Chapter 2

I walked up to Lily, and she made room for me beside Jason.

As I turned my head, I caught sight of a lipstick mark on Jason's face.

Jason seemed to notice his reflection in my eyes and instinctively reached up to touch it. "Must've gotten it by accident."

I didn't care. "When are you going to transfer the 100 thousand dollars to me?"

Jason paused mid-wipe. "So, you're here for the money?"

I gave a soft mhm.

"You'll have to wait a bit longer." Jason reached out, and someone immediately handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.

I dug my nails into my palm, but my voice softened. "Jason, I can't wait any longer."

He'd promised to transfer 100 thousand dollars to me once everything was settled.

Just then, Lily spoke up softly, "Iris, I know your family's having money troubles, but Jay's money is invested right now. You can't keep hitting him up for cash, especially such a big amount all at once."

As soon as she said that, everyone nearby gave me strange looks.

Jason took a drag from his cigarette, his voice flat. "Lily's brother is working on a project, and all my spending money for this month went into it."

I pushed down the quaking in my heart and compromised instead. "How about transferring it in installments?"

He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and picked up his phone. "I'll send you 30 thousand dollars first."

"Okay."

Lily was wearing a diamond bracelet worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Jason had given it to her for her birthday a few days ago.

Everyone said he spoiled her rotten. Even when they went out for a meal, the wine alone would cost that much.

But when it came to me, he wouldn't spend a penny. Even if I wanted to borrow 30 thousand dollars, he said couples shouldn't have to borrow money from each other.

He knew my mom was sick. Still, he made money the stakes, betting I'd do anything, no matter the cost. All this to clear the way for his Princess Lily.

The app's notification sound buzzed through the private room. Everyone's eyes were full of disdain, disgust, or a smug indifference.

I straightened up, my throat burning, trying to cover up the mess of my broken pride. "I-I'm heading out."

Jason's voice was flat. "I'll walk you out."

I forced a smile and was about to say no.

But Jason was already grabbing his coat and standing up. "Let's go."

The car pulled up at the school gate.

As I got out, Jason caught sight of the red mark on my neck. "What's that on your neck?" he asked.

My mind drifted to Alex biting my collarbone, and I felt my cheeks heat up. "Maybe I got bitten by a mosquito last night."

Jason rested one hand on the steering wheel. His brow had that aloof, superior vibe. "Don't you have anything to say to me?" There was a restless tension behind that icy stare.

Back then, whenever I saw he was upset, I'd bend over backwards to make him feel better. Now, even opening my mouth felt exhausting.

Finally, Jason let out a quiet sigh. "Something happened with the Evans family. I'll get you the money soon."

Without waiting for my reply, the car shot away with a roar, as though it carried Jason's fury.

That night, a video of me on Alex's lap got posted on the forum. Every private group chat exploded.

Judging by the angle, it had to be someone from Jason's circle. And the video was edited on purpose to make it look way more scandalous than it really was, which was worse than I imagined.

*****

When I went to find Jason, the door to the private room was left slightly open.

His cold voice washed over me like a cold shower, leaving me frozen inside. "Don't worry. With a scandal like this, the Shepherd family's stock is definitely gonna tank. Your Evans family can finally relax a bit."

Lily's eyes were swollen from crying. "But what if someone involved actually steps up? I... I can't help worrying."

Jason cut in, cool and decisive, "Iris isn't gonna say a word unless she gets paid. Alex can barely keep his own life together right now. No one's gonna mess with your grad school spot." He comforted Lily with forced patience. "So stop crying."

The crowd nearby was making a scene.

"So what if Jason's got a girlfriend? Nobody's gonna get between him and Princess Lily, right?"

"With Jason around, everything's smooth sailing."

One of Jason's buddies sitting next to him couldn't help but ask, "But isn't your girl gonna get pissed?"

Jason spun his lighter in his hand, looking totally chill. "She won't find out. Besides, she's always pissed at me anyway. Gotta sweet-talk her for a couple of days, and she'll come around."

"Yeah, come on, everyone knows she's head over heels for Jason," someone else chimed in.

The rich kid lounging at the end of the table snorted, "Seriously, who else could give her all this? She's some poor village girl who clawed her way out of nowhere."

The vibe in the room went ice-cold in an instant.

Jason's buddy, next to him, gave the guy a hard kick. "Watch your mouth. How could Jason's girl ever be poor?"

Jason flicked his lighter, his voice icy. "I don't want to see him here again."

Pleading voices echoed through the private room.

But deep down, I knew his brief defense was nothing more than a way to save his own face.