Chapter 2

I could feel the air in the private room turn icy.

Jessica's smile stretched from ear to ear.

"I-I really need some money. Can you lend me 3000 dollars?" I felt like I'd drained every ounce of energy just to say it.

I gripped my phone so tightly that my nails dug into my palm.

I was bracing myself for a cold rejection, or maybe just a "wrong number."

I was ready for the worst.

If worst comes to worst, I'd just slam Jessica's head into the fruit bowl right in front of everyone.

Anyway, my life was already screwed up. If I were going down, I would make sure no one got away clean.

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.

Those two seconds felt like an eternity.

Jessica was already about to laugh at me.

I even thought about just hanging up.

Just then, I heard a rustling sound on the phone, like fabric rubbing together.

Then came a soft laugh, indulgent and a bit helpless. "Three thousand is a bit low."

I froze. Everyone in the private room froze.

A bit low? What was that supposed to mean?

The next second, Frederick's words exploded in the KTV room like a bombshell.

"My spare card is in the inner pocket of your bag. The PIN is your birthday. Use it for anything.

"And... did you get enough rest? You're up awfully early after last night."

The whole room went dead silent. It was like time had stopped.

Everyone's jaws dropped, eyes practically popping out of their heads.

I was totally stunned. My mind went completely blank.

Spare card? Last night? What was all this supposed to mean?

What did I do last night?

All I remembered was, after I traveled back through time, feeling all stirred up and asking Amanda out for drinks, and then... I totally blacked out.

My hands were shaking as I instinctively reached for my bag.

And in the side pocket, I really did find a hard card tucked inside.

I pulled it out and saw a sleek, jet-black card with a metallic shine.

The infamous unlimited black card everyone talks about.

My hand went limp, and I nearly dropped the card right then and there.

Jessica's face went from smug to a weird shade, like she'd swallowed a whole paint palette. Her expression was priceless.

"No... no way! This has to be an act!" she shrieked. "Charley, did you seriously hire an actor to help you fake all this? Wow, you'll do anything for attention, huh?"

Everyone just ignored her. All eyes were locked on the black card in my hand and the phone I was still holding.

Frederick's voice came through again, a hint of concern in his tone. "Why aren't you saying anything? Are those people giving you a hard time again?

"Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

I was still reeling from the shock, but I answered almost on autopilot. "I-I'm at Nightfall, in room 302."

"Stay put. I'll be there in a minute." And then the call ended.

The room was still dead silent.

I stared dumbly at the black card in my hand, then at my phone.

So after I blacked out last night, it wasn't Amanda who brought me home?

It was Frederick?

And we... got married?

Suddenly, a vivid splash of red popped up in my hazy memories from last night.

There was a priest, and Frederick and I were saying, "I do."

Oh my god. What the hell did I do last night?

"Charley... is this... is this for real?" Amanda was the first to snap out of it.

She stammered, pointing at the black card in my hand, then at my phone. "You and Frederick... you two..."

Should I just say I don't know either?

Should I tell them I got wasted and don't remember a thing?

No one would buy that!

"It's fake. It has to be fake!" Jessica's shrill voice cut through the silence in the room again.

She stormed over and tried to snatch the black card from my hand. "Let me see! This thing's gotta be some prop you bought online."

I jerked my hand back, dodging her grab. "Jessica, are you out of your mind?"

"Me? I think you're the crazy one!" Jessica's eyes were red with anger. "Charley, you're so desperate for attention you'll do anything, even hire someone to fake this whole act! Aren't you ashamed?

"Do you even know who Frederick is? He's a billionaire CEO! You really think he'd ever look at you? What kind of fantasy are you living in?"

Her words were nasty, and everyone around started whispering and gossiping.

"Yeah, Frederick was the school heartthrob back then. All those rich, gorgeous girls chased after him, but he never even gave them a second look."

"Charley got rejected by him back in the day. Everyone in school knew about it. How could she possibly..."

"She probably just hired some guy with a similar voice to play along, just to save face at the reunion."