Chapter 3The Professional Gold Digger

No wonder.

No wonder Julian had randomly transferred half a million dollars to me this morning.

I actually thought he was giving it to me for our "dating" anniversary.

The day after tomorrow marked five years since we "started dating."

I felt incredibly guilty after receiving the half a million.

Because I hadn't prepared a single thing for him, and I certainly wasn't going to transfer money back to him.

It wasn't that I didn't want to spend money on him.

It was mainly because he didn't need it.

And, obviously, I was cheap.

So, I had carefully selected a high-end French restaurant.

I booked the entire place.

I even planned to play a slideshow.

I had several major projects on my plate at the time, so I had stayed up all night to put the slideshow together.

I had just finished it and sent it to the restaurant right before Julian called me over here.

The slideshow documented all the little moments of our last five years.

Going to college together.

I answered roll call for him while he slept on the desk next to me.

When the professor questioned me, I shamelessly said: "I'm his future wife. We are one entity, so me answering for him is the same thing."

The whole lecture hall had erupted in cheers.

Traveling together.

He loved extreme sports: skydiving, black-diamond snowboarding.

His rich trust-fund friends valued their lives too much to join him, so I was the only one willing to risk my neck to keep him company.

Afterward, my legs would be shaking so badly I almost collapsed.

When the world was spinning, he pulled me into his arms.

Moving in together.

We watched TV together, went grocery shopping together, cooked together...

Well, I cooked, and he ate.

Julian hated having maids around, and he didn't like hiring cleaning services either.

I don't know when it started, but he eventually started volunteering to wash the dishes.

The memories ended there.

I was just wondering if I could still get a refund from that French restaurant for tomorrow night.

Julian frowned at me: "What took you so long?"

Having not slept for two days straight, I was feeling a bit dizzy and seeing spots.

Chloe looked up at me.

"Are you... Hazel?"

I smiled and greeted her.

She wiped her tears and said: "I'm sorry you had to see me looking like such a mess."

"I'm sorry to trouble you, but Julian said you're really good at taking care of people..."

I looked at Julian.

Julian said naturally: "You take care of her."

"She hasn't eaten in two days. Make her something to eat. And her clothes are too thin, go buy her a change of clothes..."

As Julian rattled off his demands, I just kept nodding, nodding, nodding.

I said: "Yes, sir. No problem. Received. I'm on it right now."

My obedient, compliant response suddenly left Julian speechless.

I was taking notes on my phone. When I heard silence, I looked up at him, confused.

"Is that all? Ju... Mr. Sterling."

I almost slipped up and called him by his first name.

Calling him "Julian" was something he had specifically told me to do back when we were putting on the act for his grandfather.

There were too many occasions where we had to pretend.

He specifically allowed me to use that name, and I eventually just got used to it.

But now that Chloe was back, if I kept calling him that and she got jealous, Julian would absolutely destroy me.

Julian's gaze was heavy.

Seeing that he seemed to be finished, I turned to walk out.

Julian suddenly shouted:

"Hazel, stop right there!"

He startled me.

I turned back to him, putting on my best sycophantic smile: "Mr. Sterling, do you have any other orders?"

Julian's expression looked awful. He seemed to grind out every single word through his teeth:

"Do you not have anything you want to ask me?"

Ask what?

Julian glared at me. He was so angry his cheeks were slightly puffed out, his jawline clenched tight.

He looked like a very handsome toad.

I thought about it for a second, then asked: "What is Ms. Vance's clothing size?"

Actually, I could tell by looking at her.

She was probably a size Small.

She was even thinner than she was in high school. I don't know if she was trying to fit the aesthetic of the European fashion scene, or if she just hadn't been living well these past few years.

Or maybe both.

Unlike me.

I ate well, slept well, and was a solid two sizes bigger than I was back then.

I'm 5'3" and weigh about 130 pounds.

When my friends told me to lose weight, I told them this is what prosperity looks like.

I grew up poor; I like looking like I have money now.

If I lost weight and hired male models, it would just be a waste of good money on them.

Julian laughed.

But it was a dark, menacing laugh.

He said: "Hazel, you are unbelievable."

"Hey! Thank you, Mr. Sterling!"