Chapter 3

"Sponsoring you?"

Jessica’s smirk froze. She stomped her foot. "You little homewrecker! Stop trying to ruin our relationship. He'd have to be blind to sponsor you!"

Her tone was filled with absolute confidence in their relationship.

Meanwhile, Tyler stood there shaking his leg, looking smug. "My girl is so smart. Chloe has been a liar since we were kids. She practically lived at my house, eating our food, and she's been badmouthing me for years. Babe, you need to teach her a lesson."

A guy holding up his phone to live stream, Brad, shouted to the crowd, "My stream just hit fifty thousand viewers! Everyone's siding with the cute couple and calling this girl a shameless gold digger!"

Brad's words gave Jessica a massive ego boost. She sneered at me. "Go ahead, speak! If you can't prove my boyfriend sponsored you, I'll sue you for defamation and ruin your life."

Tyler gave her a thumbs-up. "Go get her, babe. Put her in her place."

He was so incredibly punchable. I wanted to slap him, but doing that in public would make me look guilty. I forced myself to stay calm and speak clearly.

"Let's start with freshman year of college," I said, my voice steady. "Tyler used to blow through his monthly allowance before the 10th of every month. After that, he survived by eating with me at the dining hall every single day. Let's do the math. At least $15 a meal, 20 days a month, 8 months a school year. Over four years, how much is that?"

"During summer and winter breaks, he had no money and refused to get a job. Instead, he hung out at the bistro I co-owned, eating and drinking for free. By bistro prices, that's at least $80 a day. Four months a year, for four years. How much is that?"

"And his clothes? His laptop? He begged me to buy them for him. At least two new outfits every season, $500 a set. For four years, how much is that?"

Before I could finish, Martha, the vegetable vendor, chimed in. "That's at least sixty-four thousand dollars!"

I gave Martha a thumbs-up. "And our college was an art school. Tuition was $40,000 a year. Tyler didn't want to take out student loans, so he begged me to pay it upfront. That's $160,000 over four years."

The crowd gasped.

"Holy crap, so she was basically raising him?"

"This is insane! A grown man lying like this and calling her a gold digger? How shameless!"

The tide turned instantly. Tyler became the target of everyone's glares. His face paled, and his voice shook. "Chloe, stop making things up in public! Don't drag my name through the mud!"

Jessica, who had been clinging to his arm, looked shaken. But she tried to sound tough. "You have no proof! Where's your evidence?"

I checked my pockets. My phone was stolen, so I couldn't show them the records right away. I had to think of something else.

Just then, Brad, the live-streamer, yelled, "My stream just hit a hundred and fifty thousand! A viewer named Marcus says he was your college class president. He says Chloe is telling the truth and Tyler is a dirty liar!"

"And another viewer named Hailey says she was Chloe's business partner at the bistro! She says Tyler ate there for free every break, never paid a dime, and told them to put it on Chloe's tab—at least $100 a day!"

Hearing those two names, Tyler's face turned completely green. He stammered, unable to find a single word to defend himself.

Jessica stepped away from him, looking utterly humiliated. But the look she gave me was filled with pure jealousy and hatred.

I smiled coldly. "See that? I was the one sponsoring your boyfriend."