Chapter 3
For the next few days, Shayla and Aaron would share photos of their trips around the world on Instagram. Their photos were overflowing with luxury goods. It seemed that besides the mortgage, the two had taken plenty of other loans as well.
Well, the higher they stand, the harder they fall.
They each sent me plenty of photos, but I blocked them without hesitation.
For the past few days, I've been busy. After all, working at a Global 500 company wasn't something to be taken lightly.
Before I officially started, my team leader had sent me a ton of materials, asking me to review them as soon as possible.
On the day of our graduation party, Shayla, as the class president, sent a text to the group chat. "Please arrive at the designated restaurant at 11:30 am sharp to attend the graduation party."
After that, she also tagged me specifically. "Bella, I can't wait to see you!"
I immediately replied, "Okay."
Some started asking why she wanted us to gather at this restaurant for lunch. After all, its location was a little far from our university.
I was the only one who knew the reason. It was because the restaurant was right next to the lottery shop.
At 11:30 am, after all our lecturers and classmates had arrived, Shayla finally showed up, hand in hand with Aaron.
The moment they stepped in, everyone's gaze was drawn to them. By now, the two of them had completely transformed, exuding luxury from head to toe. Shayla even gifted each of our classmates a Labubu.
After that, she exclaimed, "Everyone, order whatever you like tonight. The bill is on me!"
The rest of the classmates stared at them, bewildered. In fact, some even suspected the Labubus that she gifted them were dupes.
Shayla fished the lottery ticket out of her bag and waved it in front of everyone smugly.
"I won 50 million dollars!" she declared.
Hearing that, everyone erupted.
"50 million dollars!"
"Did I hear correctly? Shayla got damn lucky."
"Gosh, I'll never make 50 million dollars in this lifetime."
As if that wasn't enough, she also put up a massive banner in the restaurant saying, "Congratulations to Shayla Lane for winning 50 million dollars!"
Right then, a lecturer suddenly asked, "The lottery ticket is with you and hasn't been drawn yet. Where did you get the money from?"
Shayla replied nonchalantly, "I'll get the money soon. I'm just enjoying it in advance."
In the crowd, someone suddenly asked, "Wait, isn't Aaron dating Bella? Why is he with Shayla now?"
Faced the crowd's confused stares, Aaron held Shayla's hand without a trace of embarrassment. He said, "People naturally go for the best, right? After graduation, Bella has just been an overworked mule. Shay is different from her. Besides, my true love has always been Shay."
Everyone gaped in disbelief at his words.
One classmate stood up for me. "But Bella got an offer from a Global 500 company. That's the best offer in our entire batch."
Hearing that, Shayla laughed so hard that she was nearly in tears.
She said, "So, what if Bella got the best offer? Can she earn 50 million dollars in this lifetime? In this society, getting a job means nothing; it only proves you're a workhorse in a glamorous setting. In reality, you're worse off than livestock!"
She shot me a smug look and added, "Bella, you're beneath me in every way. But, if you cater to me well, I might just be generous enough to throw you a bone."
Chapter 4
The rest flushed in embarrassment, but they couldn't find the words to retort.
In fact, some sly classmates had already begun to butter them up.
"Shayla, I knew you'd be successful one day. I can't believe you're lucky enough to win 50 million dollars!"
"Don't you forget us!"
"That's right, remember to look out for us in the future!"
Although they knew that Shayla's words were unpleasant, she made sense. Even if they had a great job and a lifetime of hard work, it would still be nearly impossible for anyone there to earn 50 million dollars.
Someone had even started undermining me and praising her. "Shayla's right. So, what if Bella got an offer from a Global 500 company? She'll still be working hard for someone else until the end of her life. How can she compare to Shayla?"
My lips curved. Truth be told, this company offered excellent benefits and perks to its employees.
In her past life, Shayla spiraled into despair because she attempted to seduce her superior immediately after joining the company. The incident became known throughout the entire company, which was why many colleagues made things difficult for her.
Finally, we finished the meal, so it was time for the main event of the day.
With a final touch to her makeup, Shayla smoothed her exquisite dress and stepped onto the stage. At the same time, more than a dozen influencers suddenly came in with their cameras pointing at the stage. It seemed she had made preparations in advance.
Shayla gave them a nod in greeting. Then, she took out the lottery ticket from her bag.
She glanced at the cameras and declared smugly, "Everyone, I just graduated from university. However, I won 50 million dollars in the lottery, so I'll be financially free from now and can travel the world without having to work."
Then, she mocked, "As for you workhorses, you'll grind away at some company, working for somebody else. You'll get a low salary and get trampled all over at work, losing your dignity and repeating your same routine until you die."
Then, she stopped and gave me a pointed look.
Hearing that, the netizens in the livestream began cursing her, but she didn't care.
Suddenly, she pointed at me and instructed bossily, "Bella, the lottery shop I bought this from is right next door. Go get the owner and have him come here personally, so I can cash in my winnings."
I remained silent, so Aaron stood out and chided me impatiently, "Bella, are you deaf? Make a move! Shay's asking you to go because she trusts you.
"With your current condition, you're not even fit to be her servant. You should feel grateful that she wants you to do this. If you serve her well, she might even consider sparing you some scraps."
Some classmates couldn't take it any longer and began whispering among themselves.
"Shayla doesn't deserve this. She probably wouldn't be able to keep the money for long."
"As Bella's best friend, she ended up stealing Bella's boyfriend, and now she has the nerve to boss Bella around? Who does she think she is?"
As I remained indifferent, Shayla warned viciously, "Bella, you should know your place. With our current disparity in wealth, I can skin you alive in no time."
I merely glanced at the time coldly before saying, "Let's wait another five minutes."
Not knowing what I was playing at, Shayla snorted icily and replied, "Sure, we'll wait for five minutes then. Even if we wait for 50 minutes, it wouldn't change the fact that I won 50 million dollars."
I snorted derisively. We would see about that.
The words had barely left her mouth when a woman burst into the restaurant. She pointed a furious finger at Shayla on stage and shouted, "Are you insane, girl? I'm the one who won the lottery!"