Riches in Disguise

Suddenly, Charlotte cut me off mid-sentence. She shouted, "How dare you disrespect my friend like that? You're not welcome here anymore! Get out!"

The room fell into silence at her words. However, Lucas was unfazed and chimed in with a smug tone, "Wow, imagine being so shameless that you'd stick around even after being told to leave."

I gave Charlotte one last meaningful look before saying, "Fine, I'll go," and walked out of the room.

These past few days, I helped her handle the Arnoult Group issue, but she turned against me. Then, I offered her some fruits, only for them to be thrown out.

I could not blame her for the first incident since I had chosen to keep things under wraps, but this second slight was unforgivable. Charlotte knew perfectly well that I had brought those fruits, and she had heard her friend provoke me first, yet she still chose to treat me unfairly.

It would be pathetic to keep trying to please her after this, letting her treat me coldly while I remained warm and friendly. When I left, Benjamin and Liam followed me out, while Matthew stayed behind with his girlfriend-which I understood completely.noveldrama

"William!" Lina's voice suddenly called out from behind.

I had barely stopped walking when Benjamin and Liam exchanged knowing looks before quietly slipping away.

I turned to face Lina, mainly wanting to ask about Joshua, who had vanished so completely that it made me uneasy. I could not shake the feeling he was lurking somewhere, waiting to stab me in the back for revenge.

"William, don't be mad at Charlotte. She's just extremely loyal to her friends. She's not targeting you because of your family background-it's because she thinks you wronged me."

I sighed in frustration. "Everyone keeps telling me not to be mad at her, but has anyone considered how I feel? Am I not human too? Should I just accept being insulted for no reason?"

"That's not what I meant..." Lina trailed off. She hesitated before looking up at me with what seemed like sincere concern.

She continued, "William, now that Joshua's gone, we could have a fresh start. Why do you keep up with these bad habits? Was that expensive box of fruits really necessary?"

I stared at her, confused. "What do you mean 'necessary'?"

Lina continued with her condescending tone, "Did you really need to spend that much just to show off? Your parents run a small fruit stand and work so hard for their money, yet here you are, blowing it all just to look wealthy. How can that possibly make you happy?"

I could not help but laugh at her words. The irony was just too much.

"Lina, if you really cared about me, you should return all the designer jewelry, clothes, shoes, and bags I bought you. Instead, you stayed quiet when I gave you gifts but now want to act all righteous when I give them to someone else," I retorted.

When we were dating, she always assumed I was pretending to be rich. Even so, she had no problem accepting expensive gifts without ever suggesting I save money. I might have fallen for her act in the past, but thanks to her, I had wisened up and could see right through her manipulation.

My words clearly struck a nerve. Yet, instead of lashing out as most would, Lina put on that familiar wounded expression I had seen hundreds of times before— pale face and teary eyes, looking helpless and fragile.

"William, you're so mean! All the girls in our dorm hate you, and I'm the only one defending you. Yet here you are, attacking me when I'm trying to help. No wonder everyone looks down on you-you deserve it!"