Chapter 1

At my engagement party with my fiancé, my ex-boyfriend Damien Smith suddenly appeared.

He clapped his hands mockingly as he walked toward us:

"Serena Locke, I wondered how you dared to leave me. Turns out you found yourself a richer backer—my cousin."

The guests erupted in shock.

The once lively banquet hall fell into dead silence.

All eyes turned to me, filled with shock and scrutiny.

But I simply gazed calmly at the face I'd once loved deeply for three years:

"What? You used to despise me as a gold digger. Now that I'm with someone else, you still have a problem with it?"

Damien and I met in college.

In our third year together, my dad suddenly fell seriously ill and needed expensive treatment.

I was desperately trying to figure out where to get the money when my roommate suddenly asked: "Why don't you ask Damien for help?"

I didn't understand what she meant at first.

"You don't know? Damien's family is loaded."

"I only found out recently when I went to a party at the Smith estate with my dad."

"Your dad's medical bills would be like pocket change to him—the cost of one meal."

I froze, not knowing what to say.

I could only remain silent.

That night, I secretly followed Damien.

I watched him smoothly open the door of a luxury car.

I watched him drive into a gated mansion community.

My emotions swirled—a confusing mix of feelings.

I didn't understand why Damien had been pretending to be poor.

But the next moment, I felt a glimmer of hope.

Hope that maybe Damien could really help me solve this urgent crisis.

So without overthinking it, I pressed the doorbell of the mansion.

In less than thirty seconds, the door opened.

Seeing me, Damien was visibly startled.

"Serena? What are you doing here? Who gave you this address?"

He didn't invite me in.

He just stood sideways in the doorway, brow furrowed, looking at me.

The suspicion and interrogation in his tone made me inexplicably nervous.

I clutched the hem of my clothes, standing at the door like a child who'd done something wrong.

All the opening lines I'd prepared on the way vanished from my mind.

"Damien!" I spoke softly: "Could you please help me with something?"

"My dad's in the hospital. I urgently need money for his treatment..."

Before I could finish, laughter erupted from inside.

It was Fiona Ashford, Damien's childhood friend.

I'd heard Damien mention her before.

"Damien, is this the new girlfriend you told me about?"

"Didn't you say last time that she wasn't with you for money?"

"No, it's because my dad—" I tried to explain.

But Fiona cut me off: "I know!"

"You just have a seriously ill relative who needs money to be saved, right?"

She placed her hand on Damien's shoulder with a light laugh:

"Looks like your new girlfriend is pretty clever—she's even learned to use roundabout tactics to ask for money."

"Though this excuse is pretty old and not very original!"

Fiona looked at me with contempt.

"That's not true, I'm not lying!" I quickly explained to Damien: "My dad really is sick and hospitalized."

I pulled out the crumpled diagnosis certificate from my pocket and held it up to him.

But Fiona snatched it away:

"Wow, you're quite professional—even made fake medical records that look so authentic?"

"Clearly an expert. You've probably scammed plenty of guys besides Damien, haven't you?"

One sentence branded me a con artist.

Damien, who'd been half-skeptical, suddenly turned dark with anger:

"And here I thought you were different from those gold-digging women."

"Turns out you're all the same."

"I never wanted your money!"

My voice cracked with tears, and I couldn't control them as they streamed down my face.

Damien froze.

But Fiona beside him suddenly clicked her tongue twice:

"They say tears are a woman's best weapon."

"With acting skills like yours—crying on command—it's a real shame you're not in Hollywood."

Two sentences of manipulation successfully made Damien's gaze turn cold again:

"So what exactly are you doing right now?"

My body stiffened. I felt petrified.

Damien's ice-cold questioning was like a frozen blade stabbing straight into my heart.

I opened my mouth.

But my throat felt blocked, and ultimately no sound came out.

Three years of our relationship couldn't withstand Fiona's two sentences of instigation.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

I didn't say anything more.

I just forced myself to wipe away my tears and turned to leave.

But the next day, a hundred thousand dollars suddenly appeared in my bank account.

It was transferred from Damien.

Below it was a message:

"Didn't you want money? Well, here's your chance to earn it."