Chapter 1

I cut off my campus heartthrob ex-boyfriend's credit card.

He thought I would cry my eyes out after he dumped me.

What a joke.

I turned to look at his roommate, who was always lazing around.

"Hey, handsome," I said. "Want to date me and piss off your former roommate?"

*****

"Laura, we're not right for each other," Josh Saunders declared.

It was the busiest time in the cafeteria, packed and noisy. Josh, the most popular guy on campus and my boyfriend for three months, stood there with his tray, acting all superior as he made his announcement.

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone nearby was listening in, catching every word.

I was chewing on a burger when I heard him. I looked up mid-bite.

Standing next to him was Bianca Thorne, the queen bee of our major. She was pretending to be concerned, but I could see the glee in her eyes. In a soft, delicate voice, she said, "Josh, don't be like that. Laura will be upset."

Josh frowned, his voice dripping with condescending pity. "Laura, I'm not asking. Your world is way too small. All you do is revolve around me.

"I need someone who can stand by my side and see the world with me, not some clingy gold digger who spends my money.

"I'm about to compete in an international business competition, and Bianca is my partner. We've got bigger and better things waiting for us. You're just not on my level anymore."

The gossip around us buzzed like a swarm of flies.

"See? I told you. Laura's just a broke girl with nothing but her looks. There's no way she could ever last with Josh."

"How much does Josh spend on her every month? Now she's back to being nobody."

"Bianca and Josh really are a power couple. Both are rich and ambitious. They're totally made for each other."

I calmly swallowed my bite, grabbed a napkin, and wiped my mouth.

Broke girl?

A gold digger who spent his money?

I looked at Josh's smug, handsome face and suddenly found it kind of funny.

Just to get a taste of a regular college romance, I kept my real identity hidden, toned down everything, and wore ten-dollar white tees every day. I'd hit the cafeteria with Josh, making sure he didn't have to spend much on me.

I still remembered that patronizing look on his face when he handed me his secondary credit card, like he was some kind of hero for "taking care of me."

But what he didn't know was that the limit on that card was barely a drop in the bucket compared to what my dad gave me for pocket money.

And honestly, I never even used it once.

He had no clue that his precious Saunders Group was nothing but a toddler compared to my family's Swan Group.

I looked at him, calm as ever, and asked, "Done?"

Josh was clearly thrown off by how unfazed I was. He paused for a second, then put on that arrogant act again. "Yeah, I'm done. Keep the card. Consider it your breakup gift."

With that, he turned around with a flourish, and Bianca hurried after him, shooting me a smug, victorious smile over her shoulder.

Watching their compatible backs walk away, I felt a wave of disgust rise up inside me.

I was seriously tempted to throw the burger in Josh's smug face.

But I kept my cool.

Getting pissed at a moron like him? So not worth it.

I took out my phone and dialed my assistant.

"Charles," I said.

Charles Watson's voice came through, respectful and efficient. "Ms. Swan, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to take care of two things," I said, my voice cold as ice. "First, shut down Josh's secondary credit card, the one ending in 8888.

"Second, send me detailed profiles of all his roommates within three minutes. Text them to my phone, and make sure you don't miss anything."

"Got it, Ms. Swan," Charles replied.

After hanging up, I glanced at my barely touched food and suddenly lost my appetite.

Did Josh really think I'd fall apart without him?

Did he think I was just a sad nobody without him?

Fine. Not only would I be perfectly fine, but I would become someone he could never even hope to reach.

I would find a guy who was hotter, richer, and a hundred times more badass than him.

Then I'd rub it in his face every single day.

I'd make him regret ever dumping me, make him so jealous he couldn't stand it, and show him just how ridiculous his decision to dump me was.

My phone dinged. Charles had already pinged me the email.

He was as efficient as always.

I opened the email, and there were the profiles of Josh's three roommates, laid out nice and clear.

The first one was from a regular family, a total brainiac. He was not my type, so I skipped him.

The second was from a well-off family, super social, but still not what I was looking for. I passed on him.

Then there was the third one.

I looked at the name and photo on my screen, and I couldn't help but smile.

In the photo, Devin Ledford was leaning against the dorm window, sunlight spilling over his soft hair.

His features were sharp and clean-cut, with a well-defined nose and thin lips, radiating a cool, aloof vibe that warned strangers to keep their distance.

He was wearing a plain white T-shirt, but somehow, he made it look like designer wear.

The profile said his family background was unknown. At school, he slept through class, vanished after, had average grades, and was barely noticeable. His only hobbies seemed to be working out and lying around.

But at the end, Charles had added a note in red.

It read: [The sole heir to the Ledford Group, currently in his "lying low" phase and coasting through life. Word is, his grandfather, Albert Ledford, spoils him rotten.

[Devin's wealth is impossible to estimate. He keeps an extremely low profile and no one at school knows his true identity except maybe the principal.]

The Ledford Group was the kind of powerhouse that could make the entire business world tremble with a move.

I looked at Devin's cold and aloof face and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He was the one.

Josh's roommate, the one who he always looked down on and was always lazing around, would soon be my new boyfriend.