Zea's POV
“See? You can’t support me forever, can you? What do you expect me to do, shamelessly mooch off you for the rest of my life? What kind of freeloader do you think I am?” I coldly said.
I said the last sentence with a bite in my tone.
At that, Sheila flinched. Guilt flashed in her eyes, and she mumbled something under her breath, “Some people just don't appreciate kindness,” before climbing into bed, pretending to sleep.
As things got a little awkward, the others in the dorm quickly tried to smooth it over.
“I think it’s great that Zea is earning her own money,” one girl said. “It just shows she’s got ambition.”
“Yeah, even if she’s on financial aid, she doesn't want to live off others forever. Because if you're that shameless, then you might as well be a leech on society, right?”
Something in that last comment must’ve hit a nerve, because suddenly Sheila exploded, “Enough! Shut the hell up already! You're so noisy!”
Everyone froze at her sudden outburst because none of us had ever seen her lose it like that.
Realizing she’d gone too far, Sheila quickly backpedaled. “Sorry… my head just hurts. I’m not feeling well.”
With a simple excuse like that, everyone bought it. But I didn’t.
She was clearly rattled. And I had a gut feeling my part-time job had something to do with her “system.”
I just didn’t know how yet.
That week, after hustling nonstop, I finally pocketed $140. I was ready to treat myself to a good meal until I turned a corner and caught sight of something unexpected.
There, in a quiet spot, I saw Jericho and Sheila whispering heatedly.
“Jericho,” Sheila was saying, practically begging, “my system only multiplies tenfold when Zea accepts money from her family. But if she deposits money she earned herself, it reverses. I'll owe a hundred times the amount. Now, I’m already due to repay fourteen grand. If I don’t, the system will punish me! Please, you have to help me!”
Jericho sounded irritated. “Fourteen grand?! Where the hell am I supposed to get that? You think I’m not struggling? I’m working part-time too, you know! And Zea’s been breathing down my neck, asking for all the money I spent from her account. If she tells her family, I’m screwed. I’ll lose the job they promised me after graduation! Sheila, you’ll have to figure this out yourself.”
Sheila looked like she was on the verge of tears. “I can’t! I don’t even qualify for a credit card, but you do. Just get an advance or something!”
“No way! I’ve got plans for that money. What happened to those millions your system gave you before? Why not use that?”
Upon mentioning that, Sheila’s expression twisted into rage.
“That money’s locked! I can’t use it unless I completely ruin Zea’s life and take everything from her, including her fate as the ‘rich daughter’ of the Smiths. That’s how the system works! And I was so close! At the opening ceremony, she should’ve exposed me for stealing her identity. I had all the evidence ready to humiliate her. But no! She actually went along with the poor-student label. Now my plan is useless!”
Yet, Jericho just smirked and commented, "Easy! I have an idea."
He then leaned in close and whispered something in her ear.
I couldn’t make out what they were plotting, but I knew one thing—it wasn’t anything good.
Anyway, I had bought a few mini spy cameras to keep on me just in case.
That night, right before bed, the class group chat suddenly blew up.
Despite not having a lot of money, Sheila was inviting everyone to a karaoke party the next day on her dime.
To make sure I showed up, she even tagged me in our group chat directly.
Since I had a bad feeling about it, I initially didn't want to go, but I changed my mind in the next second and replied, “Sure, I’ll be there.”
I was curious. I wanted to see exactly what they were planning.
The next day, after finishing our part-time shifts, Anastasia and I headed to the karaoke bar. Most of our classmates were already there, gathered around Sheila, fawning over the necklace she was wearing.
Sheila grinned proudly and said, “Of course it’s beautiful! My parents gave it to me. That pink diamond alone costs over seven hundred grand. The whole thing’s worth at least three million.”
I glanced at her necklace under the lights, but it didn’t even sparkle properly. Compared to the real pieces my parents had gifted me, it was clearly fake.
But of course, the other students didn’t know any better.
“Wow, no wonder it looked so stunning. I should’ve known it was that expensive!”
“Yeah, you better hold on tight to that thing. Losing it would be a nightmare.”
Sheila responded with a few casual replies, then warmly invited me to sit beside her. She even helped move my bag to a chair in the corner, saying it would be more comfortable there.
I stayed alert, watching her every move. But aside from stepping out to use the restroom once, she didn’t leave her seat the entire time.
Eventually, the night came to an end, and everyone was getting ready to head home. Yet, Sheila still hadn’t done anything suspicious, so I started thinking maybe I was overreacting.
But just then, she suddenly pointed to her now bare wrist and shouted, “My bracelet! Where is it? My parents gave it to me!”
Hearing that her expensive bracelet was gone, the whole room started helping her search. We checked every corner of the karaoke room, even under the couches, but it was nowhere to be found.
As such, Sheila said, crying, “Has anyone taken interest in it? Please, I’m begging you, return it. It was a gift from my parents. I’ll just give you something else as a thank-you.”
Then she turned to me, eyes wide with sorrow.
“Zea, you were sitting closest to me. Are you sure you didn’t see where my pink diamond bracelet went?”
