I was the designated "simp" for Finn Sterling, the school’s golden bad boy. Everyone thought I loved him more than life itself. He skipped class to fight? I copied his notes. He flirted with other girls? I covered for him. I spent three years acting like a total doormat, dragging his sorry ass across the finish line to get him into an Ivy League university. But right before freshman orientation, he dumped me. He looked down at me with that arrogant smirk, "Gwen, I know you've been obsessed with me for years. But your brain is just... textbooks. Compared to Hannah, you’re too stiff. Too boring. We’re done. I’m going to be with Hannah." The crowd held its breath, waiting for my breakdown. I glanced at my bank app. The pending balance of $5 million had just cleared. I smiled sincerely. "Okay. Congratulations." Nobody knew that my unconditional devotion was purely because his mother paid me an obscene amount of money. Now that the check had cleared, it was time for me to vanish. 1 "The School King just dumped her, and she said congratulations?" "She hung up in less than a minute. She’s definitely losing it. Probably having a mental breakdown right now." "I don't know, man. She looked calm. Like she’s been waiting for this." Someone glanced nervously at Finn. He had his arm around his new girl, but his handsome face was dark, clearly annoyed that I hadn't begged. The gossip quickly shifted. "No way. Gwen has been obsessed with Finn for years. She’s probably just holding it in. Give it three days, she’ll be crawling back begging him not to leave her." Finn’s expression softened slightly at that. "If she comes back and begs, I might consider forgiving her. Depends on her attitude." I didn't hear any of this. I was already dragging my suitcase to the airport. If I had heard them, I would have laughed. If my parents hadn't been convinced that "school is useless for girls" and tried to sell me off for a dowry while I was still a teenager... If my alcoholic father hadn't torn up my acceptance letter and beaten me half to death... If Mrs. Sterling hadn't found me at my lowest point and offered me a deal—cover my high school tuition and give me $5 million if I got her son into Harvard... I never would have chased after a bully like Finn Sterling. I never would have been his on-call servant. Three years. I used every trick in the book to turn that rebellious slacker into a straight-A student. Now the job was done. I had the money. I was escaping hell. Why would I be sad about him switching girlfriends? I just wanted to survive. Love had nothing to do with it. I didn't go to the local college I was accepted to. My parents would have hunted me down for the dowry money. To leave, I had to leave completely. Over the summer, I aced the TOEFL and got my French to a B2 level. I was enrolled in a design school in Paris. As I boarded the flight, a text from Finn popped up. “Why are all my calls blocked? Gwen, haven't you thrown enough of a tantrum? Even if I'm with Hannah, we can still be friends. Stop acting out. Unblock me.” 2 Even in a text, he was condescending. He was so sure I was playing hard to get. He thought I’d come wagging my tail like always. I popped the SIM card out of my phone, snapped it in half, and tossed it into the airport trash can. Along with that card, I threw away the humility, the schemes, and the unbearable past. The plane took off, leaving everything behind. Later, my best friend told me Finn went crazy on my social media. Comments like: "Are you done yet?" "It’s just a breakup, why are you so dramatic?" "Add me back now!" She said, "At first, Finn was sure you were bluffing. When you didn't show up, he got violent. Mentioning your name made him snap." It sounded like a story about a stranger. I used Mrs. Sterling’s millions to restart my life in Paris. Top design school. New language. Heavy workload. It was hard, but there was no Finn to please, no suffocating parents to escape. Just sketchpads, fabric, and a future that belonged to me. Years flew by. With talent and sweat, my jewelry designs started making waves at Fashion Week. I won a few international awards. I became the new Chief Designer for Lumina, a rising luxury brand, and was sent back to the States to open up the market. First day back. I was grabbing lunch downstairs at the new HQ when a hesitant voice called out behind me. "Gwen? Is that you?" I turned. It was Ashley, a girl who sat in front of me in high school. Her eyes went wide, scanning me from head to toe. "OMG! It is you! You’ve changed so much!" Gone was the timid, people-pleasing girl in thrift store clothes. Time and money had given me a quiet confidence. "Long time no see." "This is crazy!" Ashley was hyped. "There’s a class reunion tonight at the Sky Lounge upstairs. Everyone is coming, even Finn! You have to come! No one will recognize you!" Finn Sterling? That name felt like a relic from a past life. I wanted to say no, but then I thought—why hide? I had nothing to be ashamed of. "Sure." I spent the day handling the handover for the new office. By the time I remembered the reunion, it was late. I didn't bother changing and went upstairs in my casual clothes. I pushed open the heavy doors, and the noise hit me. 3 My eyes swept the room and landed instantly on the man holding court at the main table. Finn Sterling. He looked older, his features sharper. Wearing a bespoke suit, looking lazy and expensive. He was still the center of the universe. Next to him was a young, flashy girl. Not Hannah. The bad boy had updated his accessories again. A drunk guy spotted me first. "Holy sh*t! Look! Finn! Your simp is back!" The room exploded. Everyone turned to stare. Shock. Amusement. Schaudenfreude. Finn looked up. When he saw me standing there, his pupils dilated. His relaxed smirk froze. It was replaced by shock, and something complicated I couldn't read. The girl next to him sensed the shift immediately. She tightened her grip on his arm, glaring at me with hostility. "Gwen?" I ignored the whispers. I walked over to the empty seat next to Ashley and poured myself a glass of water. "Gwen, wow, you’re alive," Tiffany, the class mean girl, spoke up first. Her voice dripped with fake sweetness. "I heard you didn't go to college? Makes sense, your family couldn't afford it anyway." "Where have you been working? People said you married some old guy for money. But looking at your outfit... pretty casual, huh?" She emphasized "old guy," and a few girls giggled. "I was abroad for a few years. Just got back," I said calmly. "Oh, abroad!" Chad, the class clown, jumped in with exaggerated sympathy. "It's tough for returnees these days. Unless you were doing... illegal work over there? Do you have a job now? Need a hookup?" "My uncle's company needs a clerk. Low requirements, just need to know how to type. The pay sucks, but it's legit work. Better than whatever you were doing..." 4 He trailed off, implying something dirty. "Yeah, exactly," Tiffany chimed in. "Foreign guys just like to play around with Asian girls, you know? Gwen, we’re old friends. If you’re struggling, just ask." "You don't have a degree, and you look kind of... plain. Interviews might be tough. I can lend you some cash to buy a suit? It's a shame, you were top of the class once." Finn remained silent. But his hand gripped his glass tight, his eyes dark, fixed on me. His new girlfriend, Lola, couldn't take it anymore. She sneered, leaning forward with a look of supreme condescension. "So you're Gwen? I've heard about you." "I heard you were a total stalker. Chasing my Finn like a desperate puppy." "Doing his homework, taking notes, covering for him?" "Thanks for your hard work," she paused, letting the class snicker. "But at least you knew your place. You knew you weren't in his league and ran away. But it looks like you haven't done well for yourself?" "Finn is taking over the Sterling Group now. And me? I just took over my family's fashion brand. I'm busy negotiating a collab with a top international design house. If you’re broke, we can throw you a bone." I sipped my water. "No thanks." Lola rolled her eyes. "You probably don't even know my level. Ever heard of Lumina? It's the hottest new French jewelry brand." "Their Chief Designer is a genius in Paris. Very mysterious. I pulled so many strings to get a meeting. If she agrees to a collab... I'll be famous." "Once that happens, I can feed you with the crumbs from my table." The classmates oohed and aahed. "I know Lumina! Their taste is insane!" "That designer is legendary. Lola, you have connections!" "Finn is so lucky to have a power couple partner!" Lola lifted her chin, soaking it in. "What's the designer's name?" someone asked. "Her English name is Eileen Gu, but she's Chinese," Lola bragged, pretending to know details. "Young, talented, highly respected in France." "It's hard for a small brand like ours to get her, but I'm confident." She leaned onto Finn. "Right, babe?" Finn grunted.
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