Chapter 1My Casanova Girlfriend

I am the definition of a quiet wallflower, yet my best friend, Serena, is the ultimate player.

I always thought she was too clever to ever get caught, but today, her luck finally ran out.

She burst into my apartment, her face pale with panic.

"I’m ruined, Paige!"

"I confessed to three different guys last night, and all three of them said yes! What am I supposed to do?"

As she paced the floor in a frenzy, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey, how about I give one of them to you?"

I thought she was joking, so I casually took the phone from her hand.

But the very next second, my breath caught in my throat.

One of the contact cards displaying a successful confession belonged to Liam, my high school classmate whom I had secretly loved for five long years. I thought I had buried those feelings years ago.

Yet, the moment I saw his face on her screen, my heart skipped a beat.

After a long silence, I looked up, keeping my voice as flat and casual as possible.

"Sure."

"Can you give this one to me?"

* * *

Serena went quiet for a few seconds.

She shot me a thoroughly surprised look.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to agree so quickly."

I scrolled through his profile, pretending to be indifferent. "He's handsome. Chatting with him isn't exactly a chore."

Serena didn't think much of it, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "True."

A quiet, bitter ache settled in my chest.

Serena was a breathtaking beauty. Whenever we traveled to different cities, street photographers would inevitably stop her, asking to take her picture.

She would flash them a radiant smile. "Is this free, or are you going to charge me?"

The photographers would laugh, their eyes filled with admiration for this stunning stranger. "For you? Absolutely free."

Meanwhile, I would stand awkwardly to the side, holding her coat and waiting for her to finish.

Life was rarely fair. I was always the one left in the shadow. I wasn't ugly, but I was entirely ordinary. Because of that, I hadn't dated once throughout my four years of college. I never initiated anything, and naturally, no one ever approached me.

So, being allowed to step into Serena’s shoes and talk to Liam felt like winning the lottery. It was a tiny, stolen piece of luck.

Serena explained that she and Liam had met through an online game. I was stunned to learn that the straight-A student who used to top our class ranking was involved in something as casual as online dating.

"He’s actually very generous," Serena said, tilting her head. "He’s probably quite wealthy, too. He bought me several thousand dollars' worth of in-game skins."

Then, as if remembering something amusing, she giggled. "But my other guys are much wealthier, so... oops!"

I remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"Besides, the others are guys I know in real life. He’s the only one I met on the internet." Serena paused, looking at me seriously. "So, if you meet him in person and he turns out to be a catfish, don't blame me."

I jumped out of my chair in a panic.

"What?" I gasped. "We have to meet in person?"