Chapter 1
I suddenly gained the ability to see everyone's true identity.
Above my best friend's rich boyfriend floated the words: [Married Man in Debt for Millions].
But above my so-called "deadbeat" boyfriend was: [Lost Heir of the Richest Family].
Just then, my best friend started urging me to break up with him.
She said, "It's better to be the mistress of a rich man than marry a poor one.
"Good looks don't put food on the table.
"Your boyfriend wouldn't afford a single toilet in my husband's house even if he worked his whole life."
*****
In a swanky restaurant decked out in luxury, my bestie's boyfriend, Ryan Brooks, was casually flipping through the menu like he owned the place.
"Let's get two orders of the M9 Wagyu Wellington. The meat's super tender," he said.
He added, "And two of the grilled foie gras with sea urchin and caviar, please.
"The charcoal-grilled lobster is pretty huge, so one should be enough."
With every dish Ryan ordered, Luke and I just looked more and more uncomfortable.
I kept my head down, staring at the menu, sweat breaking out all over my back.
The steak was 488 dollars a plate, and the foie gras was 298.
But the most outrageous one was the blue lobster. Just one grilled lobster set us back 988 dollars.
And that wasn't even counting the appetizers, salads, and desserts piling onto the bill.
This dinner was probably going to set us back over ten thousand dollars.
And tonight, we were the ones stuck with the bill.
Ryan was the guy my best friend just started dating.
She'd barely been with him for a minute before she was dragging me out for a double date, totally hyped about it.
Last week, Ryan treated us.
Right when the bill came, Ryan got a call from a big client.
He dashed outside to take it, so she had to cover the bill herself.
And she even paid with my cash coupon.
My company had a deal with the restaurant, so they handed out some gift certificates.
We could use one every time we ate there.
I remember it perfectly. After using the coupon, the bill was just 120 dollars.
Luke was the kind of guy who never let a favor go unpaid.
Since my bestie, Wendy Carter, picked up the tab last time, it was our turn to treat them, no question.
When Wendy and I offered to treat, Ryan just waved it off with a grin.
"Come on, we're all friends here, so no need to be so formal," he said.
After that, he just picked up his phone and booked this place.
What did he say again?
"No need to go all out. Just a casual meal is fine," he said.
So, much for his so-called "casual" meal, it was about to cost me two months' worth of pay.
After Ryan finished with the food menu, he flipped right over to the wine list.
"This place has its own winery. The reds are seriously top-notch. You guys have to try them," he said.
"Let's go with the Grenache. It's got a rich fruitiness and a crisp oak finish," he added.
Under the table, Luke gripped my hand tightly, sending a silent message.
My heart skipped a beat, hard.
That bottle of wine? 10,888 dollars.
Luke and I were just out of college this year.
We'd both landed jobs at pretty good companies, but we were still just interns.
My salary was 2,600 dollars a month, and his was 2,300.
We were both kids from a poor county.
We'd fought tooth and nail, studying like crazy just to claw our way into this big city.
The cost of living here was insane.
And the pressure we were under? Sometimes it felt like it was crushing us.
My mom's health was bad, so every month I had to send half my paycheck just to pay for her meds.
Luke's salary had to cover rent, food, and all our daily expenses for both of us.
After six months of busting our asses and scrimping on everything, we'd barely managed to save a little over 10,000 dollars.
But turns out, even 10,000 dollars wasn't enough to buy a single bottle of wine in a rich people's restaurant like this.
Just wine and food together would cost at least 15,000 dollars, minimum.
Was I supposed to max out my credit cards or take out an online loan just to pay for dinner?
Wendy was leaning happily against Ryan's shoulder, her face glowing with joy.
"Ryan, how do you know so much?" she gushed.
"Thanks for giving us a taste of high life.
"If it weren't for you, I would never have dared to set foot in a place this fancy in my whole life."
I was caught in a battle between my mind and my heart.
Logically, I knew I shouldn't put on a show and foot the bill for a dinner that would wipe out our savings.
But emotionally, I just couldn't bring myself to let Wendy lose face.
While I was still freaking out inside, the waiter started to gather up the menus, ready to leave.
Suddenly, Luke looked up and called out to him.
"Sorry, we'll pass on all the dishes we just ordered," he said.
Luke said, "I actually bought a group-buy set online. Just serve us the set meal from that deal, please."
I let out a huge sigh of relief, giving Luke a mental thumbs up.
He'd just said what I'd been dying to say but was too embarrassed to say out loud.
But my best friend's expression changed in an instant.
She shot up from her seat, her voice suddenly sharp and piercing.
"Luke, what's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
"Ryan's only having dinner with you guys because of me.
"You won't even let him order anything? Are you just trying to make me look bad?"
Then she whipped around and shot me a glare.
"Claire, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop dumpster diving for boyfriends," she snapped.
Everyone around started looking our way.
Man, the whole vibe was painfully awkward.
It was so awkward. I swear I almost started hallucinating.
Holy crap.
Why is there a glowing line of text floating above everyone's head?
I rubbed my eyes, convinced I was just seeing things.
But nope. The words were still there, and they were even bigger and brighter.
Ryan gently held her back, giving her shoulder a light, comforting pat.
"Don't be mad, it's on me," he said.
"I always order these kinds of dishes. I didn't realize they'd be so expensive for them.
"Tell you what, let's skip the wine and just keep the rest of the food coming."
Wendy looked both worried and frustrated.
"That's not right," she protested.
"You always enjoy a drink after your meal.
"It's not fair to make you change your habits just because of me."
The waiter stood there clutching the menu, looking torn. He clearly had no clue whose instructions to follow.
Luke passed his phone to the waiter.
"I'm the one paying, so just follow my instructions," he said.
"Just serve us the set meal from the group-buy, and take the coupon to verify."
Wendy jumped up from her seat, totally pissed off.
"Who the hell wants to eat some bargain-bin group deal?" she snapped.
"I can't stand you, you broke loser.
"Ryan, let's go."
But honestly, that so-called discount set wasn't even cheap.
It cost 422 dollars. That was what Luke and I spent on groceries for an entire month.