Nicolas immediately softened his tone.

“Ah, a ten-thousand-dollar gift is fine, but let’s make it seventeen thousand—sounds better that way.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I was certain he not only believed me but would keep pushing for more.

"By the way, baby, I lent some of my money to a friend for their business. I don’t have much left right now, so you’ll need to book the flights first."

"Huh?"

He sounded annoyed.

"Why would you lend money to someone without talking to me first? We’re going to get married eventually. Something this big should be discussed with me, don’t you think?"

"Nicolas, it’s my money. We’re not married yet, and you think you can control what I do with it?"

He paused for a moment, probably realizing my tone had turned sour.

"Baby, are you upset? I’m just thinking about our future here. We’re going to need money for a house, a car, and day-to-day expenses. You know I’m working on my business right now. Besides, who’s this friend? A lot of people borrow money these days and never pay it back. I just don’t want you to get scammed."

Hah. The most shameless scammer I had ever met was him, Nicolas Cleave, and yet he dared to warn me about others.

I ran my nails across the table, thinking about that ridiculous post of his. A mischievous idea struck me, and I casually made something up.

"I lent it to my boss, Aaron Ford. Don’t worry about it."

As expected, the moment Nicolas heard Aaron’s name, he completely lost it and started ranting.

"Aaron Ford? That big-shot CEO needed to borrow money from you? I saw him at that charity gala not long ago looking like he was on top of the world. And now he’s asking you for ten or twenty grand? That sounds fishy."

There was unmistakable jealousy and sarcasm laced in his words.

"I remember you two went to the same university, didn’t you? You must’ve known him back then."

Well, that part was true—we did know each other, but we were never close.

Of course, with Nicolas, I just wanted to rile him up.

"Yeah, we know each other. We get along pretty well. Why else would he ask me for money? Alright, enough already. You’re so annoying. I didn’t even touch your money."

With that, I hung up the phone and couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer.

How did I never realize before just how stupid Nicolas really was?

Back then, when Nicolas occasionally asked for gifts, he still managed to act somewhat reserved. Because of my high school memories of him—and since those things didn’t cost much—I rarely refused his requests.

Lately, though, he had gotten more and more out of hand.

Even without those eager netizens tagging me with screenshots of Nicolas’ posts, it was only a matter of time before I kicked him to the curb once my patience ran dry.

My phone chimed again. I glanced at it and realized Nicolas had posted something new using his burner account.

"Stupid man, cheap woman. I’m so pissed I could explode."

A bunch of laughing comments followed, mocking him and sarcastically asking if everything in his life was falling apart.

Commendably, everyone honored the unspoken agreement and withheld the fact that I knew about his hidden account.

Nicolas must have been fuming because he kept ranting in the replies.

"Just wait until I get my hands on some money. I’ll teach her a lesson."

"Women need to be put in their place. All of you too."

"Ha, what’s so great about that Ford guy? Without his family’s money, you think he’d still look so high and mighty?"

I locked my phone and let out a cold laugh.

What a dreamer.

Tomorrow was the 29th. Once I was done dealing with him, I could head home for New Year’s Eve dinner right on schedule.

I booked a return flight for the evening of the 30th. At that moment, another message popped up.

I thought it was Nicolas again, but when I opened it, I realized it wasn’t. It was from my boss, Aaron.

"Are you free these days?"

Having just used him as an excuse, I felt a tiny pang of guilt, so I responded more eagerly than usual.

"I’ll be away for the next couple of days, but I’m free starting New Year’s Day. If there’s anything you need, just let me know!"

As I typed, I sighed.

Alas, capitalists.

All they ever did was to exploit workers.

Aaron had been such a sweet and obedient junior back in college.

Money clearly changed people.

Still, when I thought about my handsome salary, working a little over the holidays didn’t seem so bad.

Honestly, even if Aaron asked me to cook him a New Year’s Eve dinner, I’d have to show up with enthusiasm!

But unexpectedly, the "capitalist" decided to show a bit of kindness.

"I don’t need you for work. Where are you going?"

I replied honestly, "Heading home with my boyfriend for a visit."

I hadn’t dealt with Nicolas, so I didn’t want to reveal anything just yet. If word spread at work, it wouldn’t look good for me. Besides, I had a few good friends in the office, and if they found out, they’d probably be furious. I didn’t want their holidays ruined by him.

"..."

Aaron sent a bunch of dots.

I thought that was the end of the conversation, but he sent another message.

"You two... aren’t married yet, right?"

The fact that my boss was prying into my personal life caught me off guard. Still, considering our history, I could technically call myself his senior from our university days. Maybe this wasn’t too inappropriate.

"That’s right."

Even though my thoughts were running wild, I still kept my reply straightforward.

"Then isn’t it a bit inappropriate to spend the holidays at his family’s house?"

Aaron’s concern seemed to go beyond what a boss typically asked a subordinate or even what a junior would ask a senior. I couldn’t quite figure out what he meant.

After thinking it over for a while, I came to a conclusion:

He was probably considering promoting me after the New Year and wanted to evaluate me in advance!

Overjoyed, I thought I should put on my best behavior. I couldn’t let my boss think I was someone who didn’t know where to draw the line.

"Don’t worry, boss. I’m just taking care of some business and will be back before the New Year."

Aaron sent a sticker—a muscular rabbit wearing sunglasses, nodding coolly.

I nearly burst out laughing. For some reason, that rabbit reminded me of Aaron himself.

At the airport, I met up with Nicolas. Not wanting to engage in conversation, I pretended to be drowsy the entire time.

Once on the plane, I went straight to sleep, completely ignoring Nicolas when he subtly hinted about whether I’d prepared the gift. I didn’t budge an inch.

He didn’t say anything else, pretending to stay calm on the surface, though I could only imagine the things he was muttering about me in his head.

Nicolas’ hometown was a moderately wealthy third-tier city, but because it wasn’t close to the city we lived in—and since both of us had been busy with work throughout our year-long relationship—this was my first visit.

As soon as we got off the plane, I booked a hotel while Nicolas wasn’t paying attention.

Today’s visit to his house was bound to be a battlefield, but thankfully, I was well-rested and ready for it.

Still, I had a slight headache. I’d never met Nicolas’ parents before and didn’t know whether they were aware of their son’s intentions. Since they were elders, and it was the holidays, I didn’t want to embarrass them unnecessarily.

The moment I stepped through the door, I saw a middle-aged woman sitting on the couch, watching TV and munching on crackers.

She was slightly overweight with a head of tight curls—she had to be Nicolas’ mother.

When she saw us come in, she just gave us a glance before turning back to the TV.

This was definitely not the look of someone who had been excited to meet me.

Nicolas’ expression darkened as he took off his coat and asked, “Why isn’t dinner ready?”

His mother brushed off a few cracker crumbs and motioned toward the kitchen.

“There’s a little left. If it’s not enough for the two of you, make more yourselves.”

I was someone who had been well taken care of by my parents growing up. Even after a few years of navigating the corporate world, I’d never encountered in-laws as bizarre as this.

At that moment, a little boy burst out of one of the bedrooms, holding a toy in his hand.

“Vroom vroom—Ultraman’s here to fight monsters! Take this!”

He hurled the toy straight at me.

Fortunately, I had quick reflexes and dodged it in time.

“Nicolas!”

I put on my best pale, delicate, and heartbroken expression. “What’s the meaning of this? Maybe I should just leave.”

“Don’t! Just sit down,” Nicolas said anxiously, his expression tense as he shot his mother a pointed look. “Mom, can you come here for a second?”

The two of them went into the kitchen, whispering about who knows what.

I sat on a chair nearby and shot Nicolas’ little brother a stern glare.

The little brat, growing bolder by the second, actually tried to hit me.

I wasn’t about to let that slide. I grabbed his arm and sent him sprawling onto the floor.

He glared at me viciously and spat out, “Just you wait!”

A moment later, a piercing shriek tore through the air—so loud it seemed to rattle the walls—yet not a single tear stained his cheeks. It was all for show.

Hearing the commotion, his mother came rushing out of the kitchen.

“What happened, sweetheart? Who hurt you?”

The little brat, still pretending to wipe the non-existent tears, pointed straight at me.

I saw her face darken, but before she could say anything, Nicolas quickly stepped in and tugged her back.

“Stop making things up. Why would your sister-in-law bully you? Get up and go wait in your room until dinner.”

Her words felt strained, and it wasn’t hard to guess why. Nicolas had probably said something to her in the kitchen—most likely about that so-called seventeen-thousand-dollar “gift” he’d been pushing for.

Still, the way she called me “sister-in-law” made my skin crawl.

“Ma’am, just call me Claire,” I said politely.

“Alright then, Claire. Sorry about that—you know how kids are. I’ll go finish up dinner now. You two sit tight in the living room.”

Her cold stare had turned into an overly sweet smile so abruptly, it left me momentarily disoriented.

But I could play along with her act just as well as she could.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Before long, the dishes were set on the table. It was a simple meal, but at least it was hot.

I’d just taken a few bites when Nicolas’s little brother suddenly looked up at me from across the table.

There was still grease at the corner of his mouth, and though he was just a kid, he had the audacity to look so smug and self-righteous.

“My mom said that after you marry my brother, you’ll buy me a house and a car in the city. If you do that, I’ll consider forgiving you for bullying me. Oh, and you’ll have to give me extra allowance too.”

The dining table fell into a brief, awkward silence.

Nicolas looked embarrassed, clearly not expecting his brother to blurt that out so directly.

However, his mother remained unfazed and instead placed a piece of meat on my plate with an overly warm smile.

“Claire, try the pork I made for you.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said with a strained smile.

“Don’t mind what the kid says,” Nicolas muttered, his tone a little forced.

Clack.

His mother suddenly set down her spoon.

“Watch your mouth,” she snapped at him before turning back to me with another smile.

“By the way, Claire, when are you and Nicolas planning to get married? Young people need to plan ahead. Why don’t we set the engagement after the New Year?”

I feigned a look of surprise.

“Isn’t that a bit fast, ma’am?”

“Not at all,” she said matter-of-factly. “You and Nicolas are the same age, right? Twenty-four? If you wait much longer, it’ll be harder to have kids.”

I let out a cold laugh in my mind.

“Oh, you’re joking, ma’am.” I kept my tone polite but firm. “Where I come from, no one gets married after just a couple of years of working.”

Nicolas must have picked up on the tension in my voice because he hurriedly jumped in to smooth things over.

“Mom, we’ve got plans. You don’t have to worry about it.”

But then Nicolas added, “But Claire, I think an engagement wouldn’t hurt. We could move in together first, and once my career is stable in a couple of years, we can make it official.”

While the mother and son casually planned out my future like I wasn’t even there, I could only sneer inwardly.

Right now, I had one goal: get my money back from Nicolas and teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget.

“There’s no rush,” I said calmly, pulling a napkin from my bag and wiping my mouth.

At that, Nicolas’s mother’s expression soured further.

Nicolas nudged me under the table, throwing me a pointed look.

Feigning ignorance, I blinked at him. “What?”

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Claire, didn’t you bring gifts for my parents?”