Chapter 3

Vicky and I had only just graduated from college and started working about a year ago. My entire salary went toward our living expenses, while Vicky spent all of hers on clothes and bags for herself.

So, we were both essentially living paycheck to paycheck.

Vicky's smile froze the moment she heard what I said. There was a long pause before she finally explained, "I meant for you to buy the car, not me. We're getting married soon anyway. Why are we still drawing such a firm line between what's yours and mine?"

I found it amusing as she tried to force her smile. We weren't even married yet, and she already had her eye on my money.

Still, I kept a straight face and fully committed to the persona of a poor man with no extra money on the side.

"But Vicky, I really don't have any money for a car. Maybe we can consider taking out a loan instead, if you insist."

Vicky's expression turned ice-cold when she saw I was serious and not just pulling her leg. She seemed to have lost all patience for the charade and snapped, "Just forget about it if you can't afford it."

Then she turned on her heels and left without even waiting for my reaction.

She kept texting on her phone as she stormed off, as though she were complaining to someone else. I couldn't help chuckling aloud when I saw her in her fit of temper.

So she couldn't even keep up her act over such a small blow? But this was just barely the tip of the iceberg.

I had no intention of revealing the truth to her until I finally found out who Vicky's secret lover was. He must have been the one telling her I was from a wealthy family, which meant he knew me quite well.

But for now, her accomplice remained in the shadows, while he already knew who I was. I couldn't relax or feel at ease until I finally dragged them into the light.

Later on, I even called Vicky at lunch to ask her to wire me some money for lunch, further cementing my "broke" persona. But to my surprise, she agreed at once and sent the money over, replying in a pleasant, agreeable tone—unlike her cold self earlier that morning.

It seemed whoever it was must have said something to her.

But how could that person be so certain about my true identity? Wasn't he even a bit worried he might have gotten it wrong, which would mean it was all for nothing?

And so, I thought I'd test just how confident Vicky was about my real identity.

For the next month, I kept finding excuses to ask Vicky for money to buy things. Each time, she gritted her teeth, forced a smile, nodded along, and wired the money to me.

But the more she did this, the more curious I was about the person behind the scenes.

…

"Colin… When are we getting married?"

This was the tenth time this month Vicky had brought up the subject of marriage with me. In fact, the more frequently I asked her for money, the more often she said she wanted to marry me.

I wondered whether she was in a rush to get married, or whether it was her lover.

"But I can't provide you with the best life at the moment. Are you sure that you still want to marry me?" I asked, feigning hesitation.

Seeing this, Vicky immediately raised her hand to her chest and swore, "I love you for you, Colin. I don't love you for your money."

Really? She might have had the nerve to say it, but I wasn't about to believe her.

I sneered inwardly. If I hadn't known the truth, I probably would have fallen for her brilliant acting hook, line, and sinker by now.

Still, since she was so eager to marry me, I decided to fulfill her wish.

"Alright. We'll get married since you're so eager to marry me."

I only hoped she could handle the consequences after this.

Vicky could hardly wait to make things official the moment she heard me agree. I pulled all the strings I could and managed to get a fake marriage certificate.

However, she was so overcome with the joy of "marrying" me that she didn't even notice it was fake.

"Colin! Now that we're husband and wife, there shouldn't be any more secrets between us, right?" she said.

She was already trying to pry all the information out of me the moment we got "married", huh?

Vicky looked completely sincere, but I understood exactly what she was implying. She was nudging me to reveal my identity as a wealthy heir.