Class Mocked Me for Gold-Digging, but Tycoon's My Dad

At the semester's icebreaker mixer, a circle of us sat playing truth or dare.

When it came to Miranda Fox, she chose truth without a second's hesitation.

Marvin Barnes, that famous rich heir from the class next door, is my boyfriend. We met online and finally met in person.

She paused, and her eyes cut toward me, edged with a warning.

"And let me give Louise Swanson some advice: stop throwing yourself at him like you have no shame. Being the other woman is not a good look."

The room went silent, and then every gaze landed on me.

"She really doesn't know her place. Marvin comes from a family with a private helicopter. Why would he ever look twice at a broke girl in a hearing aid?"

"I saw her hitching a ride in Marvin's luxury car a couple days ago. So shameless."

"His actual girlfriend already spoke up. If she had any sense she'd back off."

The whispers spread around me, all of them mocking.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Did Marvin say that himself?"

"Of course." Miranda smugly tapped her phone and put it on speaker.

Marvin's careless voice came through.

"Babe, you're asking about Louise Swanson? She's just a lapdog who circles around me."

Instantly the whole room burst out laughing.

I curled my lips coldly.

They didn't know my hearing aid was custom-made overseas and worth over a million.

And Marvin, this rich heir everyone fawned over, couldn't even pay his own tuition without my family's support.

...

"Call Marvin. Ask him exactly whose problem this is."

I lifted my eyes to Miranda's smug face.

"Since you're saying I've been chasing him, then get it straight. Don't hand out convictions just because your mouth is running."

Not one of them knew Marvin was a student my family had sponsored for five years.

Three years ago he'd started pursuing me, and I'd turned him down.

Now he was playing the rich heir in front of his girlfriend, and that was his business. But smearing my name was another matter, and it had to be made clear.

Seeing how calm I was, the room slowly went quiet.

Miranda scoffed.

"Still talking tough at this point. I guess you won't give up until you hit rock bottom."

She whipped out her phone, dialed Marvin, and switched it to speaker.

"Perfect. I'll have Marvin tell everyone himself exactly who's been shamelessly throwing herself at who."

The call connected fast, and Marvin's lazy voice came through.

"What's up?"

Miranda lifted her chin and shot me a triumphant look.

"Marvin, didn't you tell me before that you and Louise Swanson met privately a few times, and that she was the one chasing you? I told everyone, and somehow some people don't believe me."

"Just make it clear, what's really going on."

She didn't mention that I was standing right there.

I frowned and waited for his answer.

Marvin and I really had met privately a few times, but that was to discuss the sponsorship and sign the paperwork.

After a short silence, he spoke.

"She did come find me a few times. I've been careful to keep my distance. Babe, don't get the wrong idea, and don't blow this up into something big."

I shot to my feet, unable to believe it.

The way he put it sounded like nothing, but with the beginning and end cut off, it made me sound like I was the one hounding him.

Sure enough, the others started whispering at once.

"So it really was Louise chasing him on her own. And she still had the nerve to argue back. I actually thought there was more to it."

"A cripple in a hearing aid, dreaming she could land a super-rich heir. What a fantasy."

"Marvin already has a girlfriend, and she's still trying to be the other woman. Zero shame."

"Okay, honey, nothing to worry about. Go do your thing."

Miranda hung up and looked at me, pleased with herself.

"Well? Anything left to say?"

I drew a breath and tried to explain. "I wasn't chasing him. I did go find him a few times, but it was all to discuss real business."

"You're a cripple. You and Marvin aren't even on the same level. What real business could you possibly have to discuss? Drop the act."

"From now on, be smart about it, or don't blame me for not being nice."

With that she turned and swept out, her crowd of classmates laughing along behind her.

I steadied myself and sent Marvin a private message.

What did you mean by all that? Why did you lead everyone to think I was chasing you!

The reply came almost instantly.

"Louise, you heard it just now? Where are you right now? I'll come find you, let me explain!"

His eager tone took a little of the edge off my anger, and I sent him the address.

Twenty minutes later Marvin showed up in front of me, out of breath, a cup of milk tea in his hand.

"Louise, it's your favorite, jasmine milk green tea."

He held the cup out to me, his voice earnest.

"I'm sorry. What happened just now was my fault. I put it too vaguely and I let you take the blame."

"I didn't mean to make you look bad. You know how it is, being sponsored by your family has always made me feel small. I just didn't want anyone to know I'm a charity case. I never thought it would get twisted like this."

I took the milk tea and drew a deep breath. "Forget it. Just go explain it clearly to everyone"

"Louise Swanson! Have you no shame at all?"

A shrill voice cut in behind me. Miranda came storming over.

"He spelled it all out just now, and here you are still clinging to him behind everyone's back!"

Before her words had even faded, she worked herself up and shoved me hard.

The push sent me stumbling backward, and the hearing aid at my ear jolted crooked. The moment I steadied myself, I reached up and set it right again.

But that small delay looked like something else entirely to the crowd watching.

"See? She won't even say a word. She's guilty, that's why."

"She never learns. Marvin's the one avoiding her and she still won't let go. She's thrown away every scrap of dignity to land herself a rich boyfriend."

Emboldened, Miranda snatched the iced tea out of my hand and hurled the whole thing straight into my face.

"You shameless homewrecker! I just warned you, and here you are already, sucking up to my boyfriend with a drink in your hand!"

The sticky tea ran down through my hair. I was shaking with rage.

"I didn't do any of this. Marvin, tell them the truth. Now!"

The instant I called out Marvin's name, the murmuring swelled.

But Marvin didn't step forward to explain, the way I expected him to.

His face wavered, and in the end all he did was move in and force the still-fuming Miranda away from me.

"Stop it. Let's just go. It's nothing. No point blowing it up."

I stared at him, unable to believe it. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

Miranda let him half-pull her off, but not before shooting me one last vicious glare.

The crowd kept talking, but with both of the people at the center gone, it slowly broke up.

I was choking on my anger when a message came through on my phone.

"Louise, just wait for me a little longer. Give me some time. I promise I'll find the right moment to clear all of this up in front of everyone and give you your name back."

Five years of knowing Marvin. I didn't want to make things hard for him.

I believed the young man who once comforted me when I cried over my disability, who told me, "Losing your hearing isn't your fault. It's God favoring you, taking one small bite out of you for himself." I believed he was only being vain for a moment.

Besides...

I touched the hearing aid at my ear.

I was kidnapped once for ransom because my family had money, and that was when my hearing was damaged.

Unless I absolutely had to, I didn't want my background exposed.

I wrote back: "Make it soon."

But I never imagined how far beyond my expectations things would go.

The next day, there were always whispers around me, and people bumping into me on the walkways for no reason at all.

After being shouldered three times in a row, until my shoulder was nearly bruised, I finally stopped a classmate.

"Excuse me, what's going on? Everyone seems to have a problem with me."

She clearly hadn't expected me to be so blunt, and took half a step back.

"You don't know? You're all over the campus fair page already."

Then she hurried off, as if I were some plague she couldn't get away from fast enough.

Frowning, I opened the campus fair page.

A trending post popped up.

Warning! Deaf girl Louise Swanson has been clinging to rich heir Marvin Barnes, and even after he called her out in public she still won't quit. She's been cornering him in private and won't leave him alone!

The person who posted it gave a vivid, blow-by-blow account of how I'd been "chasing" Marvin since the semester started, and even put up a video of the two of us meeting yesterday.

Cut and spliced on purpose, it looked like I was the one clinging to him and refusing to let go.

At the bottom of the post, the sneering continued:

I heard this girl's hearing isn't great, and she's got a cold, gloomy personality too. Sounds like something's off in her head as well, or why would she keep throwing herself at a taken man?

Plenty of people piled on in the comments:

"It's true! I saw her corner Marvin in private with my own eyes. Even after he caught her at it, she still wouldn't give up."

"Marvin's already being so generous about it, and she keeps latching on. That's shameless."

I didn't have to guess. This post was Miranda's, no question.

My hands were nearly shaking with anger. I went straight to the comments to set things straight:

"Marvin and I were only discussing something serious. Yesterday, he was the one who came to find me."

But the moment it went up, all it earned me was crueler mockery:

"Who do you think you are? Marvin's got no reason to seek out some broke, half-deaf loser like you. Keep dreaming."

"Bad ears is one thing, but now you're twisting black into white?"

I couldn't take it anymore. I messaged Marvin:

"The rumors are getting worse and worse. You really need to step up and explain."

But to my surprise, Marvin started stalling:

"Louise, give it a little more time. The whole school's talking about this right now. If I explain now, everyone will just think I'm covering for you on purpose, and the misunderstanding will only get worse."

That made me laugh, cold and done:

"You're a student my family sponsors. Those few talks were only about checking on how the sponsorship was going. Is that so hard to say out loud? Fine, you won't say it, then I'll say it myself!"

He only cared about himself, so he couldn't blame me for not honoring old ties.

I posted the truth about sponsoring Marvin on the campus fair board, and even put up some of the screenshots.

The post was shared fast.

Except the outcome was the exact opposite of what I'd imagined.

"This is hilarious. She's making up rich-family soap operas now just to clear her name?"

"Sponsored him for five years? If her family's that loaded, how is there not a single rumor about it in this whole school?"

"She's lost it. Gets rejected once and starts making things up."

I stared at the screen full of malice and drew in a deep breath.

It seemed the one who tied the knot was the only one who could untie it.

I found out Miranda's route after class and went straight to her.

When Miranda saw me, contempt flickered in her eyes.

"What, still not giving up?"

"That anonymous post on the campus fair board. You posted it, didn't you?"

I kept my voice as level as I could.

"Spreading false claims, maliciously fabricating things to defame someone. That already crosses into violating someone's right to their reputation. Stop the rumors right now, and post publicly to clear all of it up. Otherwise, I can sue."

"Sue? You think I'm scared of you? You homewrecking little slut."

Miranda snapped. She lunged forward, her hand flying up high, and I clamped down on it hard.

"You want to hit me. I'll tell the lawyer that too, exactly as it happened."

"Slut, quit the act!"

She shrieked with rage, her eyes raking wildly over me, then suddenly fixing on my neck.

"Where did you get that jade pendant?"

Miranda's voice went shrill:

"You're still threatening to sue me? Not sending you to jail is me being generous! Louise Swanson, you actually stole something? That jade pendant on your neck is the one Marvin wore when he took me to a party. How is it sitting on you now?"

A few short sentences, and the crowd erupted at once.

More and more students crowded in at the noise, until there was no room to move.

"The pendant is mine."

I explained at once.

"Marvin borrowed it from me back then to save face at a party. He gave it back afterward."

But Miranda acted like she'd heard the biggest joke in the world:

"Here we go again, still spinning stories. How could anything of Marvin's belong to a cripple like you? I say you stole it. No wonder I haven't seen Marvin wearing this pendant lately!"

She turned to the watching students and threw out her words:

"Today I, Miranda Fox, am dishing out justice for the heavens and teaching this thieving little homewrecker a proper lesson!"

"My boyfriend Marvin is a top-tier rich heir. His family's never short on money. Anyone who helps me pin her down today, I'll send you ten thousand each afterward. That's a promise!"

At her words, the crowd erupted.

They came at me in twos and threes, hands closing around my arms without a word, pinning my shoulders down.

I couldn't move. In desperation I said,

"Marvin's only a scholarship kid. Forget ten thousand each, he couldn't scrape together a thousand. The pendant is mine. My parents are the richest couple in this city. Touch me, and they won't let any of you off!"

"That's hilarious. Now she's the billionaire's daughter. She'll say anything."

Someone burst out laughing.

"Stealing Marvin's pendant wasn't enough, now she's making up a billionaire family. The nerve on her!"

Watching me get put in my place, Miranda couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from lifting.

"There actually is someone at our school who's the billionaire's kid. But"

She drew the word out, her eyes bright with a thrill she couldn't hide.

"But I already confirmed it. That person is Marvin! I saw it with my own eyes, him climbing out of the billionaire's car. If you're going to make up a story, at least make it a decent one."

I almost laughed with rage.

Marvin had ridden in my father's car, yes, but only because Dad dropped me off and gave him a lift a few times on the way. If Miranda had watched a few seconds longer, she'd have seen me in that car too.

"So Marvin's rich, but I never thought he was this rich!"

The crowd boiled over, more of them piling on to punish me, all trying to win Miranda's favor.

They had me pinned down hard. My arms, my shoulders, everything ached beyond bearing.

The tangle of shouting slammed against my hearing aid, and my head swelled with wave after wave of dizziness.

All my life my parents had held me like something precious. Apart from that kidnapping when I was small, this was the first time I'd ever been humiliated like this.

Miranda stepped up and looked down at me, one hand reaching for the pendant at my throat.

"Louise, you dared to steal Marvin's things. Give it back!"

The cord bit suddenly into my neck. I struggled on instinct, trying to shield the pendant.

"Let go, this is mine!"

My struggling made her hand jerk, and her fury flared at once.

"You're still dodging? Still fighting me for it?"

A slap came down hard

"Crack!"

The clean sound of the slap rang out, and heat flooded my cheek in a searing burn.

The blow knocked me off balance, and I stumbled half a step.

"I didn't steal anything, and I never chased after anyone. Bring Marvin here and make him set it straight!"

"You still dare bring up Marvin? You're really asking for it!"

Miranda raised her other hand and swung at me again.

I turned aside to dodge, my head snapping hard to the side.

Seeing it, the students holding me clamped down harder, locking my arms and legs. In the chaos Miranda's palm raked viciously across the side of my ear.

At the same time the pendant's cord kept getting yanked

"Crack!"

With that clean snapping sound, my left ear went empty. The hearing aid was ripped clean off, and the world dropped into a droning hum.

Blood ran down the curve of my ear and into my neck.

When she saw the pendant shatter, panic flickered briefly across Miranda's face, then her chin came right back up.

"Broken, so it's broken. It's just a piece of jade!"

"Marvin's family is loaded. They won't miss a little thing like this!"

She looked down her nose at me, held fast by the crowd.

"Louise, forget the pendant, you steal and you play the victim about it too! Today I'm settling the score for Marvin, and teaching you a lesson about hounding people who don't want you!"

I only watched her coldly, spacing out every word.

"You're finished."

Miranda sneered.

"I'm finished? I think you've got that backwards"

"Miranda!"

Marvin's voice was frantic. Like a man gone mad he shoved through layer after layer of the crowd and burst in, wild and disheveled.

Dozens of students turned to look at him at once.

"Marvin's here. Must be coming to settle up over Louise stealing his pendant."

"But he's too late, his girlfriend already handled it."

Someone was even fishing for credit.

"Marvin, we did a lot to help this time. Miranda said ten thousand each, don't forget."

No one noticed how Marvin's whole body shook when he saw the shattered pendant and the hearing aid on the ground, and me pinned by the crowd, my face drained of all color.

Miranda, not knowing any better, thought he was upset over the pendant. She hurried up to him, all sweetness.

"Marvin, you're here! Don't be angry. Louise doesn't know her place, she kept stealing your things and hounding us and slandering us!"

"I only had everyone stop her to settle the score for you. It's fine that the pendant broke, right? You're so rich, you don't care about a little thing like"

She never finished. A vicious slap landed across her face.

"You bitch, didn't I tell you not to blow this up? Who gave you permission to lay a hand on her?"

Under everyone's stunned eyes, Marvin shoved her away hard.

Then his legs buckled toward me, and he dropped to his knees in front of them all.