Chapter 3 It's About Money

Jasmine exited Twitter and used Felix's phone to scan through public opinion on other websites.

"Pretty much," she said. "A man with that much responsibility? As long as I claim I'm pregnant, there's no way he can just walk away. He'll either marry me or pay to get rid of the baby. And he'll definitely choose the latter. There's no chance he gets out of this clean without shelling out at least a few million dollars. If he wants to shut me up, it's gonna cost him. That's why this is a one-and-done deal-we'll score big in one shot."

Felix's fingers froze mid-tap. He looked at her instinctively. "You're pregnant?"

"Nope. Faking it. Later, I'll need you to use your connections to forge a prenatal report for me. He'll take the bait."

Felix stared at her face for a long moment before asking, "How the hell did you pull this off?"

Jasmine had been holding this story in since last night, and it seemed like she'd been dying to let it out. Now that he asked, she suddenly let out a high-pitched giggle. That usually calm and poised face of hers lit up with excitement.

She said, "Yesterday, when Bruce flew back from Country A to visit Darlene, he accidentally left his car keys at her place. Darlene was mad at him about something and didn't want to see him, so she asked me to deliver the keys. He happened to have a social event that night, and I waited for him downstairs at that fancy club. When he came out, he looked drunk as hell. Wow, those two-so much drama. I figured I'd just hand over the keys and leave, but he mistook me for Darlene."

She smirked. "So I played along, hopped in a cab with him, and followed him home. I had planned to drug him and seal the deal, but he was so wasted that he passed out the second we got there. I didn't even get a chance to seduce him. Ha! So instead, I staged a scene to make it look like he violated me. I spilled a little blood on the bed, ripped my clothes, and these bruises?"

She gestured at her body. "Not hickeys-I pinched myself. Looks convincing, doesn't it? They actually bought it! Even Bruce believed it!"

Felix gave her a long, heavy look. "Damn. You're getting downright ruthless. All this just for money? Aren't you worried your bestie might get suspicious?"

Jasmine rolled over and lay on her back on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, swinging it lazily in the air.

She looked utterly pleased with herself. "She won't suspect a thing. I called her in advance. Told her Bruce was drunk, and I didn't know where to take him, so I brought him home and asked her to hurry over and take care of him."

She laughed again, clearly enjoying her own cunning. "Once I got to Bruce's place, I called Darlene again. Told her I'd arrived, and right before I could finish my sentence, I screamed like I was being assaulted, then hung up. Made it sound like something awful was happening. Darlene can't blame me for anything. Even if she suspects something, she's got no proof. Bruce did it-not me. Besides, I've run errands for the two of them plenty of times before. Nothing new."

Felix gave her a long, meaningful look and said in a low, thoughtful voice, "‌Jasmine, you're really breaking up a couple here. Feels like you're doing all this just to get that man for yourself-messing with their relationship, climbing into his bed... Don't you feel even a little guilty toward your friend?"

Jasmine casually grabbed a parenting book and rested her chin on her hand, lying on the sofa as she flipped through the pages with lazy interest.

"Why would I want the guy?" she said nonchalantly. "There are tons of men out there. And someone like him-he's upper-class, no way he'd ever marry me. Of course, it's about the money. If I can squeeze some cash out of him, we won't have to hustle like this anymore. And I'm not exactly breaking them up. I'm just milking him for money. Once he settles things with me, he'll naturally go back to chasing after Darlene. They'll end up together in the end. Doesn't count as sabotage. I just want his money, not him."

Felix sat there in silence, listening. Eventually, he couldn't help asking, "So how many times have you sold your so-called first night? The girls at the nightclub must know who you are by now, huh? Do your johns recognize you? You're putting yourself right in the spotlight-if Bruce finds out you played him, he'll destroy you."

Jasmine didn't seem concerned at all. "Two times, maybe. Both were high-profile guys-top of the food chain. Super discreet. I still don't know who they really were. And come on, like they'd ever admit to hiring a prostitute? They wouldn't out themselves just to point fingers at me. As for the club, I'm still considered new over there. I always go to Rainbow Nightclub in full glam-heavy makeup and all. They wouldn't recognize me. People at my university don't know a thing either. Don't worry. We pull this off, grab the money, and bounce. It's senior year anyway."

She slowly turned a few pages in the pregnancy guide. "You don't land a big payday without taking a risk. I've backed myself into a corner on purpose. First, to make my performance more convincing. Second, to raise my own value. Even if we run with the money after this, the scandal with Bruce will boost my price. I just checked-we're already at a million followers on my Twitter. I can start taking ad deals, become an influencer. Life's gonna be a whole lot easier."

"You're a piece of work," Felix said with a crooked smile. "You planned even that far ahead. No wonder you posted your face all over the internet and stirred up this much hype. You're banking on it boosting your price? Hahaha... Jasmine, oh Jasmine-your heart's getting colder and crueler by the day."

He gave a vague, almost amused laugh and warned, "Just don't let the fire burn out of control. One day, you won't even know what hit you."

"I know what I'm doing," Jasmine replied coolly.

That night, all the gossip and scandal posts were wiped from the trending lists. The rumors about her and Bruce vanished from the front pages of every major site, like they'd never existed. No one could post anything new about them either.

When Jasmine checked Felix's phone and saw what had happened, she gave a soft chuckle.

So Bruce had made his move-and he was ruthless about it. But it was too late. The timing of the media storm had been just right.

It was her turn to strike.

She lazed around Felix's apartment for two more days, playing dead and doing absolutely nothing.

On the third day, she powered her phone back on-over a hundred missed calls. The moment she logged into Facebook and WhatsApp, her inboxes exploded with messages.

Jasmine figured the time was ripe. She changed into a pure white dress, then turned to Felix-who was just waking up after sleeping all day-and said, "Felix, I'm heading to the beach. You know, the one we used to go to all the time."

Last night, Felix had probably gone out again to serve one of his sugar mamas. When he came back at dawn, he collapsed onto the bed and passed out completely.

When he heard Jasmine's voice, he mumbled groggily, "What are you going there for?"

Jasmine replied,

"I'm going to throw myself into the sea. I'll post it on Twitter in a bit. Darlene and Nicola know that place-we used to go there together. They'll come looking. Bruce will definitely show up too. After all, we were friends once. After what he did to me, he must feel guilty. And now that I'm driven to suicide because of the public pressure he brought down on me, everything should play out just right. Once this act is over, I'll be pregnant."

Felix didn't respond.

Jasmine pulled on a black baseball cap, lowering the brim to hide her face. She lifted her sharp, pale chin slightly and glanced into the bedroom through the narrow gap under the cap.

"If you don't hear anything from me tonight," she added, "go check the beach. If I really end up dead there, remember to collect my body-and use it to blackmail Bruce for another payout. However much you can get, take it. This is the only way left."

Felix seemed completely passed out and still didn't say a word. Jasmine knocked on the door to get his attention. When he mumbled a barely audible reply, she finally opened the door and walked out.