"Aiden, let's break up."
The words hit him harder than any punch ever could.
Standing by the dorm gates, Emily Rose stared at the disheveled young man in front of her with cold, distant eyes. Her expression carried only contempt, like she was finally scraping off something that had been stuck to her for too long.
"Wait… what? Emily, did I do something wrong?" Aiden's voice trembled, his heart pounding like it wanted to escape his chest. "Tell me, whatever it is, I'll fix it. I swear I'll change."
He had chased her since freshman year.
Three years of running errands, skipping meals, working late-night shifts, all to make her smile.
He wasn't rich, but he was persistent.
Every morning, he'd drop off breakfast in front of the girls' dorm. When she said her phone was getting old, he took delivery jobs for months just to buy her the latest model.
Maybe the universe had finally pitied him, because one month ago, she said yes. For the first time, Aiden James thought love had rewarded him.
He was wrong.
"Aiden," Emily sighed, her tone sharp enough to cut through hope itself. "My ex came back. I realized I still love him. You've been good to me, and I'm grateful, but gratitude isn't love. I agreed to date you only because I was lonely. Let's stop pretending."
Aiden hands clenched. "Emily, he's the same guy who left you when things got hard! He cheated on you! You're choosing him again because he's rich, aren't you?"
"Don't you dare insult him!" Emily snapped. "You? You're not even worth a single thread on his suit. Do you know how embarrassed I've felt walking next to you? My friends laugh behind my back! Just leave me alone. You make me sick."
Her words landed like daggers. Aiden's lips parted, but no sound came out. Three years of love, devotion, and sacrifice, repaid with disgust.
He'd swallowed every humiliation she threw his way, even when she flirted with others right in front of him. He told himself that love was about forgiveness, that being good would earn him something pure.
But the world didn't reward purity. It crushed it.
"Please, Emily," he choked out, tears burning in his eyes. "Don't do this. I'll do better. I'll change, whatever you want, I'll do it."
"Get lost, Aiden!" she yelled, shoving his hand away. Without another word, she slid into a gleaming red Maserati waiting by the curb and sped off, leaving him standing in the dust.
"Emily Rose… you'll regret this!" Aiden's voice broke, his chest aching as the car disappeared.
"Tsk. Another loser having a meltdown," someone nearby muttered.
"Hey, isn't that the guy who worked part-time all year just to spoil a girl?" another student whispered. "Lived on instant noodles just to buy her clothes and makeup. What a legend!"
"You mean Emily Rose, right? She was just a normal class beauty. Then this guy worshiped her like a queen until she got popular. And then that rich dude, Justin Reed, took her from him in, what, three days? Classic!"
Laughter rippled through the crowd. Eyes full of pity, or worse, amusement, followed him as he stood there.
Aiden didn't respond. After three years of being everyone's joke, their words couldn't reach him anymore.
He wasn't sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way, he'd lost all his self-respect.
All for love that was never real.
Then...
Ding!
[Billionaire System detected a compatible host!]
Binding in progress…
Binding complete!
Aiden froze. "What the hell?"
He'd read enough webnovels to recognize that voice, but hearing it in real life? Impossible.
And yet...
[System activated.]
A holographic blue screen blinked open before his eyes, words forming out of thin air.
Name: Aiden James
System Balance: $90,000,000,000,000,000
Personal Cash: $34
Upgrade Points: 0
Liam's jaw dropped. "Ninety… quadrillion dollars?"
His heartbreak vanished for a moment. Maybe, just maybe… this was his second chance.