On the day of the gala, everything ran like clockwork. The entire class huddled backstage, waiting for their final curtain call.

With just two acts remaining before Cecilia's featured dance, she suddenly fixed her gaze on me, a calculating gleam in her eyes.


"I've been thinking," she said sweetly, "I could use a dance partner—someone in a mascot costume to accompany me. Selena, care to volunteer?"

I blinked in surprise. "Oh? And you'll be wearing this mascot costume, right?"

Cecilia's mouth opened, then closed without a sound.


"Are you kidding?" Zoe jumped in, practically foaming at the mouth. "Of course YOU would wear it! People are here to see Cece, not some nobody! She's doing you a favor even letting you on stage!"

The counselor materialized beside us, arms crossed. "Selena James, this is about school pride. What's so hard about being a team player for once?"


I shook my head with an exaggerated sigh. "Sorry, not really the helpful type. But hey—for the right price, I might reconsider."

Jaws dropped around me. Zoe recovered first, letting out a bark of laughter. "Well, well! Miss High-and-Mighty is just another gold-digger after all. Don't sweat it—Cece's loaded. Did you think she couldn't afford you?"

Perfect. Exactly what I was waiting for. I whipped out my phone, pulled up my payment QR code, and thrust it toward Cecilia. "Great! Here you go—just scan it."

Cecilia shot Zoe a murderous glare that screamed, "Shut your mouth," her smile frozen in place. "And how much would that be?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Five thousand dollars," I chirped. "That's with the student discount, by the way!"

Cecilia's jaw dropped. "Five THOUSAND?! Are you out of your mind?"

The crowd around us erupted in outrage, convinced I was deliberately pricing myself out of participation.

I shrugged, the picture of calm. "Doesn't the Legrand heiress drop more than five grand on a single manicure? That mascot is hideous—I'll be sweating buckets and looking like a complete idiot. Five thousand seems like a bargain, honestly."

Was Cecilia really this cheap? Or were all these "rich" people just stingy frauds?

My words rippled through the crowd. Several classmates nodded in agreement.

After all, for someone supposedly worth billions, five grand should be pocket change.

Zoe elbowed Cecilia, hissing under her breath, "Just pay her, Cece. It's nothing to you. Once everyone sees her prancing around as your sidekick, she'll be too humiliated to stay in the dorm!"

Cecilia sighed dramatically. "I just think that as classmates, bringing money into things damages our relationship."

I waved my hand dismissively. "No worries there—we don't have a relationship to damage."

Cecilia's eye twitched, but she finally pulled out her phone and made the transfer. I checked my balance, then dutifully squeezed into the mascot costume.

Hell, for five grand, I'd hop around the stage in a clown suit!

Only when I disappeared inside the bulky costume did Cecilia's smug smile return.