I let out a snicker and nodded earnestly.

“Don’t worry. They are all untouched.”

…

Caught in the temptation of hot hunks and wealth, Cassie pulled together a million bucks in just three days.

With the funds hitting my account, I graciously pulled up the social media profiles of the three boyfriends and asked Cassie which one she’d like to begin with.

After much consideration, Cassie chose to unlock Camden Forest, a young scientific prodigy.

“I’ll go with him. He’s like the boy-next-door type, very approachable. I should get him wrapped around my finger in no time.”

I smiled at her comment before cutting to the chase.

“Camden Forest, age 27. He holds four PhDs from the world’s most elite universities. He’s employed at a top research institute, with a senior-level role and full government perks.

“I got to know him through a forum for exotic plants. Beyond science, plants are pretty much his hobby. That was pretty much my way in.

“I’m the type who can’t even keep a cactus alive, but I put in the work to learn the lingo. I’ll send you my cheat sheet. Read it, learn it, and memorize every little detail by heart.”

Cassie’s jaw dropped as I forwarded 200 gigabytes of botanical study notes.

“He’s a perfectionist at work, ultra-efficient. In private, though, he’s sarcastic and intense. He has zero tolerance for stupidity, even if he won’t admit it.

“You should be confident in front of him, but play it coy a little. A touch of cluelessness works like a charm. Don’t overdo it.

“Oh, and he’s severely allergic to cats.”

After passing over all the files on Camden, I went over our daily interactions, nicknames, and special milestones before flashing Cassie an encouraging smile.

“That’s pretty much everything. Good luck. You’ve got this.”

[Not going to lie. Poppy knows her stuff when it comes to men. 200GB of notes? It should take more than a month to go through the whole thing.]

[Poppy’s only working hard because she’s there for support. She’s no main character. She has to cram just to earn the tiniest favor. Cassie is born to be the heroine. She doesn’t need to try for these male leads to fall head over heels in love with her.]

Cassie stared at the folder with a scowl, but her face beamed at the comments.

She held her phone and deleted the data right in my face.

“Poppy, save your idiot’s guide to yourself. It’s not for me.

“Watch and learn. I’ll have Camden under my spell. He’ll be smitten with me, even if all I do is talk about SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Not the least bit upset, I smiled brightly.

“Good luck to you.

“Just a heads-up. The deal is final. Whatever happens, I don’t accept refunds or returns.”

Cassie scoffed.

“I’m not going to change my mind. I hope you don’t either.”

She logged into my alternative account and threw herself into chatting up Camden.

At a get-together a week later, Cassie was eager to show off her necklace.

“Isn’t it pretty? It’s Van Cleef & Arpels’ newest floral collection. This piece alone is worth eight million bucks.

“All I did was mention it to Camden when I saw the piece in the ad. He bought me the necklace right away.”

While she bragged, her eyes locked onto me as I was knee-deep in a book. Cassie raised a question, not keeping her voice down.

“That reminds me, Poppy. You were with Camden for quite a while. Did he ever get you anything?”

…

I fell into contemplation.

“Let’s see… A pressed-leaf bookmark, a book on flora he authored that retails about 29 bucks, and a rose pin he made himself.”

“That’s it?”

Cassie’s grin couldn’t be wider.

“That’s not even a fraction of what my diamond necklace is worth. Talk about a total failure. Your study notes came to nothing.”

I smiled without another word.

Displeased with my composure, Cassie leaned closer to rub it in even more.

“He was still a cynical jerk to you even after you memorized all that information. Meanwhile, I take control of the conversation and ramble on about some celebrity gossip. He soaked it up anyway. He thinks I’m the cutest thing ever!

“Whoever said that a man of science wasn’t romantic. It’s clear who he cares about.”

Cassie smirked in delight and stared down at me with pity.

“Oops, here I go again with my big, fat mouth.

“Don’t take my remarks to heart, Poppy. Please don’t be upset.”

I wasn’t offended. I had kept Camden around the longest, but he was also the one who barely had my attention.

It all started when we crossed paths on a plant enthusiast message board.

That day, I shared a picture of a wilting plant, asking for help. Camden, his username a default numeric ID, pinpointed the exact coordinates of my dorm just from the angle of the sunlight. He proceeded to provide me with ultra-detailed guidance on plant care.

I tried adding him and even had a drink sent over as a thank-you, but he turned me down callously.

“I’m sorry, but my time is far too valuable to waste on meaningless people and things.”

My lips curled in disdain.

I snapped a shot of the plant, candidly framing the glass reflection to catch my curves before hitting the send button.

“But professor, I’d love to pick your brain on botany sometime…”

It took Camden three seconds to accept my friend request.

His social media profile wasn’t public, complete with a default avatar for a profile picture. His entire profile didn’t show much of human life.

However, I managed to trace who he was through a single like on a video he left three months ago.

Camden’s comment on the video, simply calling it “decent”, racked up tens of thousands of likes and countless replies.

“Oh, man! It’s Camden in the flesh!”

“First here to comment! I want to screenshot this moment!”

“I’d give up salt in my food for a decade just for a chance for Camden to review my project.”

A quick search revealed Camden’s information to me. His long list of prestigious achievements nearly blinded me in the dark.

From that day on, I channeled the same energy I had for my SATs, grinding and committing to volumes of botanical facts.

I’d flex my knowledge on botanical trivia while we talked online.

Of course, there were the occasional thirst-trap photos I would drop here and there. I made sure not to show my face, just giving out the vibes.

Six months later, the cynical closeted romantic dropped his holy act and was eager to lock me down.

Amused, I asked him in a feigned vulnerable voice, “But what if I’m ugly? What if my looks make you hurl for a week straight?”

Here I thought he’d play nice and say that looks didn’t matter in the dark, but he shot back a reply without a second thought.

“I’ve spent my life among plants, but you’re the first rose I’ve ever tried to nurture beyond the soil.

“No matter what you look like, you’re my one and only, the one-of-a-kind presence in my life.”

…

I’d be lying to say I didn’t have butterflies for a second.

The next day, Mrs. Gwena from the orphanage suffered a heart attack. The only cardiologist I knew of was out of town. Camden was my only link to the medical field.

Clinging to the last shred of hope, I texted Camden. Fresh off an important plant genome sequencing experiment, he responded immediately despite the fatigue in his voice, “I’m acquainted with Dr. Lambert at the Central Hospital. I’ll put you in touch.”

I clutched my phone outside the emergency room until the wee hours of the morning. Yet, there wasn’t a word from Dr. Lambert.

In between, I sent dozens of messages, asking for an update. Camden simply texted back, “There’s an issue with my experiment data. That’s my priority right now. Just hang tight.”

By the time he got around to reaching the cardiologist, it was too late for Mrs. Gwena.

For the next three months, Camden fell off the grid.

Just as I moved on to a new online fling, thinking he’d dropped off the face of the earth, he somehow crawled back out of the woodwork.

There was not a single apology or explanation for his disappearance. Camden jumped right back into my life, requesting a shot of my long legs.

I couldn’t believe the guy. Back then, I was tempted to tear him a new one before blocking him for good.

However, a fallout was the last thing I needed. In the end, I strung him along while keeping him at arm’s length.

I planned to ghost him until Camden got fed up and dumped me. To my surprise, he became obsessed with the idea of meeting me in person.

It was perfect timing on Cassie’s part to take him off my hands.

The serene smile on my face rubbed Cassie the wrong way as her jabs weren’t getting anywhere.

Just then, her phone rang, and it was Camden calling.

With her face lighting up, Cassie put the call on loudspeaker and spoke in a sultrily sweet voice.

“Hey, babe. Why are you calling at this hour? Do you miss me?”

The voice on the other end of the line was husky and offhanded.

“I happened to drive past the café you said you’d be at. How about I drop by, so we can meet?”

Taken aback, Cassie stole a glance at me. “Huh? But I’m with a friend. I should tell her to leave—”

“It’s alright. A friend of yours is a friend of mine. It’ll be my treat.”

He chuckled, his voice deep and husky.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for far too long.”

[Holy cow! Here comes the showdown I live for!]

[Don’t back down now, girl! Camden is totally all over you. Let him come. Show Poppy what a catch she has lost. I bet she’ll be weeping on the floor soon enough!]

As her eyes sparkled, Cassie shared her coordinates.

Ten minutes later, the chimes at the entrance jingled, and a tall silhouette approached.

Before I lifted my head, Cassie jumped up with a smile. Hey, babe. I—”

Before Cassie could finish, the person pulled a chair out and sat right across from me.