Chapter 1
My roommate thought her online boyfriend was a control freak and wanted to hand him off to me.
“He’s always checking my location and even telling me what to wear,” Stella complained. “You never had a dad, so maybe you’d actually like that kind of controlling older guy.”
I was about to slap her across the face when a line of floating text suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Dela is so clueless. This older guy is hot, loaded, and has more stamina than college boys. Act cute for a little while and he’ll hand you his whole life.
Older men do like to be controlling, but they control you by dressing you up, cooking for you, buying you mansions, moving you into better school districts, and dragging you from community college all the way to Harvard.
Don’t worry. Clare is just a tool. Once the older guy realizes he’s talking to someone else, he’ll come back for Stella, and then we’ll get the forced-romance storyline we love.
My raised hand slowly lowered. Instead of hitting her, I gently patted my roommate’s cheek.
“Thank you,” I said sweetly. “I’ll take very good care of this relationship.”
Money or no money didn’t matter.
What I really wanted was Harvard.
After Stella gave me access to her alternate account, I changed the password immediately. The moment I logged in, I was flooded with messages.
You there?
Why aren’t you replying?
Skipping class now?
Why has your location been stuck at the dorm?
Answer the phone.
The last message had been sent two hours earlier.
I’ve already bought a ticket back to the States. You’d better give me an explanation.
At that, I quickly scrolled through their chat history.
Just like Stella had said, he was an older man who lived overseas most of the year. They didn’t talk constantly, but whenever they did, he always asked what she had done that day, whether she had eaten, and if she was studying. He also pushed her to transfer schools, go to grad school, and even get a doctorate.
Of course, it wasn’t all lectures.
He sent money too.
Five thousand dollars at a time.
For an ordinary college student, that was pretty generous. For Stella, it probably wouldn’t even cover one handbag.
She had clearly tried asking him for more, but he had refused.
I’ve looked into it. Most students’ living expenses don’t exceed $2,000. $5,000 is more than enough.
Don’t flaunt your wealth. You shouldn’t be too flashy at school, or you’ll attract jealousy.
Those two messages had probably convinced Stella he was a stingy, preachy old man.
Lucky for me, it had already been two days since their last conversation. Stella hadn’t replied to any of his messages, which must have been driving him crazy.
I quickly opened the text box and typed:
I’m so sorry. I’ve had a fever these past two days. I’ve been completely out of it, and my phone broke.
Less than three seconds after I sent it, he called.
I took a deep breath, declined the call, and typed instead:
My throat is hoarse. I can’t talk right now.
He was silent for a few seconds.
Then he sent a transfer.
$100,000.
Is it because I didn’t give you enough spending money last time? Are you angry?
I stared at the screen, counting the zeros as my fingers trembled.
One hundred thousand dollars.
Just like that.
Who said this old man was stingy?
He was unbelievably generous.