Chapter 3
My eyes sparkled with excitement."Go big or go home. Remember to take a screenshot as proof."
Jonah texted Tabitha, made the "accidentally wrong" transfer, then sent the screenshot to her.
When I got the message confirming I'd received a transfer, my heart nearly stopped.
Jonah's face lit up with joy.
"Tabitha actually replied to me," Jonah exclaimed. "She sent a question mark."
I couldn't hide my satisfaction, but said casually, "Mr. Callahan, congrats. You've officially started to win her over."
Maybe he finally recognized me as his strategist, Jonah started bringing me to all sorts of parties and social gatherings.
The media went wild, reporting on us nonstop.
[Shock! Business prodigy knocked off his pedestal, all thanks to her.]
[Business tycoon rumored to have a new flame. Battons' daughter loses her man.]
At first, Jonah was a bit uneasy about all the media buzz.
"Miss Spates, do you think I should get those hot topics removed? I'm worried Tabitha might misunderstand," he said.
I flashed a smile. "Mr. Callahan, has Miss Batton been reaching out to you more these days?" I asked.
He paused, then gave a reluctant nod.
I asked again, "Back then, Miss Batton barely gave you the time of day, right? But now she's constantly blowing up your phone."
Jonah had a total lightbulb moment.
"So this is what they mean by playing hard to get, huh?" he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Miss Spates, your salary just doubled."
"Sure," I said, unfazed, obsessed with lucky draws.
While I was hanging out with Jonah in all those elite circles, I shamelessly crashed their group chats.
These big shots were surprisingly down-to-earth.
Whenever their business empire grew, even just a bit, they'd celebrate by creating lucky draws.
Each lucky draw was worth tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes even more.
I was pocketing at least 12 thousand dollars a day just by winning lucky draws.
That mere 60 thousand dollars a month salary didn't even excite me anymore.
Words flew past before me, green with envy.
[The world has gone totally upside down. The female lead is pulling her hair out over money, while Brenda, the random character, is pocketing 12 grand a day and just got her salary doubled.]
[Brenda, quit with the lucky draw. Do you know what you're doing? Hand over the group invite and let me take a shot!]
[I'm dying here. I'm stuck in the work grind, my life is bitter, and the money I make is nothing compared to Brenda's.]
My hand was cramping from all the tapping.
"Mr. Callahan, can I take a day off? My hand's so sore lately," I said.
He nodded.
"Go ahead, take a break. I've got an auction tonight anyway, so I won't be taking you along," he said.
Words exploded with excitement.
[Wait, isn't Tabitha's grandfather, Raul Batton's birthday coming up according to the original storyline?]
[That's right. There's a landscape painting at the auction that Raul absolutely loves. Tabitha uses that painting to cement her place.]
[Things are heating up. This is a major climax. Jonah pulls out all the stops for Tabitha, nearly empties out the whole auction, and then lays all the treasures at her feet.]
My face suddenly turned serious. "Mr. Callahan, with all the chances you've given me, how could I ever let you down? Your kindness is worth more than anything.
"A sore hand? That's nothing compared to your trust in me.
"No way I'm missing that auction. I have to be there."
I got roasted by the words appearing before me.
[Girl, you're so greedy, you're drooling.]
*****
At the auction, Jonah and I sat in the VIP box.
He was fixed on one direction, his brows furrowed.
I followed his gaze and spotted a man and a woman leaning in close, locked in a private conversation.
"Mr. Callahan, who's that guy hanging out with Miss Batton?" I couldn't help but ask.
Jonah's eyes narrowed. "That's Malcolm Rosemond, Tabitha's childhood friend."
Out of habit, I read the words that appeared before me.
[Finally, the second lead makes his entrance. He's basically the female lead's right-hand man.]
[For real, Malcolm's a total powerhouse. Without him, Tabitha would've had a way tougher time snagging Jonah's inheritance later on.]
[Not gonna lie, I totally ship these two. Childhood friends, plus Malcolm's a straight-A student, campus heartthrob, and a future business mogul.]
I shot a glance at Jonah, who looked seriously pissed. "Mr. Callahan, let's steal the spotlight and get all the items. We'll show that pretty boy who's boss tonight."
Words flew by, going wild.
[Brenda, wipe your mouth. You always so smart.]
I wiped my mouth like a good girl, giving Jonah my most earnest look. "Mr. Callahan, don't chicken out. Just go for it.
"When it comes to cash, even ten Malcolms couldn't compete with you."
Jonah nodded with composure. "Alright, let's sweep everything up."
We got the whole auction in an uproar.
As expected, Jonah swept up every single item.
The hostess shot him a flirty look. "Mr. Callahan, would you like to pay in cash or by card?" she asked.
Jonah tossed his card to me. "Miss Spates, swipe it," he said.
My heart was pounding as I took the card and swiped it through the machine.
When I saw all those zeros pop up on the screen, I felt a kind of satisfaction I couldn't even describe.
I'd never see numbers like that in my own account, not in a million years.
But now, it was me, personally swiping that card.
So this was what it felt like to burn through cash like a big shot?
I loved it.
Just then, a voice sounded, "Jonah!"
Someone was striding toward the VIP box from outside.