I Served My Country for Three Years—He Spent My Reward on Her

Chapter 4

Tiffany cast herself as the victim, and members of her old high school clique rushed to support her version of events in the livestream.

A: [Claire was jealous of Tiffany in high school. I can prove it!]

B: [Leo, teach her a lesson. Make sure she can't stay in Aldercrest!]

A vein throbbed at Leo's temple. His voice shook with fury.

"Anyone who bullies Tiffany will pay. I'll ruin this Claire in Aldercrest."

He shot his assistant a murderous look.

"Raise it by 5 million. My bid is 75 million dollars. Let's see if she still has the nerve to top that."

The moment he announced the price, people began flattering him.

"The person in Suite 8 really doesn't know when to quit."

"She should have backed out earlier instead of offending Leo."

Tiffany's livestream filled with people cheering Leo on and mocking me as the class nerd.

It was laughable. These people were falling over themselves to flatter Leo, yet every dollar he spent had been earned by the "nerd" they mocked.

My parents divorced after I graduated from high school. I chose to live with my mother, took her surname, and changed my first name as well.

Between founding Grant Technologies and joining a classified National Defense Directorate project, I had all but disappeared from Aldercrest's social scene. Very few people still knew that Claire Walker and Vera Grant were the same woman.

I took another sip of coffee as my phone screen lit up with a message from Leo.

Leo: Honey, the signal was terrible earlier. My project has hit a snag, and I urgently need 100 million dollars. Could you send it over for now?

He added a pitiful emoji and a carefully angled photo of his face. He had used the same pathetic routine every time he wanted money during the past 3 years.

On Tiffany's livestream, however, Leo was kissing the top of her head while his fingers traced the curve of her waist. They looked every inch a loving couple.

The sight turned my stomach. I smiled without warmth and announced my next bid.

"125 million dollars."

The room went silent for a beat.

"Who is in Suite 8? She just raised the price by 50 million dollars!"

"That's insane. She could buy two diamonds for that price!"

"I bet she doesn't have the money. She must be trying to sabotage the auction!"

My auction adviser broke into a sweat. "Ms. Grant, the diamond is worth at most 60 million dollars. We can't keep going at this price."

I raised a hand to stop him. Of course I knew it wasn't worth that much.

But Leo had promised there was no spending limit.

If he dared to use my money to impress his mistress, I would show him what a real limit looked like.

Tiffany's livestream erupted with comments.

A: [Has Claire lost her mind? She couldn't raise more than 100 million dollars even if she sold everything she owned!]

B: [How much can a lab nerd possibly make?]

C: [Leo should demand proof of funds and humiliate her in front of everyone!]

Tiffany immediately lifted her head from Leo's chest, a calculating gleam in her eyes.

"Darling, make her prove she has the money. Her parents are broke teachers who wouldn't even buy her a dress costing more than 300 dollars. She can't possibly afford this. She's deliberately disrupting the auction."

Leo seized on the idea, his face contorting with anger.

"Exactly. I demand immediate proof of funds from Suite 8. I suspect she is bidding in bad faith."

Every eye and camera in the hall swung toward the door to my suite.

The auctioneer wiped his forehead. "Guest in Suite 8, would you agree to provide proof of funds?"

I looked at my adviser and answered calmly.

"I'll verify my funds if Leo verifies his. He suspects I can't cover my bids. I suspect he can't cover his either."