My Boyfriend Hides His Fortune

y bir

to my tiny rental apartment, o

e placed right in front of me, with a

ding before me, then look

ther to feel touc

brate my birthday? With this

e pressed his lips

first. Blow o

e birthday ritual, he pull

rms tightly around me, as if a

did feel a l

y, I got you your favorite cake, b

d, looking so pitiful that he might as well hav

it has cream, cake, and even fruit. Isn't it great? The bes

a second ago was instantly

een living in this less-than-50-square-met

own in the neighborh

urious neighbours saw us hauling several b

een spreading gossip that we wer

..

t tightly around myself, determine

a warm presen

arms and placed my hands o

y don't you just buy a portable heat

aters are not only expensive.

nose was slightly r

need to save

I decided to play a little prank and pressed my

could be contradictory,

out the tiny cake he g

rmined to make him realize on

d, his eyes growing darker, while his restless

together, I knew

per into the blanket and mumbled. "Arch

ish, he pulled me

again, there was a b

s stu

ooked oddly

ld secondhand magazine

ture of a bracelet identic

d in the dark, radia

e bracelet was a re

tinctively felt that

d up at

you get thi

hed out from under the blanket t

nds began t

red or two hundred dollars.

h.

turned off th

couldn't resist sticking my arm out of the blanket to look at my new b

ed at it, the m

n the magazine, I tho

person, it was e

nd I leaned over to plant a

ned hi

. Babe, let's spend some

ly got any sle

I wore the bra

our-leaf clover stand out ev

financial reports and notice

ed my hand, inspectin

is gorgeous! Your boyfrien

gh I couldn't help fee

rk knew I had a boyfriend, even though h

a fortune," Gina said, her

was exactly the impre

just an affordable piec

en a sarcastic tone cut t

the one she's wearing is fake. It's p

toward me seemed t

s seemed to show up whe

close, the air ar

filled with the shar

en deliberately raising her

watch is

..

lara said, flashi

out ten thous

by audible gasps from th

ers like us, 100, 000 was

r fake stuff out in public. It's e

dazzling as it

genuine and unmatched. Even if he only had two hundred bucks, he'd spe

er. She seemed momentarily thrown

her luxurious lifestyle, she

at restaurant last time, cuddl

it, Clara's expres

sting to look

was a notorious tr

ful. Word had it that Clara went thro

who pretends to be rich but buys fake stuff. That aff

nd being the stubborn person I w

And don't forget, back when you first started college, wer

in the air w

to fists at her sides. Sh

ession was immen

lare, I tossed my he

hear her clen

she couldn'

und was cle

quickly turne

e building after work, a red

dn't notice someone bumping into

t of my hand, but I manage

ra standing smugly ne

e to pick you up too? Though I remember your place is

her car, pretending to wave at me

feeling a surge of frustra

omped over and climbed onto the

lim waist. It was the kind of buil

y someone I liked after work ease

r friend?" Archie turned his

itted my teeth as I answered, then

ty in a deep crimson hue. I wrapped my arms around Archi

ling was

even better was w

hy Ferrari stuck in

d visibly irritated, her fa

me. Ignoring the biting winter chill

enjoying the s

ra's darkened expression

he pent-up frustration in my c

st into laughter at the thought of Clara's an

down, worried I might tumb

he said, his deep, pleasant voice

ans hurrying past on eit

e," I

d, but I knew he

in this lifetime! I'd work hard to prove e

help but tighten my g

those rich people who are so

an abrupt stop. Caught off g

, I glared at h

brake so

e at me, his expre

hinking about somethin

..

om heater

how expensive it would be

ie, who was sitting cr

ce was o

when I had my own h

and watched as he expertly

e, tel

hatted aimlessly. "Why are rich

moved the heater's cover, and he wa

ong after we started dating, he

broke for no apparent reason. No mat

, only to find out the lock was

ndred bucks, and I felt

, but ever since then, he started

h a light tap, then nodded toward th

he heater roare

oom was w

, then jumped dow

rom the fridge, tilted his hea

way his Adam's apple moved, and

t's have a rest early tonight

are you planning to intr

le drinking, his expressi

te question for me to ask, but I ne

working-class guy, and so was

uce him to my parents a

hoped we could get

ur own, not this cra

, about

table, a habit of his whene

riefly before quic

o make some

needed to m

e, he was a total genius, the ki

hie's name was on the list, first

professor once said he was des

mplish much at the moment, I b

faith

-

ing the parents

mentally calculating my exp

ie lay quietly on the sof

for his birthday two years ago, an

anted to buy h

ing, Archie was already in t

learned how to cook, and he

m behind, burying my face into h

clingy this earl

head and kisse

at me, his expressi

ent, he spo

etrayed your trust, c

trange, out-of-the-blue questi

how to respo

ding someth

forcing him to lo

n his eyes, I saw my re

almost as if it looked right thro

me he was hiding s

hon

..

hen leaned down to pla

lf, charming, unpredictable

I clocked

the office, a strong, overpowe

ctively

my desk, the stronge

reached my

y desk, was a bottl

nearby whose it was,

mpletely

who was sitting diag

obably have died a hundred

n my sight. It was Cayden,

everything clic

the bottle of perfume aside and tur

latest fragrance. Smel

Then it's

hich I'd placed in the

t expected me to

pression blank, as if he hadn'

able to hold back, burst

hat he realized I'

t you to be so feisty

..

ed Cayden to b

ike it?" he asked again, this t

a serious answ

don't.

nd gave him a

w Clara angrily ri

t the floor, making me wince just thi

he glared at me as if I'

n't paying any attenti

king at me with

nd a classic line p

is money are

lone, that would be fine. But no,

stood what it felt like t

tered, I just wanted to stay as

iend of my dad's. I don't think you'd want

lling loudly through TikTok videos on his phone. The

had a cigarette dang

rominently displayed on the wall a

tte from his mouth and t

ou to have such a tem

had a habit of declaring ev

. Whether or not I was

wanted to knock so

-

g in his Ferrari, I couldn't help but think

h people were so f

med to be obvious, because I was

nd sent Archie a message. "I won't be home for

ong time, but th

nted to treat me to a si

n he'd take me to a f

u and the prices,

ke I was eating mone

the menu to Cayden's

he one who invited me, and he

t, I felt a litt

rdering without

pick anythi

hose the most ex

wasn't the

you can fini

eyebrow as he gla

ou, isn't it? Besides, it's not every day I get to dine at a fanc

and then Cayden, whose expression

y, I was

al, I excused myself t

in upscale places, the restrooms we

d given me in my head, wandering around

upon someone I had

s Arc

elt eerily familiar, lik

ly, revealing his profile, I inst

from me was none

lone. Behind hi

man, it wouldn't have

e executive from a comp

ad prepared the budget

werful and influential as Mr. Cummings be standing behind

cigar from the pocke

e and even lit it for

just to make sure I w

it, because the pain

the sound I made successfully drew t

drag from froze between his

rassment, surprise, and even

d next complet