Scam or Fortune

Jonny Warner, my boyfriend, was the heir to a rich family in the upper circle of the capital.

But he pretended to be an amnesiac, impoverished college student. I even helped him with the necessities of life.

My best friend had attempted to persuade me to dump him, but I refused to do so.

I would never break up with him.

But one night, I overheard a conversation between him and his secretary.

"Now that the fish have taken the bait, it's time for me to reel them in."

"And how do you plan to deal with Miss Palmer?"

"She values money most. I will give her just a check and send her off."

Hearing that, I could barely suppress a laugh.

Finally, I was about to become rich.

01

Lately, Jonny Warner sneaked out behind my back quite often.

Before he left, he always cooked many delicious dishes and showered me with endless sweet-talk.

After I fell asleep at night, he tiptoed out.

But he didn't know that I was not actually asleep because I'd been eagerly waiting for him to betray me.

That night, he had sex with me repeatedly before he dressed and left.

It was the tenth time this month. Although I was patient enough, I became curious.

As soon as he left, I threw on a coat and quietly followed him out.

I hid in the stairwell and pressed my ear against the door.

Jonny's voice was heard from the other side.

"Those old guys at the company are getting anxious. It's time for me to reel them in."

Another man replied respectfully, "So, Mr. Warner, how will you handle Miss Palmer?"

My heart raced as I heard that man's question.

Jonny had been mooching off me for so long. He spent my money and had sex with me. Was he planning to just leave without showing his gratitude for me?

Jonny replied in a low voice, "She values money most. I will give her a check and send her off."

That man seemed surprised by Jonny's response and quickly added, "Miss Palmer has taken care of you for so long. Isn't it a bit ungrateful for you to just give her a check?"

Jonny seemed a bit annoyed and said, "What else? Can I bring her back as my wife? Can she? She is a mediocre student from a no-name college and is working at a poor company. She doesn't deserve the identity of Mrs. Warner."

That man asked again, "How much should the check be?"

Jonny simply said, "Let her write whatever she wants."

Hearing that, I quietly returned to my room. I couldn't contain my excitement and did a little victory dance.

"Let her write whatever she wants."

It was the sweetest sentence I'd ever heard in my two lifetimes.

02

That was right. I have two lifetimes because I've been reborn.

In my previous life, I met Jonny at the hospital, where he pretended to have lost his memory. I was tempted by his good-looking appearance and took him home.

I provided for him in every way and even slept with him.

In fact, we had a blissful time together.

It was such a happy time that I believed love was the most important.

Jonny pretended to lose his memory due to a car accident caused by a company infighting. He used that opportunity to secretly reorganize the Warner Group.

When the Warner family came to pick up Jonny, a fleet of over ten Rolls-Royces drove into my neighborhood, which would soon be demolished.

The spectacle drew the entire neighborhood to my door.

I watched as Jonny donned a tailored suit and a Rolex watch.

He handed me a check for five million and explained that he thanked me for taking care of him during that time.

At that time, I loved Jonny so much that I valued love above all else.

I refused the check and wanted only to be with Jonny forever.

I still remembered the way he looked at me. It was like he was looking at a stray dog.

He was contemptuous, puzzled, and amused.

Later, Jonny broke up with me unilaterally. I couldn't accept it and went to the media. I exposed the details of our relationship during the period when he pretended to lose his memory.

Jonny was known to be heartless. As public opinion grew, the Warner Group began to start falling into turmoil again after it had just ended an internal conflict.

In the end, under my pressure, Jonny proposed to me publicly, and then got married to me.

On the second day after we got married, I read headlines about Jonny and a popular model entering a hotel the previous night.

From then on, Jonny tormented me daily and openly expressed his disgust at the sight of me.

He even acquired the media company and claimed that I had exposed him and that I was the whistleblower.

Overnight, in others' eyes, I was not his kind-hearted wife but a scheming gold digger.

Jonny's psychological abuse and the online bullying from netizens eventually led me to depression. I ended up killing myself at home.

03

When I woke up again, I found myself in the hospital where I first met Jonny. I had fainted from low blood sugar.

When I watched Jonny keep talking to me intently, I rolled my eyes.

This time, I was going to get my five million back.

Others might seek revenge after being reborn. But I just wanted money.

Sure enough, in this life, Jonny once again claimed to have amnesia and fell in love with me at first sight.

His sharply defined, extremely handsome face seemed to have "five million" written all over it.

I gleefully rubbed my hands together and took him home.

Fortunately, everything in this life proceeded smoothly, just like before.

We naturally got together, and I was even more attentive to him than in my previous life.

When he was tired, I massaged his shoulders.

When he was hungry, I cooked for him.

When he was out of cash, I transferred money to him.

When he wanted to sleep with me, I accepted it.

Even my long-time best friend said I was a traitor who forgot her for the cute guy.

My neighbor saw how I cared for Jonny and went home to complain to his wife that he didn't get enough love.

With my care every day, our relationship became close. Unlike in the previous life, Jonny started learning to cook and take care of me. He often brought me lunch at work, and my colleagues were envious of my considerate "puppy" boyfriend.

Well, he was indeed considerate.

Since I took in Jonny and decided to make money, my career had been on a meteoric rise. I got three promotions in a row.

But such small money was nothing to me. I wanted five million.

Suddenly, my phone lit up with a message from my best friend, Nigel Elliott.

She urged me to break up with Jonny countless times.

"Emalee Palmer! You must break up with that pretty boy. Otherwise, we're done. Look at you now. You are lost in love. Do you remember our dream of getting rich back then?"

In my previous life, Nigel sent me the same message, and I refused her because I loved Jonny.

In this life, I still refused Nigel. But I wanted to get rich quickly this time.

"Nigel, I love Jonny. Trust me it won't stop us from getting rich. Pack your things quickly, and get your passport and visa ready. I'll take you with me after I get rich."

After sending the message, I heard some noise outside the door. Jonny came back.

I quickly put down my phone and pretended to be sound asleep.

I felt the familiar scent as he lay down gently. He then wrapped his arm around my waist and went on sleeping.

He slept soundly, but I was too excited to sleep because I heard him say, "Let her write whatever she wants."

The day was finally coming. My days of working like a dog were finally over!

I was ready to celebrate my newfound freedom.

04

I waited eagerly, and another month passed.

In my previous life, Jonny had already left by this time. Why was he still here now?

I went home from work. When I opened the door, I was surprised.

There were flowers, balloons, candlelight, delicious food, and music.

Uh... what was going on?

"Emalee, It's the anniversary of our first meeting today."

I looked at Jonny, who was dressed up and looked so decent. I didn't understand what he was up to.

I didn't have any response, so he waved his hand in front of me.

"Emalee, Emalee, what are you thinking about?"

I cleared my throat and said, "I am thinking about you, of course. You have made so much effort to surprise me. I'm so touched and almost cry."

I feigned gratitude and nestled into Jonny's arms. Then I planted a kiss on his chin.

Jonny held me tightly and rubbed his chin against the top of my head. He said, "It's all for you. I am happy to do everything for you."

I pinched my palm hard, and tears welled up from the pain. I looked at Jonny with misty eyes and said, "Will you ever leave me? After all, I am a mediocre student from a no-name college and am working at a poor company."

"How can it be possible?"

Seeing Jonny's determined expression, I found it ridiculous. Those were the words he said back then.

Now he was putting on such an act of deep affection. Who was he trying to fool? It was so disgusting.

"Really? You won't despise me, will you? Will you marry me? Will we get married?"

Jonny was stunned by my words.

Ahh! He couldn't reply to my question.

"Of course, I will."

I didn't expect Jonny to say that. Although he was disgusted at me, he still played along. It was a pity that he didn't pursue a career in the acting industry.

I lowered my head and pretended to be happy, burying myself in Jonny's arms.

Jonny pushed me away and picked up a delicate velvet box from the table.

My eyes lit up with greed after I saw the gift. At least he knew what he should do. It wasn't in vain that I played along with him for a year. Judging by the box, I believe the content must be valuable.

"It's for you."

I took it with joy. But when I opened it, it was simply a cross necklace.

What the heck? Where was my money? Was he the heir to a rich family in the capital? Was he indeed the heir to the Warner Group? He must be kidding me.

If I hadn't developed the habit of wearing a fake mask in front of Jonny, I might have slapped him.

"What is this?" I asked, feigning confusion. I carefully picked up the cross necklace and examined it for a long while.

Hmm... it was really just a red string. It didn't have any silver or gold beads.

"This is a cross necklace I got for you at the church today. Wear it. And it will keep you safe."

I was cursing him in my head. But my face remained a picture of gratitude.

"Really? I love it. You're so good to me."

With that, I hooked my arm around his neck and gave him a kiss.

Jonny seized the opportunity to bite my lip. He was slowly sucking like he was savoring jelly.

Another sleepless night. In the last moment before I lost consciousness, I wondered if that stingy man would give me the check.

05

The next day, I was awakened by some people's chattering.

I sat up in bed, and Jonny was already gone. I stood up and walked to the window. My waist was so sore.

I was blinded by the long row of Rolls-Royces downstairs.

Finally! The moment I'd been waiting for came.

Suddenly, my waist wasn't sore anymore. I felt like I could conquer the world.

I didn't even bother putting on shoes before I dashed downstairs.

Jonny was already dressed in a fitting black suit. His black-framed glasses were replaced with gold-rimmed ones, and he was wearing a diamond-studded Rolex around his wrist.

A crowd gathered at the entrance of the apartment building.

Several men dressed as bodyguards approached Jonny. They bowed respectfully.

Finally, they came.

Tears of excitement welled up in my eyes, but I restrained myself and pretended to be frightened.

"Who are you? Where are you taking my boyfriend?"

A man dressed as a secretary pulled my arm away from Jonny.

"Miss Palmer, please behave yourself. This is the eldest son of the Warner family, the heir to the Warner Group. We are grateful to you for taking care of Mr. Warner for over a year. There's a check. Fill in any amount you like as a small token of gratitude from the Warner Group."

The voice was the same as the one who had secret talks with Jonny at night.

My lips trembled, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

I looked like a heartbroken woman who was abandoned.

I placed my hand back on Jonny's arm.

"Jonny, have you... abandoned me?"