Chapter 4
Nathan looked utterly mortified. He never imagined that one day he'd be forced to go jogging in the morning.
The next morning, at 6:59 AM, I headed downstairs in my workout gear.
Nathan was already waiting at the door, scowling like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Seeing his face, a face worth billions, but totally ruined by his morning grumpiness, I couldn't help but feel a little smug.
I smiled. "Let's go, my dear."
Nathan staggered, almost losing his balance.
For the next few days, I was totally committed to playing the overbearing mom.
I dragged him out for morning jogs, watched over his meals, and snatched his phone away at 10 PM sharp so he'd have to sleep.
Nathan went from fighting back with everything he had to just numbly accepting his fate, radiating pure 'I've got nothing left to live for' vibes.
Meanwhile, Ramona was busy trying to drive a wedge between us. She kept asking Nathan out, always using work as an excuse.
At the café, she leaned in and said, all meaningful, "Nathan, Rachelle's only doing this for her system mission. She doesn't give a damn about you. It's all about the mission rewards for her."
She gave him those puppy-dog eyes at dinner and said, "I know you're working so hard. If it were me, I'd never have the heart to push you like that."
Every single word got beamed straight to my system panel, courtesy of her 'Seduction' system.
Seriously? Trying to come between us? That was rookie level stuff.
Not even a little bit worried. Because if there was one thing I knew, it was that Nathan sees through everything.
He might hate me bossing him around, but he absolutely couldn't stand Ramona's phony concern.
Sure enough, that afternoon, while I was at home experimenting with a new healthy soup recipe, I got a message from Nathan.
It was a voice recording. It was a conversation between Ramona and him.
Ramona: "Nathan, are you really okay with Rachelle treating you like some kind of pet? She's just using you."
Nathan's voice was cold as ice. "If she's using me, at least she's honest about it. You, on the other hand, hide behind 'love', but everything you do is just manipulation.
"Ramona, drop the act. I'm not interested."
And that was the end of the recording.
I raised an eyebrow and shot him back a single word, feeling pretty pleased with myself. [Good boy.]
Nathan replied almost instantly, [……]
I could practically see his face through the screen, annoyed and resigned all at once.
Just as I was about to put my phone down, Ramona called again.
This time, her voice was tinged with hysteria. "Rachelle! What kind of magic potion did you feed him? I..."
I cut her off. "My son's about to take a nap. Keep it down."
With that, I hung up on her.
You thought you could mess with me? Please, you were not even in my league.
That evening, Nathan actually made it home on time for once. He slipped off his suit, still carrying a bit of the chill from outside.
He walked over to me, hesitated for a second, then finally spoke up. "Today..."
"Yeah, I heard." I nodded.
Nathan seemed to let out a breath, but his face was still a little uneasy.
"It's not for you," he insisted. "I just... can't stand her."
"Yeah, I know," I said, handing him a bowl of freshly made chicken soup. "Drink up. Good for your brain."
He stared at the bowl of soup like he was about to face the firing squad.
Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a bank notification.
One of my old backup cards, one I hadn't touched in forever, had just been charged for a seven-figure amount at some high-end boutique.
And guess who the cardholder was? Ramona. I'd given it to her back when we were still best friends.
I looked at the transaction record and couldn't help but smile.
Ramona wasted no time showing off her new haul on her social media.
She posted a pic of the latest limited-edition bag with the caption: [Thanks, baby. You're the best.]
A bunch of our mutual friends started liking and commenting right away.
"Wow, Ramona, did Mr. Richmond buy you that? So jealous."
"Are you two about to make it official?"
Ramona didn't answer and replied with a bashful emoji.
Was she seriously flexing on me with my own money? Showing off her love life right in my face?
I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous she was.
Instead of getting into it with her in the comments, I just pulled out my phone and called the bank's VIP customer service.
"Could you freeze my backup card ending in 4289?" I asked.
The customer service rep replied respectfully, "Yes, Miss Kane, I'll take care of it right away."
After that, I just sat back and enjoyed my soup, feeling pretty pleased with myself.
The next day, the drama really kicked off.
Ramona rounded up a bunch of socialites and took them shopping at the fanciest mall in town.
She put on a big show, acting all generous. "Go wild, ladies. My treat today."
With everyone watching her with envy, she pulled out the card and handed it to the cashier. "Swipe it."
The cashier tried the card several times, then handed it back to her with an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Miss Dotson, your card has been frozen," the cashier said.
Her voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet boutique, it was crystal clear, almost painfully so.
Ramona's smile froze on her face. "No way. Try it again," she snapped.
The cashier tried again, but got the same result.
The other socialites' expressions shifted from envy to curious ridicule, some even smirking as they watched the scene unfold.
"Ramona, is this card fake or something?" one of them teased.