1 I’m bound to the Lie-to-Riches System. For every lie someone tells me, I get $10,000. It was the first day of freshman year, and my new roommate introduced herself while decked out head-to-toe in designer brands. "Hi, everyone. I'm Stella Moss, Larry Vance's fiancée. I hope we can all get along." If she was Larry Vance's fiancée, then who was I? As I stood there, stunned, my phone buzzed. A notification from my banking app: Deposit received: $10,000. I immediately texted my fiancé—whose own trust fund was currently frozen—and told him the news. It was time to start fleecing. … I stared at the $10,000 notification on my phone, my mind reeling. My other roommate, Jenna, was already fawning over Stella. "Welcome, Miss Moss! It's an honor to be your humble roommate!" Stella swept into the dorm, her eyes landing on my faded t-shirt and worn-out sneakers with a look of undisguised contempt. She shoved her suitcase at me, her voice dripping with arrogance. "Unpack this. Put my clothes in the wardrobe and make my bed. From now on, you'll be my personal assistant—fetching my coffee, doing my laundry, running my errands. You'll be well-compensated, of course." BZZZ. Another $10,000 hit my account. I almost laughed. I’d recognized Stella the moment she walked in. She was a charity case, a girl from a poor rural town my family had been sponsoring for years. I’d chosen her myself during a philanthropy trip when I was ten. With my family's money, she not only had her basic needs covered but had repeatedly asked my father for extra cash for vacations and luxury makeup. Meanwhile, after I graduated high school, my family had frozen my accounts. It was their way of "building character," forcing me to pay my own tuition and living expenses. I was working three jobs, running myself ragged just to make ends meet. A thought sparked in my mind. Since Stella clearly had no interest in using this opportunity to actually study, why shouldn't I use her to my advantage? I could fleece her for all she was worth. Once I had enough seed money for my own business, I’d expose her and let her face the consequences. I set her suitcase on the floor, saying nothing. I was here to make money off her, not to be her servant. I pointed at the shoulder strap of her bag, where a single thread was loose, and plastered a sneer on my face. "Well, well, well! If it isn't the high-and-mighty Miss Moss carrying a fake Hermès? A bag that expensive would never have a loose thread." As I spoke, I pulled my own identical Hermès bag from my locker. Stella's expression flickered. A flash of anger crossed her face, and her voice became shrill enough to shatter glass. "Of course it's real! Don't you know luxury brands are notoriously poor quality?" BZZZ. The Lie-to-Riches System activated again. Another $10,000. I could feel a giddy excitement bubbling up inside me; my hands were trembling. Jenna sneered at me. "She's right! Everyone knows rich people only use their luxury items once! Ruby, is that a knockoff you bought from a street market?" Stella pinched her nose as if I were contaminated. "How can you be so shameless, carrying a fake? I despise social climbers. Just because your parents are poor farmers doesn't mean you can pretend to be one of us!" She crossed her arms, looking down her nose at me. "Ruby, I have an entire wall of Hermès bags at home. If that bag of yours is real, I'll eat shit." BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ. $30,000. In an instant. My heart pounded. I’d always dreamed of starting my own business, but I never had the capital. Now, with just a few choice words, my startup fund was already 5% complete! I had to dig my nails into my thigh to keep from laughing out loud. Jenna clapped her hands, her voice oozing with fake admiration. "Ruby, you should thank Stella! She's working so hard to show you the error of your ways!" I wasn't angry. My gaze drifted from Stella's bag to the four-leaf clover necklace around her neck. "Stella, is that the new Van Cleef & Arpels piece?" She touched the necklace, her chin held high. "Of course. My fiancé flew to Paris just to buy it for me." As if by accident, I let the small magnet on my keychain swing near her neck. Click. The magnet snapped right onto her necklace. "Oh, dear! Miss Moss, why did your necklace stick to a magnet? I thought their pieces were 18-karat gold! Is that a fake?" I covered my mouth in mock horror, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Stella's face turned beet red. She ripped the magnet off and threw it on the floor, her lips trembling. "This is absolutely real! It's an SVIP custom piece from France! A country bumpkin like you wouldn't understand!" BZZZ. Seeing the notification, I almost burst out laughing. The dorm room door was open, and a small crowd of students had gathered to watch the drama unfold. "But I heard the real ones aren't magnetic," someone whispered. "Is Stella's necklace actually fake?" "Didn't you hear her? It's custom-made. Luxury brands always have special rules for their top clients." "That makes sense! Ruby is just being jealous." Suddenly, Stella's eyes welled up with tears, her voice a fragile whisper. The performance was flawless. "Ruby, we've only just met. I don't know why you're targeting me. It's not my fault I have a wealthy family and a handsome fiancé." The students in the hallway immediately rushed to comfort her. Stella continued her saccharine act, and soon everyone was pointing fingers at me, calling me a bitter, jealous nobody. But I wasn't angry. I was ecstatic. My phone had been buzzing non-stop. In just ten minutes, I had made over a hundred thousand dollars. My startup fund was 20% complete. Stella was my personal cash machine. And if she loved pretending to be Larry's fiancée, why not bring Larry himself in on the scheme? I immediately sent Larry a text, telling him we needed to meet. I found him outside the campus dining hall. Our grandfathers were old war buddies, both highly decorated. They had come from nothing and believed in the value of hard work. To instill that same spirit in their descendants, they'd made a rule: all grandchildren had to earn their own way through college. And so, Larry and I had become a broke power couple. Our days were a blur of classes and part-time jobs—working shifts at a boba shop, handing out flyers, and running food delivery orders. We’d talked about starting a business, but we were still saving up for the initial investment. Over dinner, I told him everything: the Lie-to-Riches System, and Stella's outrageous charade. He didn't believe me. Not until I asked him if he had a secret stash of cash hidden somewhere. He shook his head, and my banking app instantly buzzed with a $10,000 deposit. Larry stared at my phone, then tearfully transferred the last $10 in his Venmo to me. "Larry," I said, laying out my plan, "Stella is telling everyone she's your fiancée. We can use this to fleece her. Once we have a million dollars for our startup, we'll expose her!" His eyes lit up. A few days later, Freshman Orientation Week began. During a break, Larry showed up, handing out bubble tea to all the freshman groups. "Stella, your man is here!" a girl squealed, pushing her forward. "He must have come to see you!" The guys started hooting, waving Larry over. "Larry! Stella's over here!" Stella shrank back, looking like she was about to faint. I smirked. "What's wrong, Stella? Did you and Larry have a fight? He's acting like he doesn't even know you." She swallowed hard, then practically shouted, "What are you talking about? Of course he knows me! Why else would he be here with bubble tea? He just hasn't seen me yet! We were at a hotel together just last night!" Jenna immediately jumped to her defense. "Ruby, you're sick! Why are you always hoping for the worst?" Other students chimed in. "Are you trying to steal her boyfriend? Even if they were fighting, Larry would never look at you!" "Everyone knows he's a famously doting fiancé! He's completely devoted to his childhood sweetheart!" I felt a wave of nausea, but the sweet scent of money quickly overpowered it. Stella was on a roll now, gushing about her fairy-tale romance. "He bought bubble tea for the entire school just for me. It's his subtle, powerful way of showing his love. It’s a love you could never understand, Ruby." She continued to spin her sickeningly sweet fantasy, and my phone vibrated relentlessly. Within minutes, another hundred thousand dollars had landed in my account. Just then, Larry started walking toward our group. Stella was pushed forward, stumbling right into his path. When Larry saw her, a flicker of disgust crossed his face. He exchanged a quick glance with me. "Sorry, guys," he announced to the group. "Looks like we're all out of bubble tea." I snorted. "But Stella, I thought we were all getting free drinks on your account? How come the guest of honor doesn't even get one?" Jenna looked confused. "Yeah, Stella, what's going on? Didn't you say he ordered this specially for you?" A few of the guys, sweating in the sun, started to complain. "I thought he was supposed to be this super-devoted fiancé! Why's he letting you down like this?" Suddenly, Stella shoved me. Hard. I cried out, stumbling and falling to the ground. Across the field, I saw Larry tense, ready to run over. "What are you all staring at?" Stella snapped, her voice high and commanding. "Ruby, go buy us all water! My baby and I just decided that bubble tea is unhealthy. So, water for our group is on me!" The whole group cheered, immediately singing her praises. "Stella, you're so thoughtful and generous!" A few of the guys turned on me. "Ruby, what are you waiting for? Get going!" "Are you deaf? Go! You want us to die of thirst?" BZZZ. Another $20,000. A thrill shot through me. I scrambled to my feet and ran to the campus Starbucks, ordering thirty iced coffees. I returned with the receipt and handed it to Stella with a fake smile. "Here you go. I'm sure a little bill like this is nothing to you, right?" A couple of girls scoffed. "Are you kidding, Ruby? As if someone like Stella would care about a few bucks." "She's from the countryside, what do you expect? So classless, making a big deal out of nothing." "Right, Stella?" Stella took the receipt. Her eyes widened, and she looked like she'd just swallowed a bug. The total was nearly $200. "Right," she said, her smile more pained than a grimace. "It's nothing. I normally only drink glacial water flown in daily from overseas. It's about a thousand dollars a bottle." The group erupted in another round of cheers. When it came time to pay, there were tears in Stella's eyes. Forking over that much money was like pulling teeth for her. I was secretly ecstatic. In just a few days, my startup fund was 40% complete! I had $400,000. Just a little longer, and I could finally expose her. Larry texted me: [Babe, are you okay? That psycho actually pushed you! I'll get her back for this!]. On the last day of orientation, Larry deliberately let a rumor slip: that night, he was taking his fiancée home to the family estate for his grandfather's birthday. After our last session, a group of girls swarmed Stella. "Stella, stop being so secretive! You're going to the Vance estate tonight, aren't you?" "We heard all about it! We're so jealous!" Stella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, affecting an air of nonchalance. "It's not a secret. Going to the Vance estate for dinner is as normal as breathing for me. It's nothing to talk about." BZZZ. More money. The air filled with gasps of envy. I put on my best fake smile. "Stella, I'm so jealous! You must be staying the night, right? I won't wait up for you, then." Stella froze, the words catching in her throat. "Right. Don't wait up. I'm staying over." As soon as she said it, Jenna shot me a look of contempt. "Duh! Of course she's staying over! Stop asking such stupid questions!" Someone else giggled suggestively. "If she's staying at the Vance estate, maybe tonight they'll… you know…" Stella pretended to blush, lowering her head, but the beads of sweat on her forehead gave away her panic. "Oh, stop it, you guys." Larry's revenge was swift and brutal. Of course, Stella didn't go to the Vance estate. To keep up the lie, she left campus as her classmates watched her go, a vision of supposed glamour. But Ashton University was in the heart of the city, and the nearby hotels were ridiculously expensive. Stella was too cheap to pay for a room, but she was terrified of being spotted by other students at a park. According to one of the Vance family's security guards, she ended up spending the night shivering under a remote overpass. The next day, she showed up to class with dark circles under her eyes, sneezing uncontrollably. The other students exchanged knowing, wicked smiles. Fighting back my disgust, I laid it on thick. "Stella, I heard the Vance family estate is a 7,000-square-foot mansion! It must be incredible! You're so lucky. I've never even seen a mansion. Is your family home huge, too? Can you show us sometime? I'd love to see it!" The other girls' eyes lit up. "Stella, we've never seen one either! Please! Let us come see it!" They pleaded, one of them even doing an exaggerated bow. Stella basked in the attention. But she was trapped. She touched the tip of her nose, looking troubled. "My family is… very private. Old money, you know. Very strict rules. My parents don't allow me to bring strangers home." BZZZ. $40,000! Everyone looked disappointed but understanding. But I wasn't about to let her off the hook. "That's okay!" I pressed on. "I saw in a news article that the Vance fiancée's birthday is at the end of September. You could just invite us to your birthday party! I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind that!" It was like a lightbulb went off over everyone's heads. "Yes! We can celebrate with you! Your parents will totally understand!" "Stella, let us celebrate with you this year!" "You wouldn't look down on us, would you, Miss Moss?" Stella looked like she was constipated. She finally forced the words out. "Fine. I'll go home and discuss it with my family elders." The room erupted in cheers. I almost cheered along with them. With that short exchange, on top of what I already had, my startup fund hit 80% completion! I was morbidly curious to see how she would squirm her way out of this one. That night, I got a call from our family's estate manager. "Miss Lane, the student you sponsor has requested to hold her birthday party at the villa. Do you approve?" A slow, cold smile spread across my face. "Yes. Let her come." The plan was working even better than I had imagined. A few days later, my earnings hit $900,000. The startup fund was 90% complete. The money was almost there. Soon, I would rip away Stella’s mask of lies and expose her for who she truly was.
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