Chapter 4

Jessica's face was bright red, but she refused to back down.

"My boyfriend isn't broke! Who knows if you paid off those people to lie? You're just good at seducing men."

Even now, she was trying to paint me as a homewrecker.

My face darkened. "Jessica, woman to woman, let me remind you—defamation is a crime."

Brad, the live streamer, quickly waved his hands. "Hey, don't look at me! I have a wife. I didn't even know Chloe before today."

Seeing the crowd grow larger, Old Hank tugged at my sleeve. "Miss, I don't care about your drama. Just pay me for the fish."

I had no choice but to whisper, "Hank, please give me a second. Or let me borrow your phone to make a call. I swear I'm not trying to dodge the bill, my phone was literally just stolen."

Hank hesitated, then shook his head, refusing to hand over his phone.

Just then, Martha, the vegetable vendor, walked over. "I'll dial the number for you, but you can't touch my phone."

It was smart to be cautious, and I was incredibly grateful. I pulled her aside and whispered the number.

Tyler's eyes darted around, and he suddenly spoke up with a self-righteous tone.

"It's normal for college kids from poor families to borrow money! It's not a crime as long as you pay it back. There's a saying: Everyone struggles when they're young, don't look down on a guy just because he started poor."

"Chloe, you're just clinging to the four years when I was at my lowest. What about after graduation? You borrowed tons of money from me and never paid it back. Why don't you talk about that?"

Hearing this, Jessica instantly revived. She glared at me. "Yeah, Chloe! What are you acting so shady for? Come over here and let's settle the score!"

"Tyler has sent you transfers of five thousand, ten thousand, even thirty or fifty thousand dollars! Especially over the last two years. You called it 'borrowing,' but you never had any intention of paying it back."

Tyler yelled, "Exactly! I never said no to you, and now you're stabbing me in the back? Where is your conscience?"

Looking at these two delusional liars, I laughed out of sheer disbelief.

"He sent me money? Do you have proof?"

"Because I distinctly remember on February 17th of this year, Tyler begged me for $100,000. He said his girlfriend had been in a horrible car accident and needed the money for emergency surgery. I transferred it without a second thought. Snapchat and bank records don't lie. Do you have the guts to open your phone and check right now?"

Martha immediately chimed in. "She even remembers the exact date. That sounds like the truth to me." She stepped forward and patted Jessica's shoulder. "Girl, you better check your boyfriend's phone. Some men are pathological liars. They lie like it's breathing."

Jessica's face flushed. "He wouldn't dare lie to me!"

"Then check his phone! Stop wasting time, we want to see who the real liar is!" the crowd cheered.

Tyler didn't look scared at all. Instead, he threw his head back and laughed. "Check it then! Who's afraid of who? Chloe, you're dead!"