Riches in Disguise

Felicia was on the verge of tears as she muttered, "William, please stop. You don't need to do this."

I smiled reassuringly at her, carefully sliding her foot into one of the heels. "You don't have to be afraid. There's no need for formalities between us. Besides, your socks may be worn out, but they don't smell at all."

After securing the shoes on her feet, I stood up and casually tossed the phone back to Lina.

Lina's face darkened as she glared at me with a look that carried a hint of hurt. "William, are you two seeing each other?"

I didn't answer her as I kept my focus on Felicia's feet. They looked even more beautiful in the white high heels.

"A broke guy and a loser sure make a fitting pair! Felicia, you really do love picking up trash, huh?

"Back in the dorm, you always ate my leftovers, and now you've even picked up the boyfriend I dumped. Don't you have any self-respect?"

Felicia's face turned beet red. "Lina, stop it! William isn't trash, and we are not in that kind of relationship."

"Aren't you overreacting then? If you weren't feeling guilty, you wouldn't be so defensive. It's disgusting that you're trying to steal my man!"

Lina glared at Felicia, but with her naturally cute features, even her anger looked somewhat adorable.

After berating Felicia, she turned to glare at me. "Didn't you already spend the money you got? Where did you suddenly get the money to buy clothes here?"noveldrama

"And how is that any of your business?" I replied, fed up with her chattering.

I turned to the saleswoman. "Reserve this dress, and help her choose another one."

"Wait a second!" Lina abruptly said when she noticed the saleswoman was about to leave. She pointed at the sky-blue dress Felicia was wearing. "I want that dress."

The saleswoman froze for a moment. "I'm sorry, but this is the last one in stock. Would you like to see other similar styles?"

Lina raised an eyebrow. "No. I want that exact one, and I'm willing to pay double."

"Well..." The saleswoman glanced at me for guidance, clearly unsure how to proceed.

I couldn't help but feel exasperated. Lina was being downright malicious right now.

I shuddered at the thought of how much worse Lina's bullying would have gotten if I hadn't come with Felicia.

"Ignore her. This dress is mine," I said to the saleswoman, who immediately

hurried over to the register to finalize the purchase without sparing Lina a second glance.

Lina, livid from being disregarded even after offering double, flushed with anger. She turned her fury toward me.

"William, how could you stand up for her in front of me? I'm your ex-girlfriend!"

I almost laughed out loud hearing that. "So you do know that you're just my ex. We have nothing to do with each other anymore, so stop pretending like we do.

"Go do whatever you need to do. Felicia, don't worry about her. Keep picking out dresses."

"Oh, okay." Felicia nodded before turning to glance at Lina, her eyes revealing a hint of triumph.

That was expected. She had been picked on by Lina and her clique in the dorm for so long, so it must have felt really good to finally have the upper hand over the latter.

I didn't see her as smug. I merely thought it was endearing that she was straightforward and honest. If anything, I wanted her to feel even more confident and happy.

Lina, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She had always overshadowed Felicia in the dorm and at university. Yet, she was now being bested by the very person she once looked down on.

To add insult to injury, her ex-boyfriend-who she had ruthlessly betrayed and discarded-had humiliated her. She must be feeling quite miserable inside.

However, since she was used to playing the role of the pretentious and innocent young lady, she still wore a sad and aggrieved expression on her face, no matter how much hatred she felt internally.