For the past three years, she’d had full access to my bank account. She called it “handling our finances together,” but I had to report every major expense I spent to her first.

And now she was turning around and accusing me of hiding money.

[ Ding! Received 200 Malice Points from Lily Foster. Cashback of $20,000 has been credited. ]

I looked at the cashback notification on my phone and felt a hint of irony.

“Whether I’ve been hiding money or not, you’d know better than anyone.”

“Drop the attitude! Aaron, I’m telling you, if you want to be with me, you have to be honest! You’d better explain where that money came from!”

“A friend lent it to me.” I couldn’t be bothered to argue.

“Which friend? Since when do you have friends with that kind of money?”

“There’s a lot you don’t know.”

I hung up.

[ Ding! Received 400 Malice Points from Lily Foster. Cashback of $40,000 has been credited. ]

Nice.

Just like that, my bank balance had already passed $60,000.

My mom’s surgery went well.

To make sure she received better care, I used the cashback money to upgrade her to a private VIP room.

At first, she didn’t want to, but I talked her into it with a few words.

“Mom, money comes and goes. Your health is what matters.”

After settling everything, I stepped out of the room and ran straight into Lily.

She was clearly here to confront me, with her clingy little brother Marcus trailing behind her.

“Aaron!”

The moment she saw me, she strode over. Then her eyes landed on the VIP room sign behind me, widening instantly.

“You… you put your mom in a VIP room?”

Her voice was full of disbelief.

“Do you know how much that costs per day? Have you lost your mind?”

[ Ding! Received 160 Malice Points from Lily Foster. Cashback of $16,000 has been credited. ]

“See? I told you something was off with him,” Marcus chimed in.

Marcus fanned the flames from the side. “Funny how you’re always stingy with my sister, but suddenly generous enough for a VIP room. That money’s definitely shady.”

[ Ding! Received 100 Malice Points from Marcus Foster. Cashback of $10,000 has been credited. ]

I looked at the two of them and couldn’t help thinking they were like walking ATMs.

“I’m spending my own money. What’s the problem?”

“Your money?”

Lily let out a sharp laugh. “Your money is my money. We’re about to get married—everything you have is marital property. If you keep spending like this, how are we supposed to live?”

The same old argument.

“We’re not married yet,” I reminded her.

“And besides, haven’t we always kept our finances separate? I spend my money. What does that have to do with you?”

I threw her own words back at her, exactly as she had said them before.

Lily’s expression instantly darkened.

“You… you’re comparing yourself to me? When I spend money on a car, it’s an investment. It helps my brother keep up appearances so he can close deals. And you? You’re wasting money on something this pointless!”

[ Ding! Received 300 Malice Points from Lily Foster. Cashback of $30,000 has been credited. ]

Spending money on my own mother was a waste.

Buying her brother a Ferrari was an investment.

She was the only one who could say that kind of irrational logic out loud.

I couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore. I turned and started to walk away.

“Stop right there!”

Lily grabbed my arm. “We’re settling this today. Where did you get the money? Did you take out some kind of loan?”

Her face was full of urgency.

I understood. She wasn’t worried about me; she was worried any debt would drag her down later.

“Relax. I didn’t borrow it.”

“Then where did it come from?”

I looked at her, pausing on purpose. “I won the lottery.”

Both Lily and Marcus froze.

“How much?” Lily’s voice trembled.

I raised a finger.

“A hundred thousand?” Marcus blurted.

I shook my head.

“A million?!” Lily’s eyes practically burned.

I shook my head again.

Looking at the greed on her face, I said slowly, “After taxes… twenty million.”

The air went still.

Lily and Marcus stared at me, stunned.

[ Ding! Received Shock Value from Lily Foster… ]

[ System Notice: Shock, envy, and jealousy do not generate cashback. Only pure malice, resentment, and hatred qualify. ]

I see.

That clicked into place.

“T-twenty… million?” Lily’s voice came out dry, like it was forced through her throat.

Her expression shifted from shock, to wild excitement, to naked greed.

“This is amazing! We’re rich! We’re finally rich!”

She was so excited she could barely form a sentence.

“Man, Aaron, that’s insane!”

Marcus snapped out of it and lunged forward, trying to pull me into a hug. I stepped back, dodging him with clear disgust.

“I knew it! My brother-in-law’s destined for greatness. It was only a matter of time before you made it big!”

The flattery was so shameless it was almost impressive.

“Aaron, quick, where’s your card? Give it to me!” Lily reached straight into my pockets.

“We need to plan this money properly! First, we’ll get that luxury condo downtown, then upgrade my car—and oh, my parents too, we should get them a better place…”

She was already lost in her own fantasy.

I looked at her coldly.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself.”

My voice wasn’t loud, but it landed like a bucket of cold water, instantly killing her excitement.

“What?”

“I said, you’re getting ahead of yourself.”

I repeated it, word by word. “This money has nothing to do with you.”

The smile froze on Lily’s face.

“Aaron, what do you mean? Don’t forget, we’re together! Your money is my money!”

“Is it?”

I pulled my arm out of her grip. “When my mom needed $20,000 to save her life, what did you say? Financial independence?”

“That… that was different,” she stammered, avoiding my eyes. “I was tight on money back then…”

“Tight enough to pay for a Ferrari in full?”

“I told you, that was an investment!”

I nodded. “Then so is this. I’m investing in my mom’s health and in my own future. It has nothing to do with you.”

I didn’t wait for a response. I turned and walked straight toward the elevator.

Behind me, Lily’s furious scream rang out.

“Aaron! You ungrateful bastard! Get back here!”

[ Ding! Received 1,000 Malice Points from Lily Foster. Cashback of $100,000 has been credited. ]

[ Ding! Received 600 Malice Points from Marcus Foster. Cashback of $60,000 has been credited. ]

The pleasant chime of the system echoed in my head as I pressed the elevator’s close button.

The doors slid shut slowly, sealing off her twisted, furious expression.

Over the next few days, Lily and her family launched a full-scale barrage.

Lily started first, bombarding me with dozens of calls a day.

At first, it was all accusations, calling me heartless and ungrateful.

Then she’d soften, reminiscing about our three years together, trying to wear me down.

I didn’t pick up a single one.

So, she switched to long messages.

“Aaron, have you forgotten the hard times we went through together?”

“Have you forgotten you said you’d love me forever and give me the best life?”

“Now that you have money, you’re just going to abandon me? Doesn’t your conscience bother you?”

[ Ding! Received 20 Malice Points from Lily Foster. Cashback of $2,000 has been credited. ]

[ Ding! Received 40 Malice Points from Lily Foster. Cashback of $4,000 has been credited. ]

Reading those hollow words while watching the cashback roll in, I almost found it funny.

Hard times?

For the past three years, I’d scrimped and saved, only for everything I put aside to be taken by her under the name of “shared finances.”

Meanwhile, she lived as if money had never been an issue—always carrying the latest phone, draped in designer bags, with a fresh wardrobe every season. She never went without anything.

And now she had the nerve to talk about “struggling together.”

When she realized neither pressure nor persuasion worked, her parents stepped in.

Her mother called, voice thick with tears.

“Aaron, I know Lily handled your mom’s situation badly before. Don’t take it to heart.”

“That girl has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She really does care about you.”

“You two are young—couples fight, but they make up. There’s nothing you can’t work through. Listen to me, talk things out with her.”

Her father played the other side.

“Aaron, you need to be reasonable. Lily spent three years with you. Those were her best years. You can’t just turn your back on her now that you’ve made it.”

“Twenty million isn’t a small amount. You’re both young; you need elders to help guide you, so you don’t make mistakes.”

Every word, in one way or another, was about getting their hands into that “fortune.”

[ Ding! Received 60 Malice Points from Lily Foster’s mother. Cashback of $6,000 has been credited. ]

[ Ding! Received 80 Malice Points from Lily Foster’s father. Cashback of $8,000 has been credited. ]

The whole family treated me like a walking ATM.

I’d had enough. I blocked every last one of them, and the world finally went quiet.

My mom was recovering well; she could already get out of bed and walk slowly on her own.

The nurse taking care of her was named Jane Dunn.

She was a gentle and attentive girl.

She always wore a soft smile, spoke in a calm, quiet voice, and got along easily with my mom.

That day, I walked into the room with a bag of fruit and found Jane helping my mom massage her legs to prevent muscle loss.

Sunlight streamed through the window, settling over her and making her seem warm somehow.

When she saw me, she smiled and greeted me.

“Mr. Lewis, your mom’s doing really well today. Her appetite’s better than the past few days too.”

“Thank you, Miss Dunn. I appreciate it.”

“It’s just part of my job,” she said, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Being around her felt like a breeze—quiet, steady, clearing away the irritation Lily and her family had left behind.

It reminded me that not everyone was like Lily.

There was still kindness in the world.

And then, the door slammed open with a bang.

Lily and Marcus stood there once again.