Chapter 3Spoiler Alert: The Side Character Wins

"Great. I agree. You should pay. After all, you've taken way more than $800 from me over the years." I shoved Carter away. And then I dialed 911.

Both of them froze. Carter looked panicked. He realized he'd spoken too soon in the heat of the moment. His graduation thesis relied entirely on my lab data. Without me, he'd fail the year. Offending me now was career suicide.

The police and the salon owner arrived at the same time. The owner was confused. She'd just stepped out for coffee. When the cops explained the situation—a technician upcharging $800 without consent—her face went pale. Her shop was next to the university. If word got out she was scamming students, her business would die.

"Miss, I am so sorry," the owner said, glaring at Lila. "This is unauthorized. The manicure is free. In fact, here's a voucher for a free service by me personally. Please, let's not involve the officers further."

"You need to fix your hiring process," I said coldly. "She shouldn't be working here."

The owner nodded, pulled out some cash, and shoved it at Lila. "Here's your day's pay. Get out. You're fired."

Lila looked furious. She opened her mouth to argue, but the officer cut her off. "Miss, if the customer presses charges for attempted fraud, that's a misdemeanor or worse depending on the amount. You want a ride to the station?" Lila shut her mouth.

I accepted the owner's apology and left. I had a lab to get to. Carter, of course, stayed behind to comfort the crying scammer.

The text stream scrolled by: [Okay, the villainess was actually kind of cool there.] [Right? She was a boss. Why does she have to be the blood bag for the male lead?] [The heroine is giving major Pick-Me energy.] [Carter is comforting Lila! OMG ship it!]

Let them have each other. As I walked, I read the comments closely. I realized I was a "cannon fodder" character in a college romance novel. My role? To be the rich, smart girlfriend who funds Carter's life and does his homework, only to be dumped once he becomes successful. He would use my data to publish a top-tier paper, become a star, and I would go blind from overwork before thirty. He’d let his kids call Lila "Mom." Not in this timeline.