Bright Lights
I'm the ultimate soft touch.
My dirt-poor roommate used to survive by digging through trash cans for food. Pity got the better of me, so I covered his tuition, his living expenses, and slipped him fifty dollars a day out of my own pocket. My only condition: he had to tag along whenever I went to my private tutoring sessions.
I thought he was grateful for it.
Then, junior year, he strutted into the classroom head to toe in designer labels and hurled fifty coins in my face in front of the whole class.
"Fifty a day, and you treated me like your personal slave for three years—dragged me along to sit through lectures I couldn't even follow, humiliated me every step of the way!
"Well, guess what? My real father just tracked me down. He's a billionaire, and he handed me a black card with no spending limit. Here's your fifty back. I'm done being your errand boy.
"And I'll never turn into some arrogant jerk just because I've got a little money—unlike you!"
Then he handed out luxury bags to everyone in the class except me.
The whole room fell for it instantly, chanting, "Long live Elmer!"
I stared at the forty-three purchase notifications that had just popped up on my phone and went quiet.
I checked again. My black card—the one my father had given me—was gone.
Everything clicked into place.
The rich long-lost father? All fake.
He'd simply stolen my black card, played dress-up as a billionaire's son, and stomped on me on his way up.
Without a word, I made one phone call.
And transferred the black card into his name.
He'd clearly watched too many soap operas—he thought a black card was some kind of savings account. He had no idea it was just a credit card with a higher limit, and every cent he spent on it, he'd owe back.