Semua Bab I Can See Everyone's Real Bank Balance: Bab 1 - Bab 10

When I froze in the doorway, Calvin looked at me with an expression that said, "I knew it."Even so, he rubbed his hands together, pretending to be all nervous. "Too bad I'm broke. A whole day of delivering takeout only gets me, like, 80 bucks. Are you going to look down on me for only being able to treat you to boxed meals like this, Tessa?"I snapped out of it, and my stomach growled in hunger."Of course not. I was adopted, and my adoptive parents stopped supporting me once I got into college," I said."I worked part-time to save up for tuition. To save money, I usually bought cheap bread and paired it with free soup from the cafeteria. For me, these buffet-style boxed meals are already luxurious enough."I told Calvin the truth openly, without a trace of diffidence or embarrassment in my eyes. Once I finished, I couldn't wait any longer and hurried inside the restaurant, making a beeline for one of the metal food trays.If it had been Yvonne in my place, she probably would've

The photo was of Calvin attending an event overseas. So, it turned out he was actually the heir to the Fulton family, the most powerful family in our city.In the photo, he wore a luxurious custom three-piece suit and a watch worth millions, and rode in a Rolls-Royce with a full entourage of bodyguards around him.I thought about how this rich heir, who was totally out of my league, had gone out of his way to dress shabbily and look unkempt when meeting me for cheap street food. I nearly burst out laughing.Calvin had really gone all in just to test his online girlfriend.Afraid that Yvonne would somehow track him down and expose the fact that I'd been impersonating her, I racked my brains trying to appease her."You're overthinking this," I said. "The first time he treated me to a meal, it was a 15-dollar buffet-style boxed meal. Every time we meet up, we only go for cheap street food. "He only has one set of clothes that he rotates over and over, and his slippers are falling apart.

Calvin noticed me glance at him. He met my eyes with a strange, unreadable look. He said, "Tessa, you've lied to me once. How can I be sure that you're not lying now?"His tone was still icy, but from my understanding of him, I could tell his expression had softened a little.After confessing my lie, I felt a lot lighter inside. Relying on the rapport we had built over the past few days, I lowered my voice and complained, sounding a little aggrieved, "Well, you… you lied to me, too."You told me you were scraping by delivering takeout every day and that you had to rotate the same clothes over and over. But it turns out you were just putting on an act and fooling me from the start."Seeing how I looked both annoyed and helpless, Calvin rubbed his nose, suddenly looking a bit embarrassed. His attitude was no longer so domineering."I was going to explain everything to you properly," he said. "I just didn't expect Yvonne to show up out of nowhere and mess up my plans."The warmth in

I knew Calvin wouldn't take me back to that budget buffet place. I just didn't expect him to go straight to a fine-dining place where the average per-person cost was several thousand dollars.As I sat there in that high-end restaurant, I had no idea what to do with myself or even where to put my hands. Thankfully, the server was very considerate. She patiently explained which utensils to use for which course.To honor the price tag, I listened carefully to the introduction of every single dish. When it came time to eat, I polished each course off before moving on to the next. I refused to waste a bite.Seeing that I was still the same glutton as before made Calvin smile in that familiar way I knew. He said, "Seeing you eat so happily really puts me at ease. So, what do you think tastes better—fine dining or the 15-dollar boxed meals?""The boxed meals, of course," I answered without even thinking. "The portions are huge, and I love all the dishes. The food here is delicious, but th

Faced with Yvonne's meltdown, all I felt was that old, suffocating fear. Years of swallowing every insult and never fighting back had trained me too well. My mind went blank.I could only stand there and watch as she smashed my desk, ripped all my documents to pieces, and turned me into a laughingstock in front of the entire office."You're just a pathetic orphan, Tessa! What makes you think you deserve a life like this? Look at yourself. Do you seriously think you're good enough for Calvin? If I can't have him, you can forget about it, too!" Yvonne shrieked.She came at me again, her eyes blazing as she raised her hand for a slap.Suddenly, a tall, solid figure stepped in front of me. Calvin's hand closed around her wrist like iron, and he shoved her back."You just assaulted and humiliated someone for no reason, barged into my company, and trashed our office. The security cameras caught every second of it," he said icily. "If I don't see you locked up for at least a few years,