Chapter 3
Evelyn paused to think, then took out a box from her bag. When she opened it, a gemstone necklace sparkled vividly under the lights, drawing everyone's attention.
"Make sure you get a good price," she said.
The two guys took the necklace, ignored her, and just left.
I quickly ducked to the side to avoid being seen.
A minute later, Evelyn stormed off, cursing under her breath.
After she was gone, my mind was still stuck on that necklace.
I'd dreamed of owning it. It was crafted by a well-known artisan, rare and painfully expensive.
I could never afford it.
Back when I saw it in the display case, Charles had been standing right beside me, stone-faced, eyes fixed on me the whole time.
I didn't even notice. I was too busy imagining my future—getting into a top school abroad, landing a high-paying job, and buying that necklace for myself on my twenty-fifth birthday as a reward for all my work.
After that day, Charles didn't contact me for a long time. Not until I went looking for him.
He was chatting with a few friends.
When they mentioned me, one of them sneered, "That girl? Besides burying her head in books, she's useless. You still haven't dumped her? Don't tell me you actually wanna marry her. You can't be that bored."
He just kept quiet.
Another guy laughed. "Come on, man. You spent two years proving she's a gold-digger. Now she's not digging you and you're still sulking?"
Charles bristled. "I thought she was simple. Two years, and she still slipped. Two weeks ago she dragged me to look at a jewel necklace. She could never afford something like that.
"She only brought me there to make me pay. I just didn't give her what she wanted."
Everyone cheered at that. "See? We told you she was money-hungry. Good thing you didn't fall for it."
A girl who'd been quiet the whole time finally spoke up. "The necklace you're talking about… was it made by someone called Master K? She's loved that piece for years.
"Since middle school, I think. Every birthday wish she's ever made was the same: that by the time she turns twenty-five, she'll buy it with her own money."
Silence fell.
Someone scoffed just to break the tension. "How would you know all that? You know her?"
The girl nodded. "She was famous in school. Straight-A student. I lived in the rich neighborhood; she lived in the old run-down buildings.
"Still, every year, parents in my neighborhood begged her to tutor their kids. She never hid her ambition. She's a really good girl."
After she finished, nobody said a word for a long time.
Eventually they forced a subject change just to escape the embarrassment.
Before the girl left, she turned to Charles. "The way you acted like you knew everything was honestly disgusting. She can't buy that necklace now. But she'll be able to by twenty-five. And she definitely won't need you for it."
Charles couldn't even lift his head.
After that day, I planned to break up with him. But Charles's face was exactly my type, and later he apologized sincerely, so the whole thing faded away.
As the memory faded, tears welled up in my eyes.
Turned out, some people could just effortlessly have the things others spent years chasing after, without even lifting a finger.
The next day, Charles showed up with a bouquet.
.
"I texted you the other day and you didn't answer. Busy job-hunting? If it's not working out, I can get my dad to set you up somewhere. Or you can just marry me and be a full-time wife," he said, grinning.
He said it with a big goofy grin, like he'd just offered me the world.
Until he saw my cold expression.