One of Zachary's friends chortled before handing him a wad of cash, which he stuffed into Kelly's hand. Then, Zachary turned to me with a teasing look in his eyes.

"Melissa, you really can't leave me, huh? To the point that you came running as soon as you heard that something had happened to me, even forgoing washing your face!"

His friends were quick to join in, with one guy jeering with a wide grin, "Melissa, Zach already said that he didn't like you and broke up with you, so why did you still rush here? Could it be that no one else wants you?"

Another chimed in. "Zach, look at how much of a hurry she was in! Maybe she rushed here because she wants to continue servicing you? Or maybe she wants to beg you to get back together with her!"

"Right! Didn't she use to act all high and mighty last time, like she was better than us? Yet, here she is now, having come immediately when called!"

"If you ask me, she didn't really mean it when she said she wanted to break up. She's just purposely playing hard to get!"

I stood rooted to the same spot, unable to stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks.

The mockery on Zachary's face deepened when he saw that I was crying. Pushing Kelly off his lap, he strode toward me and seized my jaw, forcing my head up to look at him.

"What are you crying about?" He leaned closer, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Briefly brushing his lips against mine, he said flippantly, "Do you regret it now? Go on, then. Beg me. As long as you beg me, I'll—"

He didn't get to finish as I slapped him hard.

The laughter in the living room abruptly ceased, and everyone sucked in a breath at the loud smacking sound.

Zachary's smile stiffened before his gaze turned icy. With a furrow of his brow, he shoved me away. "Melissa Sole, you actually dared to hit me? Over such a stupid and small matter?"

Kelly hurried over to grab his arm, cooing, "Zach, don't be mad. She's just mad with jealousy, that's all."

Then, she glanced at me before continuing, "She's always been like this, deliberately getting a little too close to the other guys in class and stringing them along. Isn't all that so she would constantly have men fawning over her? What's with the pure and innocent act now?"

I swiped away my tears, my eyes red as I declared loudly, "Zachary Corington, I must have been blind last time to have gotten together with you. From today on, I won't seek you out again. Even if you die, it has nothing to do with me!"

Hearing that, Zachary was momentarily stunned, a panicked look flickering across his eyes. However, in the next second, a scoff left his lips before he burst into laughter.

"The last time you threw a temper tantrum, you still came crawling back to me three days later while hugging the plushie I gave you. Trying to use the same trick again this time? Alright then, I'll be waiting, but don't come begging me after you start regretting your actions."

With that, he leaned back on the couch, wrapped his arm around Kelly, and turned to whisper something in his friend's ear. He didn't even bother sparing me another glance, seemingly confident that I would return to his side.

As the group of friends laughed and joked with each other, I spun on my heel and left.

The instant I arrived back downstairs, I spotted my scooter tilted to one side, the back tire looking flat. Someone had punctured it.

With much difficulty, I pushed my scooter along as I headed back to my dorm. The way I had to take was rather dark, with the occasional drunk stumbling by.

Unease swirled through me, and I quickened my pace.

Thankfully, I arrived at my dorm without any issues. The box of Zachary's gifts was still by the door.

The more I thought about him, the angrier I got. Kicking the box into a corner, I flopped onto my bed and was soon fast asleep.

The next morning, I brought the box with me to a courier service center. When I scanned the QR code to make my payment, a notification popped up saying I had insufficient balance.

After checking my account, I realized that Zachary had transferred away the remaining 300 dollars I had left yesterday afternoon. That was the money I had saved up after two months of working at part-time jobs!

"Hey, miss, hurry it up! People are waiting, you know!" the staff member at the counter urged impatiently.

The other students lining up nearby looked over at the commotion. Some of them recognized me and began gossiping.

"Isn't that the little pet who broke up with her backer? I heard that she used to spend Zachary's money lavishly. Seems like she's broke now that she's been dumped."

Another person spoke up loudly, his tone dripping with disdain. "Little pet? That's a nice way of putting it. Let's be frank here. She's nothing but a slut who sold her body for money. Didn't she get an award or something previously?"

Their mean words seemed to stab into my eardrums. I subconsciously tightened my grip on my phone and told the staff member to give me five minutes. Then, I ducked into an alley behind the store and made a call.

"Mom, could I borrow some money…"

Mom's voice blared over the speaker, almost deafening me. "You ungrateful wretch! Back then, we told you not to get involved with that rich boy, but you absolutely refused to listen! Now that he's dumped you, you're asking us for money? Serves you right, you good-for-nothing!"

I bit my lip, not daring to say a word as I hung up.

Left with no other choice, I could only head to Zachary's home while carrying the box myself. Along the way, the edges of the box dug into my arms painfully, and whenever I hefted the box up higher, some of the items would fall out. I could only clutch those in my hands.

I had only just reached the entrance to Zachary's neighborhood when he drove by in his car.

Kelly was seated in the front passenger seat, several shopping bags from luxury brands sitting in her lap. When she noticed me, she deliberately raised the bags to show them to me.

The car came to a stop beside me before Zachary rolled down the window. Glancing at the box I held, he let out an imperceptible sigh, then quirked an eyebrow with a light laugh.

"I knew you couldn't bear to leave me." He pointed at a nearby bench. "Wait there. Kelly and I are going ahead to buy a bag first, then I'll come back for you."

Before I could tell him that I was here to return these items, he had already stepped on the accelerator and zoomed off.

As they were about to disappear from sight, Kelly stuck her head out the window to wave back at me, her lips stretched in a smug smile.

I dumped the box at Zachary's front door before leaving. All the while, my mind buzzed with thoughts on how I could earn money.

I had no intention of asking for the 300 dollars back. I would simply take it as paying him back for the meals he had treated me to before.

…

That afternoon, our faculty suddenly announced that they would hold a recognition ceremony to award the National Scholarship recipient.

The department head had called me a day ago to tell me that I was the recipient, so I had to prepare a speech.

However, the person who ended up on the stage to receive the award was Kelly.

She was clad in a new dress that Zachary had bought her, and even her complexion seemed a shade brighter.

After accepting the certificate, she deliberately approached me as she left the stage. In a voice low enough that only the two of us could hear, she said, "Melissa, someone reported you for improper conduct, so you can't blame me for getting the award instead of you."

When I frowned, she continued, "You know, I even failed five classes, but Zach got in contact with the lecturers and had them change my grades. How could I possibly have graduated if not for him? Speaking of Zach, he wanted me to pass on a message.

"He said that, no matter how hard you work, you still can't beat the influence he has with just one sentence."