My ex-boyfriend, Seth, is my brother's roommate. My brother, Jonathan, transferred me my monthly allowance with a string of curses. "Happy now? You're only with me for the money!" Seth saw the message and immediately sent a transfer of his own, adding two zeros to the amount. "I'm bigger than him. I can make you happier." Seth thought my brother was my new boyfriend. He'd made a bet with his friends that he could snap his fingers and win back a gold-digger like me. I knew he was up to no good. When Seth offered me his black card, I refused it. When my brother offered me a half-off coupon, I took it. When Seth offered me a meticulously chosen designer gift, I refused it. When my brother offered me half a pack of leftover tissues, I took it. Seth finally lost his mind. "Is my money cursed or something? Will it kill you to spend a single penny of it?!" 1 My brother cursed me out as he transferred my allowance. "Happy now? You're only with me for the money!" I didn't dare breathe a word, a sly, sycophantic grin plastered on my face on the other end of the line. The second the money hit my account, I loaded it all onto my meal card. I’ve always had a massive appetite. There was an all-you-can-eat buffet that opened up downstairs from my childhood home. Less than a month later, the owner skipped town in the middle of the night without a word to me. When my family stocked up on snacks for the holidays, my parents would take turns standing guard outside my door. Bought a snack you didn't like? Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Can't finish your dinner? Just leave it, I'm here. The greatest charm of a mature woman is her ability to solve problems. My mom always said that since I came along, our family has never had to eat leftovers. The year I graduated high school, my dad asked me where I wanted to go to college. I immediately said I wanted to go to my brother’s university. My brother froze, then instinctively clutched his meal card in terror. Red alert! Incoming disaster! Every month, I scrape and save every penny just to treat my stomach right. But without fail, by the end of the month, I’m broke. When that happens, I usually have to find some odd jobs that pay by the day and include a meal. My brother couldn’t stand the thought of me running all over town at all hours, so he’d grit his teeth and transfer me a hundred bucks from his own allowance. The moment his "disaster relief funds" came through, I'd transform into his number one fan girl. But before I could lay on any more flattery, two new notifications popped up on my phone. Another transfer notification appeared, this one adding two zeros to my brother’s one hundred dollars. It was immediately followed by a text from my ex-boyfriend. 【I’m bigger than him. I can make you happier.】 2 It was noisy on my brother’s end of the call; it sounded like someone was calling his name from outside the dorm room. He tossed his phone on the desk and went out, forgetting to hang up. Through the open line, I heard Seth’s voice. Someone next to him started jeering. "Can you believe her? The second she breaks up with Seth, she's already latched onto someone else. Hah." "And Seth just drops ten grand on her? That fickle bitch doesn't deserve it." Seth just laughed, a lazy, unconcerned sound. He narrowed his eyes, his long fingers toying with his phone. "A girl like Holly? I could snap my fingers and have her crawling back to me." I stared at the ten thousand dollars that had just landed in my account and fell into a deep thought. When I first got to campus, my life revolved around eating. My social media feed was basically a walking advertisement for every restaurant in a five-mile radius. Whether it was a discount for getting enough likes or a free drink for sharing a post, if there was a food-related perk, I was on it. Someone said I was like a restaurant hustler. The rumor got more and more ridiculous, until people were saying I scammed guys into taking me to specific restaurants so I could get a kickback. I have no idea where Seth heard this story, but he decided to descend from the heavens like an avenging angel to deliver my punishment. "Go out with me," he'd said, a halo practically glowing above his head. "I'll pay for all your meals. How about it?" Was this a food-based relief package from above? That sounded pretty righteous to me. I nodded so fast my head almost fell off and immediately agreed. Seth had set all sorts of traps, planning to expose my "true colors" in public. He asked me to take him out to eat. That day, he was dressed to the nines—a perfectly pressed suit, shoes shined to a mirror finish. He was ready for a five-star restaurant, but I dragged him to a grimy street food alley instead. The spiciest ramen in the city. Extra-hot wings. Fiery grilled kebabs. My face was flushed and my mouth was on fire. I turned to him and asked, "Thrilling, right?" Seth just sat there, looking at me like his entire digestive system was about to combust. He kept trying to test me, and I kept dragging him back to that night market. In the end, faced with a choice between delivering heavenly justice and saving his own ass, Seth chose the latter. He broke up with me. My free meal ticket was gone. I was genuinely bummed about it for a long time. It wasn't until one of Seth's friends let it slip that I finally learned the real story. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Son of a bitch. There are always people trying to take advantage of honest, good-hearted women like me. Even the ten thousand dollars now felt tainted. Was this some new kind of humiliation play? Wary of a trap, I cautiously sent the money back. On the other end of the line, the electronic notification voice announced the ten-thousand-dollar deposit. The chaotic dorm room was suddenly plunged into a dead silence. My brother came back from whatever he was doing. He picked up his phone. "Holly, someone just gave me a couple of half-off coupons. You want them?" I never turn down a bargain. "Yes!" Seth silently picked up his phone and typed me a message. 【Do you want my black card?】 The moment he hit send, a red exclamation mark appeared. You have been blocked by this user. My brother chatted with me as if he were sorting through junk. "I've got half a pack of tissues left here." "I'll take it!" "I won a 'one dollar off' prize from a drink I bought last time." "Gimme." "These crackers I bought are a little stale." "That's fine, I don't mind." "Seth, stop trying to swing from the rafters!" "Okay... wait, what?" My brother ended up putting together a whole box of his "junk" for me. On my way to pick it up, I heard a rumor that someone in the men’s dorm had engaged in a spirited tug-of-war between his neck and a ceiling beam. Ah, youth, I thought with a sigh. The dean and the campus nurse were fussing over Seth, but he remained silent, his head bowed. As he passed my brother, Jonathan was still busy talking to me. "Don't run your mouth in front of my girlfriend, okay? I don't want her to know about our relationship." Having secured my loot, I grinned like an idiot. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone know about... us." My brother was trying to win over a girl who lived in the dorm across from his. After I found out, I'd spent days whispering sweet nothings about him in her ear, trying to boost his image. If she knew we were siblings, all my praise would just sound like biased bragging. But Seth overheard us, and his face went through five different shades of pale. He looked from me to my brother, his expression a complex mess of emotions. "Jonathan... what exactly is the relationship... between you two?" My brother, ever the honest one, replied, "She's my sister." Jonathan took our dad's last name, and I took our mom's. Since he didn't know I even knew Seth, he didn't bother to explain further. Seth looked at me, then back at my brother. A sarcastic smile twisted his lips, and his voice dripped with acid. "Oh, so she's your sister." He pulled a utility knife from his pocket and held it to his wrist. "I think there's a bug under my skin, right here. It keeps jumping. I'm just going to... pick it out." The dean, horrified, bellowed, "THAT'S YOUR DAMN ARTERY!" 3 On top of his own living expenses, my brother now had a new dating budget to manage. And because of me, he still had to set aside some "disaster relief" funds every month. I felt a little guilty. So when I saw a flyer for a daily-wage hotel cleaning job, I signed up immediately. I wanted to save up enough money to buy my brother a pair of sneakers he'd been wanting for ages. When he found out, he was moved to tears, saying his little sister had finally grown up. I worked all day, and by the time I got off, it was already dark. I stood by the side of the road and called my brother. "It's a little remote out here. Can you come pick me up and drive me back to campus?" "Find a place to wait for me," he said. "I have to drop off your sister-in-law first. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." "Okay," I replied and waited by the curb. A few minutes later, a black Porsche pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, and I saw Seth's face. He looked me up and down, then glanced at the hotel behind me. His brow furrowed, and the usual lazy smile on his face faded. "Why are you out here alone? Where's Jonathan?" Just seeing Seth’s face made a fire ignite in my stomach. It was all my fault for being so greedy back then, letting this venomous fox play with my feelings. My voice was unintentionally sharp when I replied, "He went to see his girlfriend." Seth let out a choked laugh. "So he just abandoned you like that?" I scratched my head. The question felt weird, but also... not entirely wrong? I didn't know how to answer, so I just stood there silently. "Get in. I'll take you back to school." Seth opened the passenger door for me. Once I was in the car, I quickly texted my brother to let him know he didn't need to come, that someone was giving me a ride. I sat in the passenger seat and glanced at Seth. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a silver chain around his neck. A sleek, metallic pendant glinted in the dim light, swaying with his movements. My eyes followed it down, getting stuck on the sliver of collarbone visible at the opening of his shirt. "Why are you doing this?" Seth's voice was cold, but I could hear the anger simmering beneath the surface. I assumed he was talking about my cleaning job, disgusted by my line of work. "What would a rich guy like you know? If it wasn't for the money, who would want to do this kind of thing?" Seth's hands tightened on the steering wheel, and he asked through gritted teeth, "For a hundred lousy bucks?" "That's right! For a hundred lousy bucks!" I answered, full of righteous indignation. The work was dirty and exhausting, and I had to deal with all sorts of weirdos, but the pay was great! And it included a meal! Seth demanded, "Then why didn't you take the money I gave you?" "Is my money cursed or something? Will it kill you to spend a single penny of it?!" I wanted to! God, I wanted to! But my brain had decided to be logical for once, and by the time my senses returned, the money was already gone. But I couldn't admit that now. That would be pathetic. I put on an air of detached elegance and said with a faint smile, "Because it wasn't appropriate." Seth closed his eyes, a look of utter despair on his face. He whispered, so softly it was almost to himself, "And he is?" My phone buzzed in my pocket, the ringtone drowning out his words. I answered, and my brother's voice came through the speaker. "Holly, are you back on campus yet? Who's driving you?" I glanced at Seth. He shook his head, signaling me not to mention his name. So I lied. "A coworker is giving me a ride. We were heading in the same direction." My brother told me to text him when I was safely back in my dorm. I agreed. Seth pulled up to the campus gate. I thanked him and got out of the car. Just as I was about to close the door, I heard his hoarse voice. "Holly, do you really have to go down this path? Anything he can give you, I can give you too." Give me what? A daily wage? This damn fox. He always knew exactly how to find my weak spot. But then I remembered his smug words from the dorm room, and a fresh wave of anger washed over me. I slammed the door shut, leaving him with a single, sharp word. "No!" Back in my dorm, I was scrolling through my phone when I saw a new post from Seth. 【My entire life has been ruined by a scumbag.】 Me: "?" What now?
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