My boyfriend was sitting next to me while I got my nails done. I asked for the $20 basic manicure, but the technician "accidentally" covered all ten fingers in Swarovski crystals that cost $25 a pop. When I went to pay, she told me I owed the difference: $800. I was about to argue when glowing text suddenly floated across my vision like a Twitch live stream: [OMG, Lila is so smart! The villainess is too embarrassed to make a scene in front of the male lead. She'll just pay up.] [Carter is totally going to fall for Lila's gritty, survivalist vibe!] [That stupid side character has no idea. Lila is going to spend her money, sleep with her man, and even raise her kids!] Chapter 1 Lila held up the card reader, a smug look on her face, waiting for me to tap my card. The floating comments kept scrolling: [Lila is a genius! Now her tuition for next semester is covered.] [Poor Lila. Her dad is a gambler and she's broke. She has to skip class to work. If only she met Carter sooner!] [Does anyone else think this is kind of... illegal? If that happened to me, I wouldn't pay.] [Yeah, isn't this basically fraud?] Seeing I hadn't moved, Lila raised her voice. "What? Are you trying to dine and dash on a service?" It was rush hour at the mall. People started staring, whispering. They clearly thought I was some entitled Karen trying to stiff a worker. I ignored the stares and said calmly, "Since you applied the wrong product, just take them off one by one and put on the basic rhinestones I asked for." I sat back down and extended my hand. earlier, when she was trimming my cuticles, she nipped my skin. I was bleeding, and she didn't even apologize—she just rolled her eyes and said I was moving too much. I thought she was just a stressed college student trying to make ends meet. My patience, it turned out, was just an opportunity for her to scam me. "We're out of the cheap ones," Lila said, crossing her arms. "Look at you. Your bag is worth like two grand. This $800 is nothing to you, but for people like me, it's life-saving money." The text stream accelerated: [Exactly! Just pay up, you rich witch. Don't stop Lila from securing the bag!] [Boohoo, Lila is so tragic. I want to donate to her GoFundMe.] [Carter needs to step in so the villainess pays up immediately!] [Am I the only one who thinks the heroine is gaslighting her?] Bystanders started chiming in. "Just pay the difference, miss. It's already on your hands." "Yeah, look at her. She spent two hours gluing those tiny diamonds on. Give the girl a break." Emboldened by the crowd, Lila threw shade. "You're just trying to get free stuff. These crystals are obviously real. You didn't stop me, so that means you agreed to the upgrade." I checked the time. My evening lab session was starting soon. "Fine," I said, my voice ice cold. "Remove them. All of them. I'm not paying for the diamonds." "Sure. removal fee plus lost wages comes to $400. Venmo or cash," she said, thrusting the QR code in my face again. Chapter 2 I almost laughed out of sheer disbelief. Lost wages? I was the one who sat here for two hours getting my fingers butchered and scammed. Just as I was about to explode, a familiar voice came from behind me. "Harper? Are you done? I'm here to pick you up for dinner." The floating text became so dense it almost blocked my vision. [AHHH! The Male Lead is here!] [Lila's savior has arrived!!!] [Let's see the villainess argue now. She better pay up. Lila's time is worth way more than $400!] Carter Sterling walked up to me, sensing the tension. "Harper, what's going on?" Lila beat me to it. "Sir, your girlfriend got a full set and is refusing to pay. Her purse costs more than my tuition. Please, just have a heart and settle the bill." She bit her lip, forcing a few crocodile tears to roll down her cheeks. The "good Samaritans" around us sighed. "Kids these days. So rich but so stingy. Just pay it, man. It's charity at this point." Charity and extortion are two different things. I have money, but I'm not an ATM. And I'm definitely not paying a scammer because she's crying. Carter put a hand on my shoulder. "Harper, it's getting late. Let's just let it go." "Can I pay you back later?" he asked me, lowering his voice. "She worked hard for two hours. Everyone is struggling. Take the high road." The text stream went wild. They were calling me a toxic villainess and praising Carter for being a "gentle king." So, defending my rights makes me a villain? And because I'm not the "protagonist," I have to be a doormat? Lila wiped her tears. "Sir, you really understand the struggle of the working class. How about this? If your girlfriend buys a $2,000 gift card today, I'll comp the diamonds. And she gets 20% off future visits." "It's a steal. I'm doing this behind my boss's back to help you out. Hurry, before she comes back." She shoved the card reader at me for the third time. I scoffed and slapped it out of her hand. Clatter. "You're out of your mind," I said. "Since we can't communicate, I'm calling the police. Let's see if they call it 'charity' or 'theft'." I pulled out my phone. Carter grabbed my wrist, hissing, "Harper, don't be dramatic. It's on the price list. You should just pay." The moment I mentioned the cops, Lila wilted. She looked at Carter with big, wet puppy eyes. "Sir... I'm just a student working part-time. My dad is sick in the hospital waiting for surgery money. Why does your girlfriend want to destroy me?" She tugged gently on Carter's sleeve. The comments erupted. [Omg Lila crying is so cute and sad. I love her.] [If I were Carter, I'd hug her right now.] [Carter, save her!] Carter ate it up. He pulled his arm away from me and stood tall. "Harper, if you won't pay, I will. But after this? We're done. I can't be with someone this heartless." Chapter 3 "Great. I agree. You should pay. After all, you've taken way more than $800 from me over the years." I shoved Carter away. And then I dialed 911. Both of them froze. Carter looked panicked. He realized he'd spoken too soon in the heat of the moment. His graduation thesis relied entirely on my lab data. Without me, he'd fail the year. Offending me now was career suicide. The police and the salon owner arrived at the same time. The owner was confused. She'd just stepped out for coffee. When the cops explained the situation—a technician upcharging $800 without consent—her face went pale. Her shop was next to the university. If word got out she was scamming students, her business would die. "Miss, I am so sorry," the owner said, glaring at Lila. "This is unauthorized. The manicure is free. In fact, here's a voucher for a free service by me personally. Please, let's not involve the officers further." "You need to fix your hiring process," I said coldly. "She shouldn't be working here." The owner nodded, pulled out some cash, and shoved it at Lila. "Here's your day's pay. Get out. You're fired." Lila looked furious. She opened her mouth to argue, but the officer cut her off. "Miss, if the customer presses charges for attempted fraud, that's a misdemeanor or worse depending on the amount. You want a ride to the station?" Lila shut her mouth. I accepted the owner's apology and left. I had a lab to get to. Carter, of course, stayed behind to comfort the crying scammer. The text stream scrolled by: [Okay, the villainess was actually kind of cool there.] [Right? She was a boss. Why does she have to be the blood bag for the male lead?] [The heroine is giving major Pick-Me energy.] [Carter is comforting Lila! OMG ship it!] Let them have each other. As I walked, I read the comments closely. I realized I was a "cannon fodder" character in a college romance novel. My role? To be the rich, smart girlfriend who funds Carter's life and does his homework, only to be dumped once he becomes successful. He would use my data to publish a top-tier paper, become a star, and I would go blind from overwork before thirty. He’d let his kids call Lila "Mom." Not in this timeline.
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