Chapter 2

Nicolas immediately softened his tone.

“Ah, a ten-thousand-dollar gift is fine, but let’s make it seventeen thousand—sounds better that way.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I was certain he not only believed me but would keep pushing for more.

"By the way, baby, I lent some of my money to a friend for their business. I don’t have much left right now, so you’ll need to book the flights first."

"Huh?"

He sounded annoyed.

"Why would you lend money to someone without talking to me first? We’re going to get married eventually. Something this big should be discussed with me, don’t you think?"

"Nicolas, it’s my money. We’re not married yet, and you think you can control what I do with it?"

He paused for a moment, probably realizing my tone had turned sour.

"Baby, are you upset? I’m just thinking about our future here. We’re going to need money for a house, a car, and day-to-day expenses. You know I’m working on my business right now. Besides, who’s this friend? A lot of people borrow money these days and never pay it back. I just don’t want you to get scammed."

Hah. The most shameless scammer I had ever met was him, Nicolas Cleave, and yet he dared to warn me about others.

I ran my nails across the table, thinking about that ridiculous post of his. A mischievous idea struck me, and I casually made something up.

"I lent it to my boss, Aaron Ford. Don’t worry about it."

As expected, the moment Nicolas heard Aaron’s name, he completely lost it and started ranting.

"Aaron Ford? That big-shot CEO needed to borrow money from you? I saw him at that charity gala not long ago looking like he was on top of the world. And now he’s asking you for ten or twenty grand? That sounds fishy."

There was unmistakable jealousy and sarcasm laced in his words.

"I remember you two went to the same university, didn’t you? You must’ve known him back then."

Well, that part was true—we did know each other, but we were never close.

Of course, with Nicolas, I just wanted to rile him up.

"Yeah, we know each other. We get along pretty well. Why else would he ask me for money? Alright, enough already. You’re so annoying. I didn’t even touch your money."

With that, I hung up the phone and couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer.

How did I never realize before just how stupid Nicolas really was?

Back then, when Nicolas occasionally asked for gifts, he still managed to act somewhat reserved. Because of my high school memories of him—and since those things didn’t cost much—I rarely refused his requests.

Lately, though, he had gotten more and more out of hand.

Even without those eager netizens tagging me with screenshots of Nicolas’ posts, it was only a matter of time before I kicked him to the curb once my patience ran dry.

My phone chimed again. I glanced at it and realized Nicolas had posted something new using his burner account.

"Stupid man, cheap woman. I’m so pissed I could explode."

A bunch of laughing comments followed, mocking him and sarcastically asking if everything in his life was falling apart.

Commendably, everyone honored the unspoken agreement and withheld the fact that I knew about his hidden account.

Nicolas must have been fuming because he kept ranting in the replies.

"Just wait until I get my hands on some money. I’ll teach her a lesson."

"Women need to be put in their place. All of you too."

"Ha, what’s so great about that Ford guy? Without his family’s money, you think he’d still look so high and mighty?"

I locked my phone and let out a cold laugh.

What a dreamer.

Tomorrow was the 29th. Once I was done dealing with him, I could head home for New Year’s Eve dinner right on schedule.

I booked a return flight for the evening of the 30th. At that moment, another message popped up.

I thought it was Nicolas again, but when I opened it, I realized it wasn’t. It was from my boss, Aaron.

"Are you free these days?"

Having just used him as an excuse, I felt a tiny pang of guilt, so I responded more eagerly than usual.

"I’ll be away for the next couple of days, but I’m free starting New Year’s Day. If there’s anything you need, just let me know!"

As I typed, I sighed.

Alas, capitalists.

All they ever did was to exploit workers.

Aaron had been such a sweet and obedient junior back in college.

Money clearly changed people.

Still, when I thought about my handsome salary, working a little over the holidays didn’t seem so bad.

Honestly, even if Aaron asked me to cook him a New Year’s Eve dinner, I’d have to show up with enthusiasm!