All Chapters of Working Off a Fake Debt: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

It was 1:00 a.m., and I almost dropped my phone.The "sponsor" in that cash-spraying livestream… was it Benjamin?When I did not answer, his voice sharpened. "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you feeling sick?"My throat felt like sandpaper. "Which site? What kind of job keeps you out this late?""Just… near the old district." His words came faster, as if speed could carry him past my question. "I'm almost home. I'll transfer the money first."The call ended. The livestream continued."My sponsor just sent another 150,000 dollars and told me to buy the newest set of lingerie."She clicked her tongue and pouted at the camera. "Men like this have no concept of money. That set is, what, 30,000 dollars at most? Ugh, so annoying. He sent an extra 120,000 dollars. Fine. You can have it."One oversized cash drop after another burst across the screen.I tapped them in a steady, mechanical rhythm. My balance climbed from 100 dollars to 500 dollars, then 600 dollars, then 800 dollars

Chapter 2

"We agreed to video call while he showered. I'll show you my sponsor's abs in a minute!"Less than five minutes later, she posted an update.A man's defined abs filled the screen, water beading and sliding down his skin. His face was out of frame, but the tiles behind him were unmistakable.It was our bathroom. I had bought the cheap plastic storage basket, the discount shampoo, and the bar soap.It was Benjamin.Right now, in the tiny place we rented, he was showering while video calling the woman he kept.The sound of running water never stopped.I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe. *Don't panic. Stay calm. Think it through.*There was nothing to think through.When I opened my eyes again, I saw the streamer, Anya Carter, reply to a top comment.[You're just a kept girl showing off. He has a girlfriend. No matter how you spin it, you're still the mistress.]She answered instantly.[He's raising that poor thing like a pet. She has the title, that's all. He loves

Chapter 3

"Yesterday I wandered into one of those cash-spraying livestreams," I said. "I scraped together enough. We can go back to our hometown together."The light from my phone cut across his face. His brows knit, and a flicker of irritation flashed in his eyes.He had not expected me to pull it off.That morning, I had sent him every cent I had to repay his debt. By his calculation, I should have had nothing left except the 42 dollars he handed me that night, the steel-bar money.The irritation faded almost at once. He pulled me into his arms and pressed his cheek to my neck."That's great," he murmured. "We can go home together again. Via, thank you."He still did not tell the truth.I locked the screen, and darkness swallowed the bedroom.His fingers found the tear mole beneath my eye and brushed it slowly, absently, like someone stroking an obedient animal.…The day before New Year's Eve, I took leave from work. I did not tell him.Anya complained online that she was sick of b

Chapter 4

"All these years, have you ever loved me? Or am I just a pet you keep for amusement?"Across from me, he took two bites of his food and stopped. He tried to mask it, but disgust flickered between his brows.I met his eyes. "Benjamin, how much does your family still owe?"His hand froze, and his gaze drifted away. "My mom said it's probably a little over 180,000 dollars."My expression did not change. "When we were freshmen, you told me it was 200,000 dollars. It's been five years. How is it still over 180,000 dollars?"He seemed to recall the number he had given me back then. He set down his utensils and hurried over, crouching in front of me."I'm sorry, Via. I kept it from you. My dad got sick. My mom borrowed more money for his treatment. That's why the debt increased again." His voice trembled. "Are you mad at me? We just owe too much."He continued apologizing as he gripped my wrist. This was the same hand that had swiped more than 200,000 dollars at the mall because anothe

Chapter 5

Benjamin kept urging the driver to go faster. When he burst into the villa, the Anya who had claimed she was cutting her wrists sat at the vanity, livestreaming.She saw him and blinked smugly at the camera. "See? I told you."He stepped instinctively out of frame, breathing hard. "What's going on? You said…"His phone was crammed with her messages, each one about being locked up, falling apart, wanting to kill herself.Now she wore full makeup, her skin luminous under the lights. She looked nothing like someone on the brink of suicide.Anya laughed until she doubled over, then reached out and switched off the mic. She winked at him."Someone said I didn't have what it takes," she said lightly. "Said it was New Year's Eve and I didn't even have a man with me. I couldn't let that slide."She tried to pull him into the frame.Benjamin stopped her and flipped her phone face down on the table, covering the camera."I told you not to show my face," he said, his voice tight. "If my

Chapter 6

A new comment slid across the screen.[Does your sponsor keep you locked in the villa because he's afraid other men will look at you? Or because he's afraid his girlfriend will find out?]Benjamin saw it. His hand, resting on the table, slowly curled into a fist. Even without showing his face, tension radiated from him.Why had he not let Anya go out?With Olivia, he had to act poor, exhausted, and pitiful. He could not eat this or buy that. To make the performance believable, he even had his assistant collect boxed meals from construction sites so he could bring them home as proof.He was tired.He was the only son of the Southall family, raised in silk and gold. He had never endured anything like this.So he found Anya, a woman with a good figure who openly admitted she liked money. Most importantly, she had the same tear mole as Olivia.He kept her there so she would be waiting whenever he arrived. With her, he could release everything. He did not have to hide or pretend tha

Chapter 7

[So the rich heir who spends millions a day pretends to be broke and makes his girlfriend work to repay his debt?][What kind of insane scandal is this?][Hey, stop crying. You're eating toasts and pickles while he feasts on abalone and lobster.]Someone snatched the phone from Benjamin's hand.His mother erupted. "You've disgraced the Southall family!"-Back home, I opened my phone. The video had gone viral, just as I expected.Thanks to the cash drops Anya had scattered, the traffic spiked within minutes. The comments poured in. Many users identified him as Benjamin Southall, a wealthy heir in the capital. They said I had been scammed and urged me to get my money back.Others sent private messages, telling me not to be afraid. They said this was not my fault.[Collect your evidence. If he dared to lie to you, you can fight back.]I was genuinely grateful, but I could not simply reply with a thank-you.After dinner, while fireworks burst in the yard, I slipped into a corne

Chapter 8

One trending video said, "She's even thanking the woman who flaunted her money so she could afford two train tickets and go home with her boyfriend."But she doesn't realize that money came from her own boyfriend. The 130,000 dollars she earned over five years doesn't even equal the price of a single set of lingerie he bought Anya. She gave him everything she had."I liked the video and posted an update of my own."Benjamin, how could you do this to me?"…On New Year's Day, I visited relatives with my family. I repeated the usual blessings until the words blurred together and smiled until my cheeks ached.That night, back home, I opened social media again.My inbox was still overflowing. I skimmed through the messages, thanked those who encouraged me, and ignored the ones accusing me of chasing money.Anya's account had already been wiped clean. Every post was gone. Gossip accounts reported that she had been banned for "violating public morality" and "promoting unhealthy displ

Chapter 9

The familiar gray work uniform hung off him in tatters, several holes patched with mismatched scraps of fabric. Benjamin looked less like a former heir and more like a beggar who had wandered too far.I frowned and stepped back before I realized I had moved."Via, you wouldn't see me," he said hoarsely. "So I came to see you."He held out a bag of hot baked potatoes. Steam curled from the opening. His palms were thick with calluses.I glanced at them and stepped back again."Don't be afraid. I won't touch you. I won't…"I looked him over from head to toe. "You really went to haul steel bars?""Yes." He nodded quickly. "Look. This is all money I earned hauling steel. Not from my family. I earned it myself."He pulled a paper envelope from his pocket and opened it. Inside lay two wrinkled stacks of cash."Via, paying off that debt is hard…" His voice cracked. "But I do manual labor every day. My parents think I'm useless now. They're grooming someone else as their heir. I'm not

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