Riches in Disguise

"True that! She's probably just like Lina, trying to squeeze some cash out of William."

"What a sucker. He was burned once and still didn't learn his lesson, falling into the same trap twice."

I was used to these comments and did not let them bother me. However, Felicia's face turned from red to pale as she quietly let go of my arm.

I felt guilty immediately. She just wanted to have lunch with me, yet she had to endure their insults. I had initially planned to take her to a nice restaurant, but now I changed my mind. We were definitely going to Black Dragon, the Michelin-

starred place.

As we reached the campus gate, I spotted a familiar car-Ryan's red BMW X5. Before I could say anything, a familiar perfume wafted by, and Lina rushed eagerly toward the car. She was running like she was in some cheesy teen drama, looking all innocent and pretty.

Ryan stepped out of his car, wearing a leather jacket despite the heat, trying to look cool in his sunglasses.

"Ryan, have you been waiting long?" Lina asked sweetly.

"Babe, waiting for you is never a problem. Who else would I wait for? Didn't I tell you? I could wait for you forever."

"You're so sweet. You're like my guardian angel, always watching over me."

"I'd rather be your knight."

"You're not just my knight, you're my prince."

"I'm gonna be sick," I muttered under my breath. Then, I asked Felicia, "Do they always talk like this?"

Felicia nodded with visible disgust. "It's even worse when they're on the phone. They'll baby-talk and make kissing noises for hours."

I felt even more sympathy for Felicia now. If Matthew ever sat in our dorm making kissy noises to Isabelle on the phone, Benjamin, Liam, and I would probably gag him with a sock.

"Come on, let's grab some good food. Ever heard of Black Dragon?" I needed to leave before I lost my appetite completely.

"The Michelin-starred restaurant?" Felicia's eyes went wide. "We can't go there! Have you seen their prices? Even an appetizer costs over 100 dollars!"

Of course, I knew. Not only that, but just reserving a decent table costs an extra 300 dollars in service fees. Mom had taken me there once, and the food was decent, but the ambiance was unique-definitely Instagram-worthy, so I figured she would like it.

"Don't worry about it. I can afford it," I said as we got into a cab headed for Black Dragon.noveldrama

The whole way there, Felicia was nervous, constantly trying to talk me out of it. When we arrived, she gasped and grabbed my arm again.

"William, seriously, let's not do this! We don't belong in places like this. We could just go to Basil Garden or something!"

I was not taking her to some random diner. Even if it was not Black Dragon, it had to be something nice. After all, we were already here.

"It's fine. Think of it as an experience. Besides, what else am I going to do with that prize money? Just think of it as keeping me company while I check this place out, okay?"

Seeing how determined I was, Felicia reluctantly let go of my arm. She looked down self-consciously, tugging at her t-shirt. "But people will judge me for wearing this..."