBaby_VIP*.

"Enzo," a girl's voice purred through the speaker, "you promised the private call to me last week. Why would you waste it on some random?"

Enzo rubbed the back of his neck. "Bella, Honeybee already—"

"Remove her from the VIP seat," Bella said.

I typed quickly. *Remove me? For what?*

"Because I said so. I've been supporting him for a year."

Then the gifts started. Diamond crowns. One. Five. Ten.

"Bella!" Enzo gasped. "Ten diamond crowns! Thank you!"

Bella giggled. "That's more than her whole family makes in a month, I'm sure. So, Enzo. Choose."

My stomach dropped. I opened my banking app. My graduation savings sat there, small and sad. Every coin I'd saved from tutoring kids for two years.

*Enzo doesn't belong to you,* I typed.

"Oh, please." Bella's laugh was cruel. "If you want him, outspend me, you broke nobody. This isn't a queue. The richest girl wins."

Something snapped inside me.

My father's voice. The rejection letters. The mirror I couldn't face.

*It's just gifts,* I typed. *I can send gifts too.*

I pressed the button again and again until my balance hit zero.

Gold flooded the screen.

"What?" Bella's voice cracked. "That's not possible. Enzo, baby, you know me. We've been close for so long. Tell her to stop!"

She sniffed loudly. "Don't worry, everyone. He loves me more."

Enzo stared at the screen. He didn't say anything for a long moment.

Then he tapped his tablet.

"Enzo? Enzo! Did you just mute me?"

my mic went dead.

Enzo looked straight into the camera, his voice low and warm. "BellaBaby, you ready? The call is yours. I'm all yours tonight."

I hugged my phone to my chest. My account was empty. My father would explode if he found out, for the first time in forever, I felt broken.

*Ding!*

A cold voice rang inside my head.

*Host selected. Spending detected. The Cashback System is now officially activated.*

My blood went still.

"Cashback… System?"