All Chapters of She Said We’d Be Rich: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The man looked me up and down as I shoved my hand against the security door just before it closed."Don't play dumb with me!"This apartment was bought outright by Lydia Zaydn last week!"I jammed my fingers into the narrowing gap, the door biting down until my knuckles turned red."To celebrate moving in, we even went shopping at Hermès yesterday!"This is the password Lydia gave me. Who are you supposed to be?"I shouted as I tried to squeeze inside, but the man was much stronger than I expected. No matter how hard I pushed, I could not get in.He braced one hand against the doorframe and casually flicked dust from the sleeve of his suit with the other."Miss, if you want to scam someone, can you at least use a smarter trick? I've seen plenty of obsessive fans like you. But there's no celebrity living here. Just me, an ordinary businessman."If you keep trying to force your way in, I'll have security come up and throw you out."I pulled out my phone and flipped through my c

Chapter 2

I walked for a full three hours before I finally arrived at my destination.Half the streetlights in this residential area were broken, and the air was thick with the stench of open drainage.As long as I could find the clues Lydia left behind, I would be able to expose Austin's plot.I climbed up to the sixth floor in the dark, panting as I pulled out my keys. I slid one into the lock, but no matter how hard I turned it, it would not move.I twisted again and again until red marks bloomed across my palm.Then came a sharp crack.The key snapped cleanly inside the lock.I stared at the broken half still in my hand, completely stunned.At that moment, the security door swung open from inside.A middle-aged woman in pajamas blocked the doorway, a spatula still clutched in her hand.It was our landlord, Mrs. Wesley."Well, well. Look at you. A shameless thing like you actually dares to come back here."Her booming voice triggered all the motion-sensor lights in the hallway. Th

Chapter 3

No. I had to find Lydia.Even if she was not at the apartment, she would definitely go back to the company.She had not taken any of her things. Her desk still had that humidifier she loved so much.I forced myself to ignore the dizziness and made my way toward the office towers downtown.By the time I staggered into the company lobby, the security shift had changed. Still, they would recognize my face. After all, I used to work here as a sales rep.I slipped inside during the brief moment when the access gate opened and ran straight for the HR department."Where's Lydia? Has anyone seen Lydia come back to process her resignation?"The moment I burst into the HR office, I grabbed hold of Jess, the HR staffer I knew well.She had been eating takeout in front of her computer. I startled her so badly that her fork fell to the floor.She stared at me in panic."Y…You… How did you get in here? Didn't security stop you?""Cut the crap! I'm asking you where Lydia is! She said she r

Chapter 4

All of a sudden, I remembered.That night, Lydia had drunk too much. She said she was going to hide the lottery ticket somewhere absolutely safe, a place only the two of us knew.She said it was our secret base, the starting point of our comeback.That secret base was under the overpass, not far from here.She had even piled all the Hermès bags she bought there, saying they needed to soak up some good fortune.Yes. As long as I found those Hermès bags, I could prove I had money. I could prove Lydia was real.I scrambled up from the ground and started running, ignoring the pain all over my body.This time, I was smarter. I deliberately chose narrow side paths without surveillance cameras.It always felt like there were eyes on my back, watching me.I did not dare turn around. I could only run harder.One of my shoes flew off somewhere along the way, and I kicked the other one away not long after. Bare feet slammed onto gravel-strewn paths, each step sharp with pain.However,

Chapter 5

"Don't come any closer! Take one more step, and I won't be nice!"I grabbed a shard of broken glass from the ground and held it tightly in front of me. The jagged edge sliced into my palm, blood running down my wrist, but I felt nothing at all."It was you. It had to be you who swapped everything out!"Where did you hide my bag? Where did you hide Lydia?"Austin stopped in front of the pile of trash. There was no anger in his eyes, only a quiet sadness."Ms. Newton, aren't you tired of this yet? There is no Lydia. There was never a hundred million. And there was never any Hermès.""Shut up, you liar!"I waved the shard of glass wildly."We were complaining about our boss going bald just yesterday! We even went to get our nails done together!"Look! This color was her choice: cherry red!"I raised the hand caked with dirt and smeared with blood. Black grime was packed into the gaps under my nails.There was no cherry red at all, only chipped, faded remnants of old nail polish

Chapter 6

I lunged at the woven sack, my nails digging into the plastic zipper at the opening.The zipper was rusted solid, jammed, and refusing to budge."Lydia, don't be scared! I'm here to save you!"I screamed, clamping my teeth onto the rusted zipper pull.Rip!I had torn a hole in the sack.A mass of black hair spilled out.My hands shook as I reached inside, trying to touch a face.What my fingertips met was not skin, but fabric.I yanked hard.What came out was the head of a stuffed teddy bear, its cotton stuffing exposed. One eye was missing, the remaining glass eye staring straight at me.The sack fell completely open, its contents spilling onto the ground.It did not have a body in it. No living person.Only a pile of clothes, a few sweaters, and a pair of canvas shoes.They were all my old clothes.I collapsed to my knees in the middle of the pile, clutching the teddy bear."Where is she? Where's Lydia?"What did you do to her?"I grabbed the clothes, tossed them as

Chapter 7

Austin did not speak. He simply pulled another newspaper out of the folder.The paper had already yellowed, its edges were curled, and it was dated one month earlier.He spread it flat on the concrete floor in front of me and pointed to a small social news item tucked into the corner of the page.[Woman disappears after causing a disturbance at work due to layoff pressure.]The accompanying photo showed a woman kneeling on the ground, clutching a man's leg and sobbing hysterically.Her clothes were torn out of shape, her face was streaked with tears, and dignity was nowhere to be found.Though her face had been blurred, I recognized her instantly.The clothes she was wearing were the same ones I wore, that cheap counterfeit Chanel set.The bald man was my boss."It wasn't some bold resignation," Austin said quietly, tearing away the last illusion."Amanda, you were fired."Because your performance ranked last for three consecutive months."Because your mental state was unst

Chapter 8

I stared at his hand.If I took it, I could have a hot shower and a proper meal.I would not have to sleep under this moldy bridge anymore or fight rats for space.However, if I woke up, what would happen to Lydia?The Lydia who always stood up for me when my boss yelled at me.The Lydia who told me my stomach aches from hunger was just part of losing weight.The Lydia who stayed with me, who kept telling me, "Amanda, you're the best."If I woke up, would she disappear completely?Would I turn back into that lonely Amanda everyone despised?The Amanda who could not even afford rent, who got kicked around by her boss until she had nowhere left to fall?I hesitated.Just then, the broken phone on the ground lit up again.This time it was not an alarm. It was a scheduled message.With trembling hands, I picked it up. On the screen was a single line of text.[Baby, I know life is hard. But don't be afraid. Even if we didn't win the lottery, even if the whole world bullies you

Chapter 9

I forced Austin back until he retreated out from under the bridge.He looked at me, his eyes dim and heavy."Amanda, have you really thought this through?""Get out!"I screamed with everything I had, my voice breaking, my throat tearing raw.Austin let out a quiet sigh and turned away, pulling out his phone."I'm sorry, but I can't watch you go on like this."Hello, 911? I need the Mental Health Center as well…"There's a critically ill patient here with violent tendencies. The location is…"I heard every word.I did not run.In the distance, sirens wailed. Flashes of light flickered across the walls of the underpass, stabbing into my eyes, piercing straight through my dreams.Footsteps grew closer, mixed with urgent shouts.Panic hit me. My whole body began to shake.I turned around, grabbed the woven sack, and shouted at the empty air, "Lydia! Wake up! Don't sleep!"These bandits are back to steal our money!"Hurry, pack up! We're moving again!"I stuffed bottles an

Chapter 10

One year later.At the Veridian City Mental Health Center.Sunlight filtered through the iron bars and spilled into the ward, casting shadows across the floor. Outside the window, the plane tree leaves had turned yellow and drifted down, one by one.I sat by the window in a patient gown, a lottery ticket resting in my hand.A nurse pushed a cart past, glanced at me, then turned to the intern beside her."This is Amanda from Bed 13. She's the most well-behaved patient we have here."She doesn't cause trouble or make a scene. She just sometimes talks to thin air."I heard she used to work in sales. Too much pressure, lost her mind. Poor thing."The door was gently pushed open.Austin walked in, holding a bouquet of sunflowers. He placed them into the vase by my bed."Amanda, how are you feeling today?"He pulled over a chair and sat across from me, his voice gentle.I turned my head and looked at the man in the white coat, my gaze distant and unfamiliar."Sir, who are you?

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