After Rebirth, I Let Her Keep the Hobo

Chapter 2

"Guys, does anyone get it? I took my down-and-out young master for a full grooming session today. The haircut alone cost two thousand eight hundred!"

The next morning, I had barely settled into my hotel room when I scrolled across Leah's social media post. The attached photo showed the vagrant from behind. He wore a brand-new suit with its price tag still attached, and the garment was obviously far too big for him. Though his hair had been cut short, stubborn grime lingered on the skin of his neck that no shower could wash away. Beneath the luxury suit, he still clung tightly to that foul, tattered army overcoat.

I tapped open the comment section, which was already flooded with replies.

A: [Is Leah doing charity? She's so kind-hearted.]

Leah: [This isn't charity. You don't understand. Look how straight his back is in the photo. He's probably some fallen rich heir. Wait and see, I'm helping a wealthy amnesia heir regain his dignity.]

Leah replied to everyone with a mysterious smiley emoji.

I kept scrolling, and one comment caught my eye.

B: [Why does this man keep bowing his head to hide his face every time there's a camera, and clutching his chest nonstop? Is he unwell?]

Leah fired off an immediate response.

Leah: [That's the wariness of someone born into wealth! He dislikes drawing public attention.]

Reading her confident, groundless speculation, I thought it absurd and ridiculous. She was not only lost in her own fantasy but determined to drag everyone else into celebrating her delusion alongside her.

In the days that followed, Leah's social feed turned into an ongoing serial documenting her imagined life as a wealthy wife. One day she posted a location check-in for afternoon tea at a five-star hotel; the next, staged photos taken from the passenger seat of a rented Porsche.

In every picture, the vagrant huddled stiffly in the corner. Whenever Leah tried to edge closer and reach toward his left breast pocket, he would instantly clamp his hand over it. This strange behavior only strengthened Leah's self-delusion. She remained convinced that the ragged overcoat held a secret that would send her soaring to riches.

Late Wednesday afternoon, my phone vibrated repeatedly with messages from Leah.

Lean: Nora, lend me $50,000 right now, it's urgent! Elias's suit got stained. I need to send it to dry cleaning and buy two Rolex watches for him to maintain his status. This is our once-in-a-lifetime shot to turn our lives around. Don't drop the ball on me now!

I stared at the words on the screen and typed a reply quickly.

Nora: I'll say this one final time. I will not give you a single cent. Besides, I've notified the leasing agent to block any unilateral withdrawal of our shared security deposit. Don't even think about using my money to feed your bottomless pit of fantasies.

I rejected her incoming call after two rings. Moments later, a screenshot appeared on her social timeline.

It captured our conversation where I refused to lend her money, with Leah's caption attached:

This is what years of close friendship amounts to. She begrudges my chance to marry into wealth, consumed by jealousy and unwilling to offer even a tiny favor. Once I become Mrs. Elias, the first person I'll cut out completely is this opportunistic woman!

Mutual friends flocked to the post to watch the drama, joining in to accuse me of being cold-hearted. I saw no point in responding and saved a screenshot of the post. If she insisted on stirring up trouble, I would grant her wish.

Shortly afterward, verification text messages from multiple online lending platforms popped up one after another. The woman had listed me as her emergency contact to take out high-interest loans. I immediately called customer service to revoke the authorization and clarify that I bore no connection to her debts.

After ending the call, I gazed out the window at the stream of traffic, my gaze turning icy.

'Leah, you have stepped perilously close to the abyss just to afford designer watches and banquet gowns. If you are so eager to ruin yourself, then I will not stand in your way.'