I started working part time at the coffee shop close to the school.

It was convenient for me and the pay wasn't so bad.

When I told Lily about it, her face showed disappointment and she told me she didn't know people could be paid such a meagre amount of money for work.

When she told me how much her gardener back home earned, my mouth dropped.

What I saw as enough money to go by was nothing to Lily.

She could spend times ten of it in a day if she wanted to.

But I had to survive, so I ignored her snide comments and focused on my work and studies which was important for someone without privileges like me.

I would return home sometimes and meet an empty room, and she wouldn't return until early the next morning. She tried countless times to take me to one of her all-night parties but I always refused. I was either very tired from working, or had an early class the next morning.

One day, while working, I sighted Lily sitting at one of the tables. Knowing she would never just come here, I walked up to her to ask what's up.

She waved when she saw me approach the table.

"Hi El!"

Only Lily cut my name short. I've asked countless times that she calls me by my full name but she constantly refuses.

"Why are you here, Lily?"

She frowned at my lack of enthusiasm.

"Brighten up El, you look like a sad puppy."

She pointed at the guy sitting opposite her. "This is my boyfriend, Jason."

I only nodded at the guy, I didn't smile at him because I was pretty sure he'd come here before with another girl.

"Can we talk in private?" I took her hands and dragged her to a corner.

"When did you start dating Jason?"

"He asked me out last night," she blushed hard as her memories traveled back. "We met at the party and our vibes just matched. Can you believe that?"

Of course I couldn't.

"What if he's with you because of your money?"

Lily only smiled. "What are you saying El? People come around me BECAUSE of my money. It's nothing new. They overlook my bitchy attitude because of what I have to offer."

I thought about it. It sounded kind of sad that if her father wasn't Damian Blackwell, she would be a loner.

But on another thought, she wouldn't be such a bitch if her father wasn't Damian Blackwell.

"What are you thinking about? Are you also my friend because of my money?"

My jaw tensed and I hesitated.

"We're not friends. We're just roommates."

I couldn't tell if she was satisfied or hurt by my answer because her face showed no reaction nor emotion.

"Before I forget why I came here," she started. "You have to stop this job," she gaze swept over the place disapprovingly. "I have something better for you."

I wanted to lash at her for thinking she could just come around and tell me what to do with my life. But I calmed myself to hear what better offer she had for me.

"Tell me why you came here. I have to go back to work."

"It's about my father."

My heart stopped at the mention of her father. I had tried so hard to stop thinking about the man, Damian Blackwell. And I was so grateful that Lily hadn't mentioned his name for days now.

"My father wants me to get a tutor."

"What has that got to do with me?" I asked, reminding myself to breathe.

"I want you to tutor me."

For the first time that day, I laughed. "Me?"

She blinked once, slowly, as if trying to remain patient. "Are you dumb? You're so smart, who else would I choose to tutor me?"

"Your sentence is contradictory."

"Stop showing off El, I don't have all day. Are you in or out?"

I sighed. At this rate, Lily would make me lose my job. "Why do you want a tutor?"

She flipped her hair. "Daddy and I were talking, and he said that if I got a very good score this semester, he'd let me live off campus."

"Our dorm is the nicest on campus."

Her chin lifted in a smug way. "I thought I'd love staying in a dorm to socialize but I don't like it anymore. There's too many rules and Lily Blackwell doesn't like rules."

Staying with Lily, I realized that rich people's problems were mostly always insignificant and often not real life problems.

Unfortunately for me, Lily and I studied the same course but for different purposes.

I studied business management to later become a corporate lawyer one day, Lily studied it to take over one of her father's numerous companies in the future.

"Are you doing it or not?" She looked like she was running out of patience with me.

"How much are you offering?"

"How much do you want?"

I hesitated, how much could I possibly charge a rich kid like Lily without it seeming like a rip-off.

"Uhm...eighty per hour?"

Lily's eyes widened in surprise.

"I meant hundred...hundred per hour."

"Okay," she smiled. "I can only spare three hours a day. I still have my social life to attend to."

I tried to hide the shock in my face.

A hundred per hour?

I knew I had hit the jackpot when I got Lily Blackwell for a roommate.

Who else would pay a hundred for tutoring? I wasn't even a certified tutor or a senior student.

"That concludes it then. Can I go back to Jason now?"

I nodded, still in shock. "Yeah. I'll submit my resignation here today."

She smirked. "Good."

"Oh...lest I forget. Get ready to talk to my dad tonight."

I grabbed her before she walked away, my hands trembling.

"What- what did you just say? I'm going to speak with your father?"

Lily brushed off my hand from hers. "You don't get a job without an interview. Do you? If my father is going to pay someone a hundred dollars per hour, he's going to want to know if that person is capable enough."

She walked over to Jason, gave him a kiss and walked out of the cafe.

Jason grabbed her bag and his, running after her like a dog following its owner.

And me, I remained still like a statue, my mouth agape.

My heart beat accelerated just by hearing his name.

I wasn't ready to talk to him!

Not in a million years!!

By the time my shift ended, I had already written my resignation letter and memorized my conversation with Damian Blackwell a dozen times.

Thankfully, it wouldn't be in person but that didn't make it any less nerve wracking.

The thought of facing Damian Blackwell, even through a screen, made my heart race. A man as powerful as him would be bothered to interview a first year university student like me.

He didn't even bother to interview honorary graduates that apply at his company everyday.

As I walked back to our dorm, I kept telling myself not to flop this. I needed the money for my survival so there was no way I was going to fail at this.

I pushed open the door to our dorm room, expecting Lily to already be there, casually lounging on her bed. But the room was empty.

I sat on my bed, waiting for Lily to return. That was when I got a message from her, a link. Then another message saying, 'In five minutes, click on the link'.

What?

It's going to be just us?

I thought Lily would be with me, it would have helped a lot in controlling my nerves.

You can do this Elena!

I sat down at my desk, staring at my phone. The time on the clock ticked louder in my ears with every passing second.

Five minutes. It was time.

My fingers tapped on the screen, clicking the link Lily had sent. The screen loaded, and then there he was - Damian Blackwell.

His face was stern. Serious and all business. I smiled and when he didn't smile back, I went straight to the point.

"Good evening, Mr. Blackwell."

"Miss Elena Reyes."

I froze, heart hammering in my chest.

His voice cut through the silence, rich and authoritative. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything? You don't look ready to talk."

I swallowed hard. "No, Mr. Blackwell. I'm ready."

He gave a slight nod, and the cool, detached expression he wore made my nerves spike even more.

"Lily tells me you're quite capable," he began, his eyes scanning me as if I were a commodity he was appraising. "She speaks highly of your academic abilities. But before we proceed with any arrangements, I need to be certain you're the right fit."

I barely heard him. My mind was buzzing, stuck on his last name, and the reminder of who he was. But I wasn't about to back out now. Not when a hundred dollars an hour was staring me in the face.

"I'm confident I can help Lily with her studies," I said, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. "I'm very familiar with the curriculum and I have experience tutoring."

That was a lie? Why did I lie?!

He raised an eyebrow. "Experience, huh? You're not a certified tutor. What makes you think you can handle my daughter?"

His question hung in the air, sharp and pointed.

Did he know I was lying?

Is this like a test?

I clenched my fists, trying to keep my composure. "I'm a business management student, same as Lily. If she left seniors and teachers to come to me for tutoring, it must mean that I am pretty good."

I think I must have come off as proud.

Damian's gaze remained steady, unblinking, as if evaluating my every word.

"You're smart and you know it. That's good, but is it enough? What if you fail?"

He leaned in slightly, his eyes narrowing.

The tension in my chest tightened. I knew what was going on, he was trying to intimidate me and I wouldn't let him.

"I'm not going to fail, Mr. Blackwell," I said, my voice steady despite the rapid beating of my heart. "I scored the highest in my scholarship exam and you're fully aware of that. I read ahead of my peers and I can say that I am ahead in class. I am going to tutor Lily to the best of my abilities because you, Mr. Blackwell, you're going to be paying me well for that. Lily wants a house off campus and I just want the money that comes with her desires. We both have our motivations so I am certain we won't fail." I breathed deeply. "But then, if Lily fails, it'd be on her, not me."

Damian studied me for a long moment.

At that moment, I regretted submitting my resignation letter at the cafe when I wasn't sure of the job.

I would go back there, cry and beg until my job was given back to me.

I thought I saw his lips twitch for a small moment. He sat back in his chair, nodding slowly.

"Fair enough," he said, his tone softening slightly. "I'll leave you guys to it."

I nodded, trying to push past the unease that crawled up my spine. "Thank you for the opportunity."

I got no reply. The screen blinked, and just like that, the call ended.

I sat there, frozen, trying to process everything that had just happened.

I'd done it. I'd made it through the interview.

This was the beginning of something new for me. Slowly, I would learn more about Lily's rich lifestyle. It really fascinated me, maybe because I had never been around someone with so much money....as much as the Blackwell's.

Didn't Lily say she was used to people being around her for monetary gains?

What would I gain if I get closer to her?

What if I became more than a roommate, a tutor?

A friend?

A true friend....

In a matter of minutes, I had gone from being a broke university student to earning three hundred dollars everyday.

I was now part of the Blackwell world, even though it was only by association.

I glanced at Lily's bed. Maybe I could become her true friend.

Not for her money...I convinced myself.

I didn't want to use her.

I just didn't want to be left behind.

As I lay back on my bed, one thought circled in my mind: This is just the beginning.

Three days after the call with Damian Blackwell, I walked out of the campus bookstore with a brand new MacBook in my arms.

It wasn't technically mine. Lily had bought it, smiling as she handed over her platinum credit card like it was no big deal.

"You're going to need something decent if you're tutoring me properly," she had said, casually sipping on a caramel macchiato that cost more than my weekly grocery budget.

I had hesitated...barely. "You're sure?" I asked, trying not to look too eager.

"Of course," she waved me off. "Think of it as an investment. You're helping me pass, I should do this much for you."

I was helping her, wasn't I?

So, I didn't say no. I didn't push her hand back or insist on buying a second-hand laptop. I let her do it. And maybe, just maybe, it felt a little too easy.

That's how it started.

The laptop led to other "necessities".

Like noise-cancelling headphones for late-night study sessions, then a few textbooks she ordered without even checking the price tag. Before I could blink, I had access to a lifestyle I'd only dreamed of.

Lily didn't seem to mind. In fact, she welcomed the company.

We weren't just tutor and student anymore, we became a unit-inseparable.

She'd drag me along with her to lunch dates with her fellow rich friends, and eventually, I started joining her on weekend parties.

The first time I slid into her custom red Porsche 911 turbo S, my breath hitched. I'd never ridden in a car that expensive, let alone had someone open the door for me. Her driver nodded at me like I belonged there.

It was addicting.

At the party, people greeted her like royalty. Lily Blackwell was the kind of girl who owned a room without trying. And suddenly, I was standing beside her, introduced as "her brilliant tutor and roommate" and not just another broke freshman.

I played the role well.

"Is it true you scored highest in the scholarship exam?" one guy asked, handing me a glass of something fruity.

"Top 1, we were more than a thousand students," I replied smoothly, smiling like I belonged there.

Lily leaned into me, drunk on cocktails and attention. "See? I told you she's a genius."

I soaked it in, the warmth of admiration, the shine of recognition.

Something whispered to me...Why are you using her?

But I pushed the thought aside.

Lily didn't mind, right?

Because I was tutoring her. Every night after the day's activities or parties, we'd sit at her desk, textbooks spread out, notes highlighted, coffee brewing. I explained every theory, broke down every case study, and made sure she understood before we called it a night.

I noticed that Lily was smart, she was only just distracted.

"You actually make this stuff interesting," she told me once, eyes wide with realization after I explained a business strategy concept using her favorite shopping mall as a model.

"You just need to stop zoning out when things get boring," I told her.

We had fun. We had moments. And slowly, I felt myself falling deep into the lifestyle that could never be mine.

Still, I couldn't ignore the perks.

The day I mentioned I'd need a printer for some research, she bought a high-end one the next morning. When I commented offhandedly about needing new shoes because mine were worn down to the sole, she took me shopping that weekend and got me bags of clothes and shoes.

At first, I justified it all.

She offered. I never asked.

But eventually, I got comfortable suggesting.

"I heard there's this expensive database for management research," I said one night. "It'd really help if I could get access."

She handed me her credit card without blinking.

One time, there was an elite business networking event exclusively for final year students. I really wanted to attend so I told Lily that it was important for our studies and research. She used her influence and money to get us into the event venue.

I stood in front of the mirror before that event, staring at the designer dress she'd picked for me. It hugged my body like a second skin, the tag price making my stomach twist. It was beautiful.

"I don't know if I can wear this," I murmured.

"Why not?" she asked, applying her lipstick. "You look amazing."

"I'm not like... you," I said quietly.

She turned to me, her expression serious. "El, I like having you around. You're the first real person I've met in this school. So stop acting like you don't belong."

I nodded slowly, biting back the guilt. Because deep down, I wasn't sure if I was real. Or if I was with her for the benefits.

My old cracked phone was replaced with the latest model. Another gift from Lily after she caught me squinting at my screen during a study session.

"I can't have you going blind while tutoring me," she had teased.

I should've said no.

But I didn't.

And while our friendship grew, so did the unease in my chest.

And all these didn't affect my payment for tutoring her.

Damian Blackwell sent it directly to me when it was due. Sometimes, Lily would add in a word or two for me and her father would add extra pay for my services.

Every time she bought something for me, a voice told me that I wasn't her friend, I was a parasite.

But I ignored it, again and again, convincing myself that I was earning my place. That I was giving her real value in return, real friendship.

I told her about Jason's infidelity and she broke up with him immediately. Even though I tutored her, she made me do her assignments and wandered off to a party or to see a new guy.

Lily always had a new guy.....and she made me promise not to tell her father.

Why would I?

I liked this world too much....the comfort, the ease, the way she made my life so easy.

And that was when crazy ideas began creeping into my mind.

If I could get this much from Lily, what more could I get if I clawed my way into the Blackwell family?

My life would probably change for good, right?