Free Web NovelChapter 3: Who’s Hypocritical Now?
Vanessa had been Luca Hale’s girlfriend for two years.
During those two years, he had treated her wholeheartedly.
Whatever she wanted, he did his best to provide it. Whether it was gifts, dinners, shopping trips, or little surprises, Luca rarely refused her anything. Out of the three years he had spent working, nearly seventy percent of his salary had gone into this relationship.
And yet, the moment Vanessa learned he had lost his job, she didn’t comfort him.
She didn’t even hesitate.
Instead, she coldly broke up with him without giving him the slightest chance to explain or fix things.
As for Camila, she was Vanessa’s best friend.
Her appearance was fairly average, but she had a bright personality and a genuinely decent heart. Back when Luca and Vanessa were together, Camila had helped smooth over arguments between them more than once.
So when she suddenly saw Luca here, her first thought was obvious.
He must have come to reconcile with Vanessa.
Vanessa herself thought the same thing.
She completely ignored Luca’s greeting, glanced at him with obvious disdain, then deliberately looked away as if she couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge him.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Trying to ease the tension, Camila quickly changed the subject. But just as she was about to speak, her eyes suddenly landed on the shopping bag in Luca’s hand.
Her eyes widened immediately.
"Wait... Vacheron Constantin?!"
Camila looked genuinely shocked.
"Luca, you actually went all out this time! Quick, let me see what you bought."
Hearing those words, Vanessa finally turned her head properly.
Luca Hale.
Vacheron Constantin.
Those two things simply didn’t belong in the same sentence.
Even though she had never owned luxury goods herself, she still knew how outrageously expensive Vacheron Constantin watches were. The cheaper ones started in the five figures, while the expensive mechanical models could easily cost hundreds of thousands, or even millions.
How could Luca possibly afford something like that after losing his job?
The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.
Vanessa immediately sneered.
"Luca, I honestly never realized before just how fake you are."
Luca frowned slightly.
"Fake? Me?"
He pointed at himself, genuinely confused.
Seeing that he hadn’t immediately argued back, Vanessa assumed she had exposed him. Her confidence instantly swelled.
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin proudly.
"What? You think carrying around someone else’s discarded shopping bag suddenly makes you look rich?"
"Do you even know what Vacheron Constantin is?"
"Those watches cost tens of thousands! Can you even afford the strap?"
Vanessa looked at him mockingly before letting out a cold laugh.
"And what now? You’re trying to impress me so I’ll get back together with you?"
"Let me make this clear, Luca. That’s impossible."
Watching her arrogant expression, Luca suddenly felt that his old self must have truly been blind.
Otherwise, how could he have tolerated this woman for two whole years?
His gaze gradually turned cold.
"Vanessa, stop flattering yourself."
"I never once said I wanted to get back together with you."
"And whether I can afford Vacheron Constantin or not has absolutely nothing to do with you."
After saying that, Luca stepped forward, no longer interested in wasting time arguing with her.
But Vanessa clearly wasn’t finished.
"Heh. Acting tough after getting exposed?"
"Luca, don’t pretend to be something you’re not. You’ve always lacked ambition, and now you’re pretending to be rich too?"
"I really must’ve been blind to ever date you."
Just as she was about to continue insulting him, hurried footsteps suddenly approached from behind.
"Sir! S-Sir, please wait!"
The female sales assistant from Vacheron Constantin came jogging over, slightly out of breath.
"You forgot your receipt," she said quickly while holding it out. "If you ever need to exchange or service the watches, you’ll need the invoice."
The moment those words fell, the expressions on Vanessa and Camila’s faces changed completely.
Especially after they saw the number printed clearly on the receipt.
23,860 dollars.
The bold digits looked almost blinding.
Vanessa felt as though someone had slapped her across the face.
Her expression stiffened instantly.
"T-There must be some mistake..." she forced out awkwardly. "How could he possibly afford your watches?" freewebnovёl.ƈom
The sales assistant blinked in confusion.
"Mistake? Of course not."
She smiled professionally.
"This gentleman bought two watches from our store just a few minutes ago. One men’s model and one women’s model. I personally handled the purchase."
As if that wasn’t enough, she glanced at Luca’s outfit and added casually,
"And the clothes this gentleman is wearing aren’t cheap either. That looks like Versace."
As a luxury saleswoman, recognizing designer brands was basic knowledge.
Vanessa’s eyes widened.
Only now did she properly notice Luca’s outfit.
The cut.
The fabric.
The logo.
It really was Versace.
And suddenly, Luca looked completely different from the man she remembered.
But none of that mattered anymore.
What mattered was one thing.
Luca had money now.
A lot of it.
And if she got back together with him, wouldn’t everything he owned become hers too?
Vanessa immediately convinced herself that Luca still had feelings for her.
After all, hadn’t the sales assistant just said he bought a women’s watch too?
Who else could it possibly be for?
Her eyes lit up instantly.
’So that’s it.’
’He bought the watch to win me back.’
The more she thought about it, the more certain she became.
Her attitude changed immediately.
"Luca~"
Her voice suddenly turned soft and coquettish as she stepped closer to him.
"Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you bought such an expensive gift for me? You’re so annoying."
She even stretched out her wrist toward him proudly.
"Hurry up and put it on for me. I’ll forgive you this time."
Luca stared at her for a full two seconds.
Honestly, he was speechless.
How could someone be this self-absorbed?
Then suddenly, as if remembering something amusing, he reached into the shopping bag and took out the box containing the women’s watch.
Seeing this, Vanessa’s smile instantly grew brighter.
’As expected.’
’The moment I soften my attitude a little, he comes crawling back like before.’
But the next second, Luca turned and handed the watch directly to Camila.
"Here," he said calmly. "This is for you."
Camila froze.
Vanessa froze too.
Luca continued casually, "Take it as thanks for helping me so much in the past."
Camila looked completely caught off guard. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"F-For me?"
"Of course."
Luca smiled lightly.
"Go ahead and take it."
"N-No, I can’t!" Camila hurriedly waved her hands. "This is way too expensive!"
"It’s fine."
Luca simply pressed the box into her hands.
"I’ve wanted to thank you for a long time already. I just never knew what to buy before."
Camila stood there stunned, holding the watch box carefully as though it might explode at any second.
Meanwhile, Vanessa’s face had already turned ugly beyond belief.
[Ding!]
[Host spent 3,880 Dollars on a female target.]
[100x Critical Cashback triggered!]
[Reward: 349,200 Dollars.]
Luca’s eyes widened slightly.
A hundred times critical hit?!
Then he quickly realized why the amount wasn’t higher.
The system had already deducted the cashback bonus from the earlier purchase.
’Tsk. No exploiting loopholes after all.’
Still...
Seeing his account balance suddenly skyrocket by hundreds of thousands of dollars felt unbelievably satisfying.
This watch had absolutely been worth giving away.
Just then, another girl appeared at the end of the corridor.
She was holding her phone up while walking distractedly, muttering something under her breath as if livestreaming again.
