Chapter 1
I was a top-tier gold digger, playing the infamous side character who got cyberbullied to death.
Photos of Kyler Cole and me appeared on the campus forum.
My roommate smiled and encouraged me, "Go for it and confess. He doesn't have a girlfriend."
Comments flashed across the screen.
[Although Kyler doesn't have a girlfriend, he has a fiancée.]
[As soon as Scarlett confesses tonight, Kyler will announce Lila officially.]
I smirked, made a new account, and posted a selfie without showing my face.
I captioned it. It read, "My friend always tells me to confess to my childhood sweetheart. What should I do?"
*****
Scarlett Hale stared at her phone screen.
On the campus forum, the pinned post had blown up.
In the photo, Kyler Cole looked down, and his gaze was fixed on Scarlett.
Comments were flooding in below.
[I heard Kyler has someone he likes. Could it be her?]
[Looks like she is about to marry into a wealthy family.]
[She's just a poor student. Does she even deserve Kyler?]
[Don't be jealous. She looks good.]
Lila Reed sat on the bed across from Scarlett and swung her legs.
"Scarlett, just go for it and confess. Kyler doesn't have a girlfriend," she said.
A stream of translucent comments floated across Scarlett's phone screen.
[Although Kyler doesn't have a girlfriend, he has a fiancée.]
[Lila is so nice. She knew Scarlett was crushing on Kyler, so she kept her engagement a secret.]
[Scarlett should stop fooling herself. Kyler only has eyes for Lila.]
[As soon as Scarlett confesses tonight, Kyler will announce Lila officially.]
Scarlett put away her phone.
She was the ultimate gold digger and ruled the circles of the wealthy before.
Now, she found herself inside this story, playing the infamous side character who got cyberbullied to death.
Scarlett looked at Lila, who was still smiling.
Lila said, "Scarlett, tonight's Kyler's birthday party. It's the best chance for you."
Scarlett nodded and replied, "Alright."
She turned away, unlocked her phone, and registered a new account.
She snapped a selfie without showing her face. The dorm balcony was in the background.
She captioned it. It read, "My friend always tells me to confess to my childhood sweetheart. What should I do?"
Then she hit send.
Lila's phone dinged. She looked at her phone, and then her face fell.
"Scarlett, hurry up and see the new post on the forum," Lila called out.
Scarlett didn't even look up and asked, "What post?"
Lila handed her phone over and asked, "Look at the background of this photo, is it the balcony of our dorm?"
Scarlett glanced at it and replied, "Yeah."
Lila stood up and asked, "Did you post this?"
Scarlett smiled and replied, "What did I post? I don't even have an account."
Lila shot Scarlett a suspicious look.
Scarlett picked up a comb, brushing her hair and asking, "Lila, who's your childhood sweetheart?"
Lila's eyes darted nervously as she muttered, "I don't have."
Scarlett put the comb down and said, "Really? I saw a post on the forum saying Kyler has a childhood sweetheart who's also his fiancée."
Lila's phone slipped from her hand and landed on the bed.
"Who's spreading that nonsense?" she snapped.
Scarlett stood up and walked to Lila, asking, "Lila, why are you so nervous?"
Lila took a step back and said, "I'm not nervous."
Scarlett gave Lila's shoulder a reassuring pat and said, "For tonight's party, make sure you dress up nice."
After saying that, Scarlett turned and walked out of the dorm.
Lila stood there, watching Scarlett walk away.
Live comments came out again.
[When did Scarlett get so clever?]
[What did she mean by that just now?]
[Wait, does she know Lila is the fiancée?]
Scarlett walked downstairs. A black Maybach was parked right outside the dorm building.
The window rolled down. Damien Voss sat in the back seat. He was Kyler's uncle and also the real big shot in the capital's elite circles.
Scarlett walked over and tapped on the window.
Damien turned to look at her and said, "Get in."
Scarlett opened the car door, slid inside, and asked, "Damien, what brings you here?"
Damien handed her a document and asked, "Are you going to Kyler's birthday party tonight?"
Scarlett opened it and replied, "Sure, why wouldn't I?"
Damien lit a cigarette and said, "He's going to announce his engagement."
Scarlett closed the document and replied, "I know."
Damien blew out a smoke ring and asked, "What do you need me to do?"
Scarlett looked into Damien's eyes and said, "Lend me a dress. And I'll need your car, too."
Damien raised his eyebrows and asked, "That's all?"
Scarlett nodded and replied, "Yes."
Damien started the car and said, "Alright."
The car drove out of the campus.
Scarlett leaned against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.
The first rule of being a gold digger was never to spend your own money buying your outfit.
Damien took Scarlett to a designer dress shop.
An attendant came over to greet them. "Mr. Voss, Miss Hale," she said.
Damien sat on the sofa and said, "Help her pick out a dress."
The attendant took Scarlett into the fitting room.
Scarlett picked up a sleek black backless evening dress, slipped it on, and walked out.
Damien glanced up, his gaze lingering for a moment.
The ash from his cigarette fell onto his pants.
He brushed it off and said, "That's the one."
Scarlett walked to the mirror. The dress showcased her figure perfectly.
No unnecessary adornments, but it commanded the attention of everyone around.