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FALLING FOR A GIRL LIKE AI CAME WITH A PRICE. It was like selling your soul to the devil for a taste of all the things you'd only ever dreamed of. And Alex knew it. Still, he couldn't let her go. Not her.
He could go broke, lose everything—but as long as she was around, it'd be worth it. How could he say no to someone so stunningly untouchable?
No one in their right mind would walk away from a girl like Ai.
"Baby... look at this amazing dress I found," she said, flashing him a dazzling smile, her eyes already daring him to say no. "Isn't it gorgeous? You'll buy it for me, right?"
"Of course, anything you want," he replied without a second thought.
How could he refuse? She was so adorable when she wanted something. Even the faint disgust on her face when he got too close seemed like part of her charm.
Ai casually pushed a strand of jet-black hair behind her ear as she took his credit card, a satisfied smile lighting up her face when the $24,000 charge went through. She picked up her Prada bag, barely sparing him a second glance as she turned to leave.
A chill crept down Alex's spine. Something felt... off.
It was very bad.
"Uh, baby? Is everything okay?" he asked, his voice catching. "Do you... need anything else? Please, just ask.."
She looked back at him, her gaze icy, and rolled her eyes. "Shut up. You're embarrassing. I don't even need to explain myself, but you know what? For once, I will."
She reached into her bag, pulled out her phone, and held the screen up for him to see. A single, damning number was displayed: 0. His bank account. Completely drained.
His heart plummeted, a lead weight in his chest.
"Ai... I can work harder, I swear, I'll—"
"Shut it. I'm not done," she snapped, grabbing her car keys from his desk. She paused to check her lipstick in the mirror one last time, then threw him a disgusted glance over her shoulder.
"As you can see, I took everything, sucked you like a vampire until the very last penny. Not only that, but you look like some washed-up, fifty-year-old addict father. You were humiliating to be seen around with. So here's what you're going to do: don't follow me, don't even look at me, and definitely don't try to stalk me. Got it? You'd be a total creep if you did."
A cold laugh slipped from her lips, so casual and cruel it hurt.
"Why don't you just throw yourself off a bridge or drown in your pool, babe? Ciao."
With that, she left, letting the door slam shut behind her.
Standing alone in his penthouse, Alex looked out over the city, lights glittering like some kind of twisted, mocking paradise. Maybe death wasn't as bad as he'd imagined. He let out a dry, broken laugh—empty, hollow.
