My Boyfriend Hides His Fortune

1

"Happy birthday!"

After work, I opened the door to my tiny rental apartment, only to be greeted by darkness.

The only thing visible was a small cake placed right in front of me, with a single, unique candle standing on top.

I glanced at the man standing before me, then looked down at the tiny cake.

I wasn't sure whether to feel touched or insulted.

"Archie, is this how you celebrate my birthday? With this cake? Do you think I'm a fool?"

Hearing my words, he pressed his lips together slightly.

"Make a wish first. Blow out the candle."

After completing the simple birthday ritual, he pulled me to sit on the couch.

He didn't forget to wrap his arms tightly around me, as if afraid I'd storm off in anger.

To be fair, I did feel a little miffed.

"Amanda, last year on your birthday, I got you your favorite cake, but you were mad at me for two days."

Archie lowered his gaze, his head slightly bowed, looking so pitiful that he might as well have had "hurt feelings" written all over his face.

"So this year, I got you a simple, old-fashioned cake. Look, it has cream, cake, and even fruit. Isn't it great? The best part is, it's very affordable. It costs just five dollars."

Any guilt I might have felt a second ago was instantly extinguished by his words.

2

Archie, who was my boyfriend, and I have been living in this less-than-50-square-meter rental apartment for nearly five years.

We were also well-known in the neighborhood for being frugal.

It probably started when one of our ever-curious neighbours saw us hauling several boxes of instant noodles into the apartment.

Ever since, that neighbour had been spreading gossip that we were broke, and ridiculously frugal.

......

Lying in bed, I wrapped the blanket tightly around myself, determined not to let the cold air sneak in.

Soon, I felt a warm presence behind me.

Archie pulled me into his arms and placed my hands on his back to warm them up.

"If you're so afraid of the cold, why don't you just buy a portable heater? I don't want you catching a cold."

"Not a good idea. Portable heaters are not only expensive. They're also energy guzzlers."

I sniffled, and my nose was slightly red from the chill.

"Besides, we need to save money anyway."

He lowered his eyelids slightly, gazing at me. I decided to play a little prank and pressed my icy hands and feet directly against his skin.

People often said women could be contradictory, and I was no exception.

I was still annoyed about the tiny cake he got me for my birthday.

I stared at him silently, determined to make him realize on his own what he'd done wrong.

I watched as his handsome face slowly approached, his eyes growing darker, while his restless movements under the covers made my heart race.

After five years together, I knew Archie too well.

Sensing what was coming, I burrowed deeper into the blanket and mumbled. "Archie, not tonight! I'm in a bad mood! I..."

Before I could finish, he pulled me out of the blanket.

When I opened my eyes again, there was a bracelet on my wrist.

It was stunning!

3

And... it looked oddly familiar.

I flipped through an old secondhand magazine on my bedside table.

Sure enough, I found a picture of a bracelet identical to the one on my wrist.

The crystals sparkled in the dark, radiating a unique beauty.

At the center of the bracelet was a red four-leaf clover.

But deep down, I instinctively felt that this was a fake one.

I looked up at Archie.

"Where did you get this bracelet?"

He glanced down at me, then reached out from under the blanket to pull my cold hands back inside.

Soon, my hands began to warm up.

"Not expensive, just a hundred or two hundred dollars. Got it from a market stall."

"Oh..."

I nodded, then turned off the bedside lamp.

Under the faint glow of the streetlight streaming into the bedroom, I couldn't resist sticking my arm out of the blanket to look at my new bracelet, admiring its lucky four-leaf clover and glittering crystals.

The more I looked at it, the more I liked it.

When I first saw it in the magazine, I thought it was beautiful.

Now, seeing it in person, it was even more stunning.

My mood instantly lifted, and I leaned over to plant a big kiss on Archie's cheek.

He opened his eyes.

"Well, now I can't sleep. Babe, let's spend some quality time together."

And so, I barely got any sleep that night.

4

The next day, I wore the bracelet to work.

My pale wrist made the red four-leaf clover stand out even more under the sunlight.

Gina handed me last month's financial reports and noticed the bracelet on my wrist.

She grinned and grabbed my hand, inspecting it from every angle.

"Wow, Amanda, this bracelet is gorgeous! Your boyfriend got it for you, didn't he?"

I nodded timidly, though I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit vain.

That was why most of my colleagues at work knew I had a boyfriend, even though he was just an ordinary salaried worker.

"This bracelet must've cost a fortune," Gina said, her tone laced with curiosity.

I smiled faintly. That was exactly the impression I wanted to give.

Who would guess it was just an affordable piece from a market stall?

I was about to respond when a sarcastic tone cut through the air behind me.

"Sure, the bracelet is valuable, but the one she's wearing is fake. It's probably worth a few hundred at most."

Clara's hostility toward me seemed to grow by the day.

For instance, she always seemed to show up wherever I was, like now.

The moment she got close, the air around me felt stale.

The entire office was filled with the sharp scent of chemicals.

But she acted oblivious, even deliberately raising her wrist to check her watch.

"Wow, this watch is so shiny."

......

"It's alright," Clara said, flashing a smug smile.

"It's only about ten thousand dollars."

Her words were followed by audible gasps from the surrounding colleagues.

After all, for office workers like us, 100, 000 was basically a year's salary.

"Amanda, I'd advise you not to wear fake stuff out in public. It's embarrassing," she added, smirking.

Her smile was as dazzling as it was infuriating.

"Sure, this bracelet might be fake, but my boyfriend's love for me is genuine and unmatched. Even if he only had two hundred bucks, he'd spend it all on me. By the way, your boyfriend's pretty wealthy, isn't he?"

Feigning admiration, I looked at her. She seemed momentarily thrown off by the sudden change in topic.

But then, as if reminded of her luxurious lifestyle, she nodded smugly. "Yeah, he is."

"Then why did we see him at that restaurant last time, cuddling and kissing another woman?"

The moment I said it, Clara's expression turned grim.

It was interesting to look at her look.

Clara's boyfriend was a notorious trust-fund playboy.

He was rich, flirtatious, and unfaithful. Word had it that Clara went through quite a lot just to win him over.

"At least my boyfriend's wealth is real! Unlike yours, who pretends to be rich but buys fake stuff. That affordable piece from a market stall just screams tacky!"

I had clearly hit a sore spot, and being the stubborn person I was, I wasn't about to back down.

"I happen to love this cheap one. What's wrong with that? And don't forget, back when you first started college, weren't you decked out in affordable items from head to toe?"

The tension in the air was palpable.

Clara's hands clenched into fists at her sides. She was trembling slightly.

Her furious expression was immensely satisfying.

Under her venomous glare, I tossed my head and walked away.

I could almost hear her clenching her jaw.

After all, she couldn't beat me.

But this round was clearly mine.

5

However, she quickly turned the tables.

As I walked out of the office building after work, a red Ferrari was parked outside.

I was busy texting Archie and didn't notice someone bumping into me until my arm was shoved hard.

My phone nearly slipped out of my hand, but I managed to catch it just in time.

Looking up, I saw Clara standing smugly next to the sports car.

"Oh, what a coincidence, Amanda. Is your boyfriend here to pick you up too? Though I remember your place is quite far from here, isn't it? Well then, drive safe!"

After saying that, she stepped into her car, pretending to wave at me affectionately as if we were close.

I watched them speed off, feeling a surge of frustration that I couldn't vent.

Left with no other choice, I stomped over and climbed onto the back seat of Archie's scooter.

Archie had broad shoulders and a slim waist. It was the kind of build that could make anyone jealous.

The thought of being taken home by someone I liked after work eased some of the anger in my chest.

"Was that person just now your friend?" Archie turned his head slightly to glance at me.

"Friend? More like a nemesis!" I gritted my teeth as I answered, then motioned for him to start driving.

The setting sun dipped behind me, painting the entire city in a deep crimson hue. I wrapped my arms around Archie's waist, burying my face into the warmth of his back.

This feeling was amazing.

But what made it even better was what happened next.

I spotted that flashy Ferrari stuck in rush hour traffic.

Inside the car, Clara looked visibly irritated, her face a picture of frustration.

A sudden burst of mischief overtook me. Ignoring the biting winter chill, I craned my neck and waved at them.

"Take your time enjoying the sunset! Bye-bye!"

With that, I watched Clara's darkened expression fade into the distance.

In that instant, I felt like the pent-up frustration in my chest had finally been released.

Sitting on the back seat of my scooter, I burst into laughter at the thought of Clara's angry face, nearly doubling over from amusement.

Archie instinctively slowed down, worried I might tumble off if I wasn't careful.

"Hold on tight, or you'll fall," he said, his deep, pleasant voice cutting through the rushing wind.

I looked at the pedestrians hurrying past on either side of the street.

"Archie," I said.

He didn't respond, but I knew he was listening.

"If I could, I'd make sure to become rich in this lifetime! I'd work hard to prove everyone who ever looked down on me wrong."

As I spoke, I couldn't help but tighten my grip around his waist.

"But at the same time, I hate those rich people who are so fake and full of themselves."

Suddenly, the scooter came to an abrupt stop. Caught off guard, I bumped into his back.

Rubbing my nose, I glared at him in annoyance.

"Why'd you brake so suddenly?"

He turned to glance at me, his expression unreadable.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something and got distracted."

......

6

The bathroom heater was broken.

I checked my phone and saw how expensive it would be to call someone to fix it.

Then I glanced at Archie, who was sitting cross-legged on the rug.

The choice was obvious.

Why call a repairman when I had my own handy helper at home?

So, I tilted my head back and watched as he expertly handled the screwdriver.

"Archie, tell me..."

I held the ladder steady as I chatted aimlessly. "Why are rich people so full of themselves?"

His long, slender fingers deftly removed the heater's cover, and he was inspecting each part one by one.

I suddenly remembered how, not long after we started dating, he didn't know how to fix anything.

Once, the lock on my apartment door broke for no apparent reason. No matter what I tried, I couldn't open it.

Panicking, I called a locksmith, only to find out the lock was just rusty from years of use.

That repair cost me a hundred bucks, and I felt the sting of it for days.

Archie didn't say much at the time, but ever since then, he started learning how to fix things himself.

He snapped me out of my thoughts with a light tap, then nodded toward the switch, signaling me to turn it on.

With a click, the heater roared back to life.

The bathroom was warm again.

He smiled faintly, then jumped down from the ladder.

He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, tilted his head back and took a long drink.

I couldn't help but notice the way his Adam's apple moved, and I found myself swallowing hard.

"You're thinking too much. Let's have a rest early tonight," he said, ruffling my hair.

"Okay... but Archie, when are you planning to introduce me to your parents?"

He froze for a moment while drinking, his expression turning a bit hesitant.

I knew it wasn't the most appropriate question for me to ask, but I needed to know how he saw our future.

I knew he was just an ordinary working-class guy, and so was I. That didn't matter to me.

I just wanted to introduce him to my parents and meet his in return.

If all went well, I hoped we could get married this year.

I wanted a home of our own, not this cramped little rental.

"Amanda, about that..."

He tapped his fingers on the table, a habit of his whenever he was deep in thought.

He glanced at me briefly before quickly looking away.

"I'll need to make some arrangements."

Indeed, he needed to make a plan.

I trusted Archie. Back in college, he was a total genius, the kind of student everyone admired.

No matter the competition, if Archie's name was on the list, first place was guaranteed to be his.

Even their notoriously strict professor once said he was destined to achieve great things.

So, even though he didn't accomplish much at the moment, I believed he was a late bloomer.

I had faith in him.

---

So for now, meeting the parents was put on hold.

I crawled into the warm bed, mentally calculating my expenses and remaining balance.

Not far from the bed, a tie lay quietly on the sofa. Its edges were frayed.

It was the tie I had given Archie for his birthday two years ago, and he'd been wearing it ever since.

This year, I wanted to buy him a new one.

7

When I woke up the next morning, Archie was already in the kitchen making breakfast.

Since moving in with me, he'd learned how to cook, and he was surprisingly good at it.

I walked over and hugged him from behind, burying my face into his back and nuzzling against him.

"Why are you so clingy this early in the morning?"

He turned his head and kissed me lightly.

Afterward, he looked at me, his expression suddenly serious.

After a moment, he spoke slowly.

"Amanda, if someone betrayed your trust, could you forgive them?"

Archie had a habit of asking strange, out-of-the-blue questions, and this was no exception.

I didn't know how to respond right away.

"Are you hiding something from me?"

I grabbed his tie, forcing him to look me in the eye.

Our gazes locked, and in his eyes, I saw my reflection staring back.

There was something in his gaze, almost as if it looked right through me, shrouded in a faint haze.

My instincts told me he was hiding something from me.

"No, honey."

......

Archie smiled at me, then leaned down to plant a kiss on my lips.

To me, he was like a sly wolf, charming, unpredictable, and a little mysterious.

8

As usual, I clocked in at work.

But as soon as I stepped into the office, a strong, overpowering scent of perfume hit me.

I instinctively frowned.

The closer I got to my desk, the stronger the smell became.

Finally, I reached my workstation.

There, sitting on my desk, was a bottle of Chanel perfume.

I asked my colleagues nearby whose it was, but no one responded.

I was completely baffled.

Then I noticed Clara, who was sitting diagonally across from me.

If looks could kill, I'd probably have died a hundred times over under her glare.

And then, a man appeared in my sight. It was Cayden, Clara's wealthy boyfriend.

In an instant, everything clicked in my head.

But I chose to ignore him. I moved the bottle of perfume aside and turned on my computer to start working.

"Hi, this is Chanel's latest fragrance. Smells amazing, doesn't it?"

"Does it? Then it's all yours."

I shoved the perfume, which I'd placed in the corner, into his hands.

He clearly hadn't expected me to react this way.

For a moment, he froze, his expression blank, as if he hadn't processed what just happened.

Some of my colleagues, unable to hold back, burst out laughing at the scene.

It was only then that he realized I'd just played him.

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to be so feisty. Not bad. I like it."

......

I never expected Cayden to be so shameless.

"What's the matter? Don't you like it?" he asked again, this time with a hint of impatience.

So I gave him a serious answer once more.

"No, I don't. Thanks."

I looked up and gave him a fake smile.

That was when I saw Clara angrily rise from her seat.

Her high heels clacked angrily against the floor, making me wince just thinking about the strain on her ankles.

When she passed by me, she glared at me as if I'd stolen her boyfriend.

But Cayden clearly wasn't paying any attention to his "girlfriend."

He was still looking at me with an admiring gaze.

I glanced at him, and a classic line popped into my head.

"A fool and his money are soon parted."

If only this fool would leave me alone, that would be fine. But no, he just had to keep pestering me.

That day, I finally understood what it felt like to be pursued by someone.

Except, instead of feeling flattered, I just wanted to stay as far away from him as possible."

"Amanda, the owner of this company is a friend of my dad's. I don't think you'd want to start looking for a new job, would you?"

He stood by the printer, arms crossed, casually scrolling loudly through TikTok videos on his phone. The volume was so loud that I wondered if he was deaf.

And to top it off, he had a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

I glanced at the no-smoking sign prominently displayed on the wall and felt the smoke sting my throat.

So I snatched the cigarette from his mouth and tossed it into the trash.

"Wow, didn't expect you to have such a temper. You're my type."

I wondered whether he just had a habit of declaring everyone he met as "his type".

I rolled my eyes at him. Whether or not I was his type didn't matter.

Right now, I just wanted to knock some sense into him.

---

When I got off work and found myself sitting in his Ferrari, I couldn't help but think back to what I'd said to Archie last night.

I wondered why rich people were so full of themselves.

At least for now, the answer seemed to be obvious, because I was bound and constrained by money.

Sitting in the Ferrari, I picked up my phone and sent Archie a message. "I won't be home for dinner tonight. I have a gathering to attend."

I waited for a long time, but there was no reply.

9

I thought Cayden just wanted to treat me to a simple meal, as he'd said.

But who would've known he'd take me to a five-star restaurant?

Looking at the menu and the prices, I swallowed hard.

Suddenly, it felt like I was eating money rather than food.

I shifted my gaze from the menu to Cayden's face. He seemed calm.

Well, it made sense. He was the one who invited me, and he was footing the bill anyway.

With that thought, I felt a little more at ease.

So, I started ordering without holding back.

And I didn't pick anything I liked.

I specifically chose the most expensive dishes.

After all, I wasn't the one paying.

"Are you sure you can finish all this?"

Cayden raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the menu.

"What's the matter? This is just pocket change for someone like you, isn't it? Besides, it's not every day I get to dine at a fancy restaurant since I was poor. I might as well indulge a little."

I eyed the menu's sky-high prices and then Cayden, whose expression was growing darker by the second.

Internally, I was gleeful.

Halfway through the meal, I excused myself to go to the restroom.

I had to admit, as is often the case in upscale places, the restrooms were tucked away in a maze of hallways.

I replayed the directions the server had given me in my head, wandering around but still unable to find the restrooms.

Instead, I stumbled upon someone I hadn't expected to see.

It was Archie.

10

Just from the back, it felt eerily familiar, like a near-perfect match.

But when the person turned slightly, revealing his profile, I instinctively drew in a sharp breath.

Standing not far from me was none other than Archie.

But he wasn't alone. Behind him stood a man.

If I didn't know the man, it wouldn't have mattered. But I did.

It was Mr. Cummings, the executive from a company we partnered with.

And I was the one who had prepared the budget for that collaboration.

I couldn't wrap my head around it. Why would someone as powerful and influential as Mr. Cummings be standing behind Archie, and he was slightly bowing, looking so respectful?

And then, he pulled a cigar from the pocket of his suit jacket.

He handed it to Archie and even lit it for him with a lighter.

I pinched myself hard, just to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

But I must've overdone it, because the pain made me gasp audibly.

In the otherwise quiet environment, the sound I made successfully drew their attention, including Archie's.

The cigar he'd just taken a drag from froze between his fingers as his gaze met mine.

In that instant, I saw embarrassment, surprise, and even a hint of panic in his eyes.

But what he did next completely floored me.