Charming Scoundrels Across Worlds to Save

Debts and Tears

Ethan's hand still held Bella's, his fingertips could feel her slightly cool skin, but the storm in his mind was far more intense than this touch. What to do next? This thought hammered at his temples like a heavy mallet. In everyone's eyes, he was just a poor wretch who was publicly abandoned at the wedding. He, a "fake" who inherited a bunch of messes with this body, what right did he have to give Bella happiness? What could he offer her for happiness?

Bella's beauty was beyond doubt. Her delicate features were like a finely carved work of art, and her eyes, as clear as a deep autumn pool, sparkled with a lively light when she looked up. She exuded an innate elegance, like a flower carefully nurtured in a greenhouse. Not to mention her prominent family background. This huge gap made Ethan feel absurd. He couldn't help but wonder if the "original" Ethan had given Bella some kind of love potion? That guy was nothing but this decent-looking body. He even thought spitefully that with Bella Roberts' wealth, if she went to the top clubs in Manhattan to pick a male companion, there would be many more handsome and charming ones than this "empty shell" in her arms.

While Ethan was immersed in his contempt for the "former self", Bella's heart sank to the bottom. His long silence, in her eyes, had only one explanation: he regretted it. That phone call from Lily had made him come to his senses, realizing how foolish it was to drag her into this as a shield on impulse. When he calmed down, he would surely go back to Lily to make up. And she, Bella, was just a lifeline he grabbed in a moment of desperation, to be discarded after use.

"Go find her," Bella forced her voice to sound calm and detached, as if she were merely offering an insignificant suggestion. But the bitterness inside her was growing like wild grass, instantly clogging her throat. "If... if you still need money for the down payment on that Manhattan apartment, I can lend it to you. You can pay me back slowly. There's no rush." God knew how her heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat's claws when she said this, a tangled mess. It was her own foolishness, having harbored unwarranted fantasies, that had made the situation so awkward. Now, if she lent him the money, he could go back and compromise with Lily's parents, agree to buy the house, and the wedding might still go ahead... The more Bella thought about it, the more she felt this was the "right" ending. Her earlier secret joy seemed so despicable and shameful.

Ethan jerked his head up, and the sight that met his eyes made his heart tighten. Bella's eyes were brimming with tears, glistening droplets teetering on the brink, as if they would spill over at any moment. She bit her lower lip, looking like a small animal that had been cruelly bullied.

"Don't cry! Please don't cry!" Ethan panicked, clumsy like a teenage boy facing a girl's tears for the first time. Lily never cried like this; she would express her dissatisfaction with anger, and the "original" solution was simple and brutal - a transfer or shopping. But now? Transferring money to Bella? That amount was probably only enough to cover a fraction of the cost of a vase in her home, a humiliation he couldn't bear.

"You've misunderstood! Lily and I, after today, are completely over!" His attempt to clarify only confirmed Bella's suspicions - he was in a hurry to go back to Lily. The dam she had been holding back broke, and her suppressed sobs turned into uncontrollable crying. Tears silently slid down her pale cheeks, breaking hearts with their fragility.

Ethan heaved a heavy sigh, a strong sense of guilt overwhelming him. None of this should have involved her. Stiffly, he extended his arms and tentatively pulled Bella's trembling body into his embrace. His chin rested gently on her soft hair, and through the thin fabric of her clothes, he could clearly feel her slender frame. He remembered that the invitation in her hand wasn't from the "original", but a "charity" from Lily. During their four years of college, the only place where Lily had "won" over Bella was in the "original's" heart. Bella's participation in the wedding might have been an attempt to bury her hopeless crush and draw a line under it. Who could have imagined that the sudden change at the wedding would drag her into a vortex, deeper and deeper.

In Ethan's awkward yet warm embrace and gentle soothing, Bella's crying gradually subsided, leaving only intermittent sniffles. Her eyes were as red as a rabbit's. Passersby cast curious or disapproving glances - how could you make such a pretty and lovely girl cry? Facing these silent accusations, Ethan could only lower his head in embarrassment, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

After safely escorting Bella back to the grand apartment building in the Upper East Side with its polite doorman, Ethan finally ended this absurd day. Relying on the fragmented memories in his mind, he dragged his exhausted body back to the cramped rental apartment in Brooklyn. It was far from his workplace, the independent game studio "Neon Pulse", with a one-way subway commute taking an hour. The only advantage was its low rent - $2,000 a month, considered "affordable housing" in the expensive New York. As the marketing director, he earned $8,000 a month. After deducting the rent of $2,000 and the $3,000 spent on almost every meal being takeout (the "original" clearly hadn't learned to cook), the remaining money was just enough to occasionally buy a beer with colleagues for socializing. The aborted wedding cost a staggering $200,000 (including engagement rings and a deposit for a high-end hotel banquet), almost depleting the life savings of the "original's" parents, David and Sarah - a couple who exuded the typical hardworking and honest demeanor of the middle class. Now that the wedding was off, various penalties were deducted, leaving them with only $150,000. Ethan felt a knot in his chest at the thought of David and Sarah's forced smiles in the face of Lily's family's cold stares at the hotel today. He shook his head and pushed open the door to the rental apartment. A mixture of leftover takeout smells, dust, and a sense of desolation hit him. The scene before him confirmed his thoughts: this place was merely a sleeping and garbage-strewn den for the "original", not a home. Dirty clothes, empty pizza boxes, and beer cans littered the floor, leaving almost no space to stand.

Ethan frowned. Since this body and this mess were now his, he had to take responsibility. An inexplicable restlessness urged him to act. He pulled out a large black garbage bag and began to clear out mercilessly: moldy food packaging, piles of waste paper, empty bottles, clothes that were clearly never to be worn again... The advantage of a studio apartment was its limited space. After two hours, several large bags of garbage were piled up at the door. Although the room was still simple, it appeared much more spacious and clean. Sweat soaked his shirt, but as the garbage was cleared away, it seemed that some of the heavy thoughts were also swept away, making his mind clearer.

According to the "original's" memories, in the next few days, that guy would take advantage of Bella's vulnerability and confusion to sweet-talk her into getting married at the city hall, and then be eager to meet her parents - hotel tycoon Richard Roberts and his elegant wife Elizabeth. It was easy to imagine how displeased the Roberts couple would be with their daughter suddenly marrying a man who had just been dumped at his own wedding, had an ordinary job, and came from an unremarkable background. But Bella's insistence would eventually force them to reluctantly agree. Richard, wanting to "test" this son-in-law, only offered him the most basic position in the hotel group (receptionist or concierge). This immediately ignited the "original's" distorted sense of pride. He believed his father-in-law was deliberately humiliating and looking down on him, making him do "menial work" despite having a vast empire. What was worse, his and Bella's lifestyles and consumption habits were worlds apart. What Bella took for granted (a designer dress, a dinner at a high-end restaurant) was, in the "original's" eyes, blatant showing off and a mockery of his inability. Suspicion and resentment accumulated over time, eventually pushing him back into Lily's arms, reigniting their old flame.

Ethan had no intention of repeating the same mistakes. To go and meet the Roberts couple now would be suicidal. In the eyes of Bella's parents, he was probably no different from those who coveted the Roberts' wealth and wanted to climb the social ladder through marriage. After all, Bella was their only child and the sole heir to a vast business empire. He needed time, needed to prove himself, and needed to build trust. Everything had to be done gradually. Ethan planned in his mind, and his thoughts seemed to become clearer.

Until he habitually opened his laptop to check his personal email, but by some strange force of fate, he clicked on a corner of the screen where a financial software was located - a financial bomb forgotten in the corner by the "original", which suddenly exploded!

The glaring red numbers on the screen made his blood almost freeze: Unpaid credit card debt: $60,000.0 “F**k!” Ethan cursed under his breath and slammed his fist on the cheap table. What a disastrous start! He should have known! With the meager salary of the "original", it was already a struggle to maintain a decent life for himself. How could he afford to take Lily to fancy restaurants and give her those expensive gifts? It turned out that it was all an illusion built on credit card overdrafts! Sixty thousand US dollars! The heavy debt instantly wrapped icy chains around his ankles. Just as he had just kindled a glimmer of determination to clear up his life and start anew, this sudden huge bill knocked him dizzy. Ethan slumped into the creaking chair, feeling completely down. Every step in the future seemed to become even more difficult and muddied. ......