My ex-boyfriend, Chris Walker, scammed me out of my money and ran away. I ended up crying in a funeral procession, only to be slapped in the face with cash by a rich woman!

I'm Everly Marrow. My parents divorced during my college entrance exams, and my father took most of the money and left a mountain of debt.

I had good grades, but to save money, I only applied to a low-tier university.

Living alone, I had to juggle my studies while earning money for living expenses and helping out at home.

My long-distance boyfriend, Chris, who had showered me with affection every day for a year, borrowed two thousand dollars from me, promising to return it soon. Then, he suddenly disappeared without a trace.

That was my entire savings!

I didn't dare tell my mom about it. I put on my only decent outfit and went to the police station alone to report the crime.

"The number he used was purchased."

I felt like I had been struck by lightning.

"What about my money?"

"Sorry, Ms. Marrow, there's nothing we can do about your situation."

I walked out of the police station in a daze, remembering that all the savings I had earned from part-time jobs over the past two years were gone. I thought of my mom working alone at the dry cleaners, and I was filled with regret and shame, my vision blurring with tears.

As I reached the main road, I suddenly encountered a noisy crowd wailing loudly...

"Dad, please don't go!"

It was a funeral procession.

As the crowd got closer, their mournful cries tugged at my nerves. I found myself inexplicably drawn into the crowd, unable to hold back my tears as I gave vent to my emotions.

"This is so tragic! So tragic!

"Don't go! My money!

"That jerk! Scammer! Give me back my money!"

The more I cried, the more furious I got, repeatedly cursing Chris, the scoundrel.

Suddenly, a sharp slap echoed through the air, leaving one side of my face stinging.

"That bastard even had a mistress?"

I looked up in shock to see an elegant old woman standing before me.

How could she hit someone?

"Who the hell is..." Mistress...

Just as I was about to explode, I noticed a heap of cash scattered at my feet, and as if possessed, I clamped my mouth shut.

"Playing dumb, huh? Think it's not enough, huh?"

The wealthy woman casually flipped open her wallet and disdainfully tossed a card in front of me.

"Here's two hundred thousand dollars. From now on, don't show your face around me!"

I silently picked up the cash and the bank card as the rich woman stormed off. Onlookers around me started murmuring.

"So young to be a mistress..."

"She looks so innocent, rich folks sure like this type these days."

I kept my head down, but I couldn't help but smirk.

I was rich now, who cared what they said!

I joyfully hopped all the way to the bank. The PIN was right on the back of the card, and sure enough, there were two hundred thousand dollars in it. I immediately sent twenty thousand dollars to my mom so she wouldn't have to work for a few months and could rest at home.

Mom thought I was up to no good and called right away.

"Everly, where did you get all that money?!"

"I won the lottery!"

"Just don't do anything bad out there... things are already tight at home!"

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm sending you this much for now. Let's open a store when I come home for the holidays! You've always wanted to own a flower shop!"

It took some convincing, but I finally got her to believe we really had struck it rich.

I hadn't told anyone about this except for my mom.

For the first time in months, I ate a full meal, replaced my hole-ridden shoes, bought a clean set of clothes, and even went to the bathhouse for a luxurious soak.

That evening, as I was burping my way back to school after dinner, a flashy car suddenly swerved in front of me, its headlights nearly blinding me.

A handsome man in a suit stepped out of the car and walked straight towards me.

Thankfully, luxury cars are a common sight at our school, or I'd be the talk of the campus by tomorrow.

"Is this you, Everly Marrow?"

The man asked impatiently, shoving his phone in my face with a stern and irritated expression.

The photo on his phone showed me crouching in front of a wealthy woman, picking up money.

Unfazed, I burped before replying, "Yes, that's me. What's up?"

The man rolled his eyes at me as if I were an idiot, then dialed a number.

"I've found her. I'm bringing her back now."

Then, out of nowhere, two burly men in suits grabbed me and shoved me into a luxury car. They even snatched my phone away.

Was it kidnapping? Was it human trafficking?

Terrified, I huddled in the corner of the backseat. While the man opposite me wasn't looking, I reached out to touch the rose gold door handle.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you," a voice said. "The doors are locked. Don't even think about running."

I glanced at the man. He was staring intently at me.

"No, no, it's just that your door handle looks expensive. I was just touching it..."

I said with a nervous laugh. The man continued to stare.

"Seriously, dude, I have no money and I'm not good-looking. Why would you kidnap me? My mother would be worried sick if I disappeared."

I played the emotional card, but it didn't work. The man scoffed.

"Cut the crap. You already admitted to being Rylan Frost's lover."

He then added a sarcastic remark, "A college student with such low morals. You have hands and feet, why not work instead of being someone's mistress?"

"Who's a mistress? I'm not..."

Seeing the menacing looks on the faces of the burly men, I caved.

"Oh... so his name is Rylan!"

I regretted it as soon as I said it. The man glared at me with a menacing look in his eyes.

I was genuinely scared and didn't care about the money anymore, so I quickly came clean, "It's all a misunderstanding..."

But it was too late.

"Every mistress says that."

I was speechless, and an awkward silence filled the car.

"Let me tell you, kidnapping a college student is illegal!"

"Kidnapping? You're not tied up and you're sitting here perfectly fine. How is this kidnapping?"

"Well... I guess it isn't, huh?"

The car stopped, and the man turned around and extended a hand towards me, wearing a snow-white glove.

He wasn't wearing it before! There was no need to be so obviously disgusted! How rude!

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Gideon Frost, Rylan's son. I guess I should call you... stepmom?"

He said the word "stepmom" with a meaningful tone.

I awkwardly reached out and shook his fingertips.

"Haha, hello, hello..."

"We invited you here today because we need your help with something."

"What kind of help?"

Before I could react, the two burly men escorted me into a luxurious mansion.

As soon as I entered, I was dazzled by the opulent furniture and decorations. They dragged me into a room filled with people of all ages, both men and women, all gathered around a small, old-fashioned safe.

When they saw me, they all looked up at me as if they had seen a ghost.

The wealthy woman who had previously thrown money at me was there, too. They called her Debra. When I walked in, she awkwardly caught my eye for a moment.

I stood frozen until Gideon shoved me hard from behind, nearly making me trip and faceplant.

"Well... good evening everyone..."

A young woman dressed in fancy clothes looked at me with disdain.

"Why did you invite her, Gideon? I heard from mom, aren't you bothered by the bad luck?"

Debra patted her, signaling her to keep quiet.

"Ashley, I asked your brother to invite her. We had no choice, she was crying so miserably, that jerk must have given her something good."

"What?"

I was baffled.

"Stop the chatter and open the box," Gideon commanded.

I still didn't understand.

"It's a safe, dude. It needs a code."

Everyone looked at me as if I were an idiot.

"It contains that old man's belongings. We've tried the password, but none worked. You give it a try."

So, they think I would know the password?

They all didn't know the password, and they thought the mistress would.

"Why don't you call the police? I really don't know anything."

The crowd's expressions grew impatient.

"These are the old man's private belongings," Gideon said, his voice tight with anger. "They're confidential and can't be shown to outsiders."

Debra also lost her patience.

"Open it," she said, "and I'll give you another sum of money."

"Alright, I'll try," I said.

In the blink of an eye, I was squatting in front of the safe.

Everyone sneered at me, moving away in disgust as if I carried a virus.

Gideon frowned at me, shaking his head in disappointment.

My heart pounded as I hesitantly entered a series of numbers.

"1, 2, 3, 4!

"Enter!"

It opened!

The safe opened.

Opened...

"I can't believe..."

It was that simple...

I started to say but was suddenly pushed aside by the crowd.

People were frantically grabbing documents from the safe.

From their fragmented conversations, I gathered that those documents were share transfer agreements for Rylan's company.

Despite their elegant attire, these people were scrambling like shoppers at a wet market.

I slumped to the ground, watching the scene unfold, a deep sadness washing over me for reasons I couldn't quite understand.

I stood up indifferently and suddenly noticed Gideon, who was also watching the scene with a cold gaze. Gideon also saw me standing there, and we both looked at each other in surprise.