Chapter 1
I bought a lottery ticket on a whim and ended up winning a staggering one billion dollars. Overwhelmed with excitement, I immediately called my boyfriend to share the good news.
But before I could even speak, he snapped at me.
“I’m busy at work! I don’t have time for your nonsense! Unless you’re dead or something, don’t call me again!”
Then he hung up.
I sighed in frustration and decided to finish my last food delivery order before heading to claim my prize.
When I knocked on the door of Hotel Room 301, the person who opened it was none other than my boyfriend—who was supposed to be on a business trip in another city.
He stood there with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
And behind him, also wrapped in nothing but a towel, stood my best friend.
I stood there, staring at Joseph Hall with wide eyes, and he returned the look. We just stared at each other for a full minute.
“Why are you here?!”
“That’s what I should be asking you! Aren’t you supposed to be on a business trip? You’re too busy to even answer my calls, yet here you are having sex with her?”
Joseph grabbed me and pulled me into the room, slamming the door behind us.
“Stop yelling outside, don’t you have any shame?”
My eyes turned red with anger. “The one who should be ashamed is you! You two are sneaking around behind my back!”
My best friend Ava Lee was lounging on Joseph’s shoulder. “Don’t say it so harshly. I’m the real girlfriend here. Joseph and I have been together for over seven years.”
So I’m the one who’s the third wheel.
“You two are disgusting!”
I raised my hand to slap Joseph, but he grabbed my wrist.
“Michelle Anderson, enough! I never liked you. It’s only because Ava wanted me to be with you. Do you think I would’ve stayed with you this long otherwise?”
I was so angry I could feel the tears welling up. I screamed at them, “Why?! Why are you doing this?”
“Obviously for your money, silly! You didn’t even finish college. You dropped out of high school to deliver takeout just to make extra money to support Joseph.”
“You’ve spent all your money on him. Joseph takes me on dates and buys me gifts, all with your money. I should thank you, because without you, where would Joseph get anything to spend?”
I shook with anger. “You’re so shameless! I’ll fight you two!”
I grabbed Ava’s hair, and we started tearing at each other.
“Michelle, I’m being generous with you—let go of Ava!”
Joseph pulled me away with great force and punched me in the face. I was stunned for a moment.
Ava took the opportunity to rush at me, pulling my hair and scratching my face, cursing at me the whole time.
I was pinned to the floor and beaten by the two of them.
Joseph showed no mercy, his punches relentless. I could only groan in pain.
I thought back to the years I spent with him. It felt like a huge joke.
Both Joseph and I came from poor families. I had no parents, and his were farmers with bad health.
We both got into college, but he persuaded me to drop out and work. He said once he found a good job after graduation, he would marry me.
I was foolish enough to believe him. To make his life a little better, I worked tirelessly to earn money, even on Christmas.
While everyone else was eating and celebrating, I was out delivering orders in below-zero temperatures and snow.
Looking back now, those seven years were nothing but a joke.
They eventually stopped when they grew tired.
By then, I was bruised and could barely get up from the floor.
“Joseph, after everything you’ve done to me, aren’t you afraid your parents will turn against you?”
Three years ago, Joseph’s father suffered a stroke and became paralyzed. I brought both his parents into the city and took care of them.
They had once told me I was like their own daughter, and that if Joseph ever hurt me, they would be the first to take action.
Joseph sneered. “Do you really think my parents saw you as their own daughter? They said that just to keep you happy. If they didn’t say something nice, how could they have you wait on them like a maid?”
I couldn’t believe it. “No, that’s impossible! Uncle and Aunt really treated me well!”
“You don’t believe me, huh? Fine, I’ll call them now.”
Joseph dialed the phone and put it on speaker.
“Hey, Mom, I broke up with Michelle. I’m done pretending. I want to be with Ava openly.”
“Joseph, I support you. But if you break up with Michelle, how will she still take care of me and your dad? Who’s going to give us living expenses?”
“Don’t worry about the money. I just closed a big deal. If this contract goes through, I’ll get a two million dollars commission. I’ll hire a maid for you. She’ll definitely do a better job than Michelle.”
“That’s great! Michelle can finally get lost. A delivery girl who didn’t even finish high school is not worthy of my son!”
I was completely stunned. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
After the call, Joseph kicked me again.
“You heard that, right? To my parents, there’s only Ava as their daughter-in-law. And once I get the two million, we won’t be in the same class anymore!”
I laughed. “Two million, is that all?”
Ava stepped on my hand with her high heels.
“You could deliver takeout for twenty years and never earn two million! Stop pretending!”
She hooked her arm around Joseph’s. “Sweetheart, let’s go. Our little world was ruined by this bitch Michelle.”
They walked out without a care, and I quickly called an ambulance and reported the incident to the police.
Thankfully, I was wearing thick clothes, so my bones weren’t injured.
After the wounds were treated at the hospital, I went home.
Chapter 2
But when I got to my door, I found that all my things had been thrown outside.
My blood pressure shot up, and I immediately knocked on the door.
Joseph’s mother opened the door and immediately changed her attitude when she saw me.
“Michelle, my son has broken up with you. Get your things and get out!”
I had planned on leaving anyway, but I never expected them to throw out my belongings.
“This apartment is rented with my money! If anyone is moving out, it should be you guys! How dare you throw my things out?”
“Because the three of us live here, this apartment belongs to us!”
At that moment, her true nature as a vicious woman showed.
I didn’t want to argue with her and was about to call the police, but Joseph and Ava came back.
“Why aren’t you in jail?”
Ava smirked. “This was mutual fighting, and you started it!”
I was so angry that my fists were clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms, but I couldn’t feel any pain.
Joseph shoved me. “What are you still doing here? Don’t tell me you want to keep clinging to me. I’m telling you, it’s over between us!”
I glared at all of them. “You will regret this. You will beg me on your knees!”
They all scoffed and mocked me, calling me a dreamer.
I only took a few of my belongings and left the rest behind. After all, I had won a billion dollars. There was nothing I couldn’t buy now.
I settled into a hotel and then went to the lottery office to claim my prize.
When the billion-dollar prize hit my account, I finally felt at ease.
I couldn’t wait to see the look on Joseph and Ava’s faces when they found out I was now a billionaire.
Just after I got my hands on a luxury flat, I received a call from Ava.
“Michelle, our high school reunion is this weekend, you must come, all the classmates will be there.”
“Alright, I’ll definitely come.”
“You won’t just agree and then play hide and seek on the day, right?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there. It’s been years since I saw the old classmates, and I also want to see how they’re doing.”
Ava organized this reunion, and it’s definitely to flaunt how Joseph made two million and, by extension, to humiliate me.
She probably never imagined that I was the most powerful one in our class.
The gathering was arranged at a five-star hotel, and I intentionally arrived a little late.
Under the gaze of the whole class, I elegantly sat down in my high-end limited-edition outfit.
“Sorry, everyone, I’m late.”
Ava immediately rolled her eyes at me. “Michelle, you really know how to show off. Do you think this fake stuff is worth a ticket? You think our classmates can’t tell? Tch.”
Sitting next to me, Emily, the class beauty, kept staring at the Hermes Birkin bag in my hand.
“Michelle, can I take a look at your bag?”
I generously placed the bag in her hands. “Of course.”
“Emily, what’s so special about a fake bag? This bag really costs over two million. You could sell Michelle and it wouldn’t be worth that much.”
Her comment drew a burst of laughter from the guys sitting nearby.
“This bag is real. I work at Hermes as a sales associate.”
“Then Michelle must have bought a counterfeit bag, and fooled you, the sales associate.”
“This bag is definitely real. Counterfeits can’t achieve this level of craftsmanship.”
Ava immediately mocked. “Oh Michelle, don’t tell me you swiped this bag from some rich lady while delivering food?”
“I know you’re embarrassed because you didn’t attend university and have been delivering food, but you can’t just steal from others to save face! This bag is worth so much, it could get you a prison sentence.”
“I’m not reporting you because we were classmates, but you should return the bag and apologize publicly. Maybe the rich lady will have mercy and won’t pursue the matter.”
“Ava, you need evidence before making accusations. You slandered me by saying I stole it, I could sue you for defamation!”
“I’m doing this for your own good, and you still want to sue me? Who doesn’t know you’re so poor you can barely scrape by? What are you pretending for?”
Emily couldn’t help but say. “Maybe Michelle hooked up with a rich guy.”
“Emily, you really overestimate her. Which rich man would be blind enough to fall for her?”
Michelle walked over in front of me, placing her bag in front of me.
“See this? This is what real gold and silver can buy, worth one hundred thousand.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Poor thing, still pretending.”
The classmates immediately cast envious glances.
“Ava, looks like you’re the one doing the best among us, carrying a bag worth a hundred thousand!”
Ava smiled smugly. “It’s my husband who’s doing well. He just closed a huge deal, and his commission is two million. Everyone, feel free to order whatever you want, my husband’s treating!”
Everyone immediately complimented Joseph, who was grinning from ear to ear.
Chapter 3
Joseph held up the menu, raising his chin and saying to the waiter. “Bring me your most expensive dishes, one lobster per person. And your finest wine, ten bottles!”
I smiled. “As far as I know, that contract hasn’t been signed yet, right?”
Ava scoffed. “So what? It’s a done deal, just waiting for the final signature.”
“You’re spending money on such expensive bags and ordering such pricey dishes before you even earn your commission. What if the order falls through and you’re stuck with a mountain of debt?”
“Shut your mouth, you’re just being a jinx. This deal is absolutely foolproof!”
Once the dishes were served, everyone started chatting.
“Did you guys see the trending news? There was someone who suddenly became a lottery winner and won ten billion!”
“My goodness, I’m so envious, that’s enough money to last several lifetimes.”
“And I heard that after winning, she donated two billion, bought several companies, and invested in lots of projects. All of them are making huge profits, it’s like money making money.”
“That person is so lucky, not only did they get a windfall, but every project they invest in is a success.”
Hearing their excited chatter, I couldn’t help but say. “Actually, the person who won the lottery is me.”
There was a moment of silence, followed by uproarious laughter.
Ava laughed so hard she was almost in tears. “Michelle, stop daydreaming. With your miserable life, you couldn’t even win ten bucks, let alone ten billion.”
I simply smiled faintly, not bothering to explain further.
Ava then announced. “By the way, everyone, Joseph and I will be having our wedding in Bali. You’re all invited, we’ll cover the travel and accommodation!”
“Bali wedding is so expensive, aren’t you being too extravagant?”
“My husband is a top salesperson, he’ll be closing endless big deals and earning commissions. Of course, our wedding deserves to be lavish!”
After everyone finished eating and drinking, Joseph called the waiter to bring the bill.
He swiped three credit cards, but they weren’t enough to pay for the meal.
“How could the limit not be enough? Let me see the bill!”
The waiter handed over the bill, and our table’s total came to fifty thousand.
Joseph’s face instantly turned red. “How could it be so much? You’re ripping us off!”
I sneered. “If you can’t even pay the bill, stop pretending. I thought you guys were so rich, ordering such expensive dishes.”
Joseph, embarrassed, nudged Ava with his elbow.
“Can you lend me the fifty thousand you got from selling your house? I’ll pay the bill now!”
“That’s my premarital property, how can I give it to you?”
“I’m not going to keep it, I’ll sign the contract tomorrow and repay you as soon as the commission comes through!”
Reluctantly, Ava took out her savings card and swiped fifty thousand.
Just then, my phone on the table rang. “Fifty thousand received via Alipay.”
Everyone turned to look at me.
The class leader joked. “Michelle, how come as soon as Joseph finishes paying the bill, you get fifty thousand? Could it be that the money he paid went straight into your account?”
“Yes, it went straight into my account. I just bought this hotel. I was planning to treat everyone to dinner, but since Joseph and Ava were so enthusiastic about treating everyone, I didn’t want to argue with them.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “Michelle, could you stop pretending? You’ve been pretending since you walked in. I’m embarrassed for you, you’re making me cringe.”
“Her voice notification can be downloaded online, you can get any amount you want.”
I didn’t feel the need to prove myself, I wasn’t here to show off my wealth.
They still didn’t know that the company they were trying to sign a deal with had also been bought by me.
That deal was definitely not going through.
And now that they’ve maxed out their credit cards, I wonder how they’ll pay up when they can’t get their commissions.
The next day, they both came to my company early in the morning.
When I walked in, I saw them sitting on the sofa in the lobby.
They saw me too, and both of them had an expression of displeasure.
Ava walked over to me. “What are you doing here? You wouldn’t know we’re signing the contract today, would you? Are you here to cause trouble?”
Joseph also approached. “Michelle, enough already! Today is the big day for me to close the deal. If anything goes wrong because of you, I won’t let you off the hook!”
“Don’t worry, there will be no problems with your contract today because I’m not even planning to sign with you.”
Ava burst into laughter and turned to Joseph. “Did you hear that? She said she won’t sign with us.”
Joseph joined in the laughter.
“Who do you think you are? A delivery girl? Do you think you’re qualified to sign a contract with us?”
The secretary walked over to me and introduced me to them. “This is General Manager Anderson, the new person in charge of the company.”
Ava sarcastically remarked. “Michelle, is this secretary your friend? You’ve got her acting in this little play with you. Aren’t you afraid the company’s owner will find out and fire her?”
I said to the secretary. “Please bring me the company’s change of ownership documents.”
After the secretary handed them to me, I held them up to show them.
“Take a good look, open your eyes, and see who holds the majority of the shares in this company now.”
