Chapter 3

"Breaking News! Carol's Payment Declined. Salesgirl Seizes Her Luxury Bag on the Spot."

In the attached photo, Carol was clutching the strap of a Hermès handbag with a livid expression while the sales associate maintained a polite smile, firmly holding down the gift box.

Matt stood beside her, looking awkward and embarrassed.

I silently counted down in my head.

Right as I reached one, Carol's call came through.

I declined it.

She called again. I rejected it again.

Then she turned to WhatsApp. Within seconds, my screen was flooded with a relentless stream of messages.

"Jacob, did you freeze my supplementary card? What the hell is wrong with you? Turn it back on right now!" she spammed.

"Everyone's laughing at me! Do you have any idea how humiliating this is for me? Answer the phone!"

Even without seeing her, I could tell from the messages that Carol was having a full-blown meltdown.

I didn't bother responding. Instead, I casually told the smart home system to play something calming. A moment later, "Good Days" echoed throughout the 5,000-square-foot luxury apartment.

…

That Monday, I walked back onto campus for my first class of the day.

Everyone was buzzing about what happened on the forum.

"Did you hear? Carol's card got declined at the mall yesterday, and the sales associate took the bag back right in front of everyone!"

"I thought she was some rich heiress. How can she not afford a 20,000-dollar bag?"

"Could she have been faking it this whole time? She's never talked about her family before…"

I strolled down the hallway, smiling faintly.

Just then, Carol and Matt emerged from a classroom.

Carol had a gloomy look on her face. When she saw me, she paused for a moment, and a trace of smugness crept into her expression.

"Jacob, are you here to apologize to me?"

She quickly walked over and lowered her voice. "I knew you wouldn't be able to hold out. Fine, clear things up online and unfreeze my supplementary card, then I'll forgive you."

A faint, involuntary twitch pulled at the corner of my lips.

I was genuinely speechless.

"Carol, did a door slam into your head or something? You used my money to buy favors for another guy, and now you expect me to beg for your forgiveness?"

Carol clearly hadn't expected me to be this blunt. As the crowd around us grew, her face turned a deep shade of crimson.

"Jacob, I'm giving you a chance right now! If you keep refusing to admit your mistakes, then don't ever expect to see me again!"

The threat was so ridiculous that I didn't even bother to answer.

"I'm giving you one day to pay me back. Otherwise, I'm calling the police."

The students around us immediately erupted into whispers.

"What does Jacob mean? Was the supplementary card Carol used yesterday really his?"

"Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing some really nice luxury cars picking Jacob up from campus before."

"Wait, look at the bag he's carrying today. Isn't that the newest Hermès limited edition?"

"Wait, are you saying Jacob is actually the wealthy one? Carol has been using his money all along?"

The color drained from Carol's face, leaving behind a sickly green tint.

She froze for two seconds, then snapped her head up and scanned the crowd.

"Jacob, I wanted to spare you some dignity, but you clearly don't appreciate it."

She raised her voice. "Fine then. I won't hold back anymore."

She turned toward the crowd and shouted, "Everyone here has been deceived by Jacob! He's not rich at all. All his money comes from being a gigolo!"

With that, Carol pulled out a stack of photographs and threw them onto the ground.

The photos scattered across the hallway floor, showing me entering and leaving luxury venues with different women.

As soon as the students saw the photos, the hallway erupted.

"Damn, Jacob's private life is a disaster."

"He puts on this aloof act in public, but this is what he's really like behind closed doors?"

"Thank heavens Carol never got together with him. She would've been totally blindsided..."

I glanced at the photos and nearly laughed out loud.

Messy private life?

Playing around behind closed doors?

The women in these pictures were obviously my seven sisters.

My fifth sister was a professional racer. My third sister had just won Best Actress, and my second sister was a genius scientist.

The funniest part was that every photo showed my face clearly, while the women beside me were either captured from the side or reduced to blurry silhouettes.