I’d just hit the jackpot, winning a whopping fifty million dollars on the lottery, and I immediately called my boyfriend to share the unbelievable news. But the first thing he did was roar, “I’m swamped with work, I don’t have time for your pointless chatter! Unless you’re dead, don’t ever call me again!” The line went dead. I sighed, resigned, planning to deliver my last food order before claiming my prize. When I knocked on Room 301 at the hotel, the door opened to reveal my boyfriend, John Miller, who was supposed to be out of town on a business trip. John was wearing nothing but a bath towel around his waist, and behind him stood my best friend, Sarah Jensen, similarly wrapped in a towel. John and I stared at each other, eyes wide, for a full minute. “What are you doing here?!” “That’s what I should be asking you, isn’t it? Weren’t you supposed to be out of town on a business trip? Too busy to even pick up my calls, yet you’re here, playing cards with her?” John roughly yanked me into the room, then slammed the door shut. “Don’t yell out there, aren’t you ashamed?” My eyes blazed red with fury. “You should be ashamed! You two were cheating on me!” Sarah, still draped over John’s shoulder, drawled, “Don’t use such harsh words. I’m John’s real girlfriend. We’ve been together for over seven years.” So, I was the other woman. “You’re despicable!” I raised my hand to slap John, but he caught my wrist. “Natalie Sinclair, that’s enough! I never even liked you. Sarah was the one who encouraged me to be with you. Otherwise, do you honestly think I’d have stayed with you this long?!” Tears streamed down my face as I screamed at them, “Why?!” “For your money, of course, you idiot! You didn’t even go to college. You started delivering food right after high school, just to earn a few extra bucks to support John.” “You spent all your money on John. And when John took me on dates and bought me gifts, he was spending your money. I should actually thank you. Without you, what would John and I have spent?” I trembled with rage. “You’re utterly shameless! I’ll fight you both!” I lunged, grabbing Sarah by the hair, and we collapsed into a furious tangle. “Natalie, you’re pushing your luck! Let go of Sarah!” John, with surprising force, tore me away and landed a punch square on my face. I was stunned. Sarah seized the opportunity, lunging forward, pulling my hair and clawing at my face, cursing a blue streak. I was pinned to the ground, beaten by both of them. John showed no mercy, his punches landing with chilling force. All I could do was cry out in pain. I thought of all the years I’d spent with him. What an utterly pathetic joke it had all been. John and I both came from humble backgrounds. I was an orphan, and his elderly parents were struggling farmers with poor health. We had both gotten into college, but he’d convinced me to drop out and work, promising that once he graduated and found a good job, he’d marry me. I, foolishly, believed him. To earn more money and improve his living conditions, I didn’t even take Christmas Day off. While everyone else was celebrating, I was out in the snow and freezing temperatures, delivering order after order. Thinking back now, my seven years felt utterly ridiculous. They stopped only when they grew tired of beating me. I lay on the floor, bruised and battered, unable to get up. “John, how can you do this to me?! Aren’t you afraid your parents will disown you?!” Three years ago, John’s father had a stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed. I had brought both of his elderly parents to the city and nursed them back to health. They had always told me I was like a daughter to them, swearing that if John ever dared to betray me, they would be the first to disown him. John scoffed. “You don’t actually think my parents treated you like a real daughter, do you? They just sweet-talked you to butter you up. If they didn’t say nice things, how would you have served them like a maid?” I refused to believe him. “No! Auntie and Uncle truly cared about me!” “You don’t believe me, huh? Fine, I’ll call them now.” With that, John dialed the number and put it on speakerphone. “Hello, Mom? I broke up with Natalie. I don’t want to pretend anymore. I want to be openly with Sarah.” “Son, your mother supports you. But if you break up with Natalie, will she still wait on your father and me? Will she still give us money for living expenses?” “Don’t worry about money, I just closed a huge deal. As soon as it’s signed, I’ll get a two hundred thousand dollar commission. Then I’ll hire a housekeeper for you two. She’ll definitely be better than Natalie.” “Oh, that’s wonderful! Natalie can finally get out of here. A food delivery girl who didn’t even go to college? How could she ever be good enough for my son!” I was completely dumbfounded, unable to believe what I had just heard. John hung up the phone and kicked me again. “Heard that? In my parents’ eyes, Sarah is the only daughter-in-law they want. And I’m about to be rich. Once I get that two hundred thousand, we won’t be in the same league anymore!” I laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. “Just two hundred thousand?” Sarah, now wearing her high heels, brought her foot down hard on my hand. “You wouldn’t make two hundred thousand delivering food for twenty years! Who are you trying to fool?!” She hooked her arm through John’s. “Darling, let’s go. This was supposed to be our special time, and Natalie the b*tch ruined it.” They walked out brazenly. I quickly called an ambulance, then the police. Luckily, I was wearing thick winter clothes, so no bones were broken. After my wounds were treated at the hospital, I went home. But when I reached the doorstep, I saw all my belongings thrown out onto the curb. My blood pressure shot through the roof. I pounded on the door. John’s mother opened it, and when she saw me, her face instantly soured. “Natalie Sinclair, my son has broken up with you. Now grab your things and get out!” I had already planned to move out, but I never expected them to just discard my belongings. “I paid the rent for this place. If anyone’s moving, it’s you! What right do you have to throw my things out?!” “The right of three people living here! That makes this our home!” In that moment, her true, conniving nature was fully exposed. I didn’t want to waste another second arguing. I was about to call the police again, when John returned with Sarah. “Why aren’t you two in jail?!” Sarah smirked triumphantly. “It was mutual combat, and you threw the first punch!” My lungs felt like they were about to burst. My hands clenched into tight fists, my nails digging into my flesh, but I didn’t feel the pain. John pushed me. “Why aren’t you gone yet? Are you still trying to cling to me? Let me tell you, there’s no way we’re ever getting back together!” I glared at them, my eyes burning. “You’ll all regret this. You’ll come crawling to me!” They burst into laughter, telling me I was dreaming. I only took a few things from the heap on the ground. After all, I had won fifty million dollars; there was nothing I couldn’t buy. After settling into a hotel, I went to the lottery office to claim my prize. The moment the fifty million dollars landed in my account, the knot of tension in my chest finally loosened. I couldn’t wait to see the expressions on John and Sarah’s faces when they found out I was a multi-millionaire. Just after I acquired a lavish, fully furnished penthouse apartment, I received a call from Sarah. “Natalie, we’re having our high school reunion this weekend. You absolutely have to come; everyone from our class will be there.” “Alright, I’ll be there.” “You’re not just saying that, are you? Will you actually show up, or just disappear that day?” “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come. It’ll be good to see old classmates after so many years. I’d like to see how everyone’s doing.” Sarah was organizing this reunion specifically to show off John’s two hundred thousand dollar earning, and to use the opportunity to humiliate me. Little did she dream that I was now the most powerful one in our entire class. The reunion was held at a five-star hotel. I made a point of arriving a little late. Under the gaze of all my former classmates, I glided in, impeccably dressed in a limited-edition haute couture outfit, and elegantly took my seat. “Excuse me, everyone, I apologize for being late.” Sarah immediately rolled her eyes at me. “Natalie, you’re being so pretentious. Does that fake outfit even buy you a ticket? Do you really think our classmates don’t know quality when they see it? Pfft.” Jessica Chen, the former class belle, sitting next to me, kept staring at the Hermes “White House” bag in my hand. “Natalie, can I borrow your bag for a closer look?” I generously placed the bag in her hand. “Of course.” “Jessica, what’s there to see in a fake bag? The real one costs over two million dollars. Even if you sold Natalie, she wouldn’t be worth that much.” Her comment drew a burst of laughter from the guys nearby. “This bag is real. I work at the Hermes store.” “Then Natalie bought a knockoff that fooled even you, the store employee.” “This bag is definitely real. A knockoff can’t replicate this craftsmanship.” Sarah immediately chimed in, dripping with sarcasm: “Oh, Natalie, you didn’t happen to ‘acquire’ that bag from some rich lady while you were delivering food, did you?!” “I know you’re afraid your classmates will find out you never went to college and are still delivering food, but you can’t steal someone else’s things to make yourself look good! That bag is worth a fortune; it’s enough to get you years in prison.” “Out of consideration for our past as classmates, we won’t report you. Just return the bag immediately and make a public apology. Maybe the rich lady will take pity on you and not press charges.” “Sarah, you need evidence when you make accusations. If you falsely accuse me of theft, I can sue you for defamation!” “I’m doing this for your own good, and you want to sue me? Everyone knows you’re broke. Stop pretending.” Jessica couldn’t help but remark, “Maybe Natalie hooked up with a rich guy.” “Jessica, you’re giving her too much credit. What rich guy would be blind enough to be interested in her?” Sarah walked directly in front of me, placing her own designer bag on the table beside mine. “See this? This is what real money buys. Ten thousand dollars.” She rolled her eyes at me. “Still pretending, you pauper.” Our classmates immediately looked at her with envious eyes. “Sarah, looks like you’re doing the best among us, carrying a ten-thousand-dollar bag!” Sarah beamed, thoroughly pleased with herself. “My husband is amazing. He just closed a huge deal, and his commission alone will be two hundred thousand dollars. Today, order whatever you want, everyone. My husband’s paying!” Everyone immediately began to flatter John, who was so puffed up with pride his chest seemed about to burst. John, menu in hand, lifted his chin and addressed the waiter: “Bring us all your most expensive dishes. One Australian lobster for each person. And open ten bottles of your most expensive wine!” I smiled. “As far as I know, that contract of yours hasn’t been signed yet, has it?” Sarah looked scornful. “So what? It’s a done deal, just needs the final signature.” “You haven’t even earned the commission yet, and you’re already buying such an expensive bag and ordering such costly dishes. What if the deal falls through, and you end up deep in debt?” “Shut your jinxing mouth! This deal is absolutely foolproof!” Once the food arrived, everyone started chatting idly. “Have you guys seen the trending news? A while ago, someone got incredibly lucky and won fifty million dollars in the lottery!” “Oh my God, I’m practically crying with envy! How many lifetimes would it take to spend that much money?!” “And I heard she donated a hundred million dollars right after winning, and even acquired several companies and invested in numerous projects. Those projects are all super profitable; it’s like money just makes more money!” “That person’s life is just too perfect. Not only did they get a windfall, but everything they invest in turns to gold.” Seeing their animated discussion, I couldn’t help but say, “Actually, that lottery winner is me.” The table fell silent for a moment, then erupted in uproarious laughter. Sarah laughed so hard tears streamed down her face. “Natalie, stop dreaming! With your pathetic luck, you couldn’t even win ten dollars, let alone five hundred million!” I merely offered a slight smile, offering no further explanation. Sarah then made a public announcement. “Classmates, John and I will be having our wedding in Bali! Everyone is invited; we’ll cover travel and accommodation!” “A Bali wedding must be incredibly expensive! You two are so extravagant!” “My husband is a top sales executive! He’ll have a continuous stream of big deals and commissions coming in. Of course, a top executive’s wedding needs to be grand!” After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, John called the waiter to pay. He swiped three credit cards, but it still wasn’t enough to cover the bill. “How is that possible? The credit limits aren’t enough! Bring me the bill; I want to see it!” The waiter handed him the bill. Our table’s total consumption was five hundred thousand dollars. John’s face immediately flushed with anger. “How can it be this much? Are you ripping us off?!” I scoffed from the side. “If you can’t afford it, don’t show off. I thought you were so rich, ordering all those expensive things.” John’s face burned with embarrassment, and he nudged Sarah with his elbow. “Lend me the five hundred thousand from your house sale first. I’ll pay the bill!” “No way! That’s my pre-marital asset!” “I’m not saying I won’t pay you back! I’m signing the deal tomorrow. As soon as the commission hits, I’ll pay you back immediately!” Sarah reluctantly pulled out her debit card and swiped it for the five hundred thousand dollars. My phone, lying on the table, suddenly chimed: “Bank transfer notification: Five hundred thousand dollars received.” All my classmates looked at me. Our class president, Mark, joked, “Natalie, how is it that as soon as John paid, you received five hundred thousand dollars? Could it be that the money they paid went directly to your account?” “Exactly,” I replied. “It went straight to my account. I just acquired this hotel. I was originally planning to treat everyone to dinner. But John and Sarah were so enthusiastic about treating you all, I didn’t want to argue with them.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “Natalie, can you stop pretending? You’ve been putting on an act since you walked in. You’re not embarrassed, but I’m so mortified for you I’m practically digging a hole with my toes.” “That voice notification? You can download any amount you want online.” I didn’t need to prove myself. I wasn’t there to flaunt my wealth. They had no idea yet that the company they were supposed to sign with had also been acquired by me. That deal was definitely not going to happen. Now that they had maxed out their credit cards, and wouldn’t be getting their commission, I wondered how they would repay their debts!
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