Defying the Comments: The Rise of a Female Mogul

"Mr. Hart, I know you're rich, but money can't buy everything!" Lena Quimby, my best friend, snapped, her eyes reddening as she spoke up for me.

However, she kept sneaking glances at Gideon Hart, and the heat in them betrayed a yearning too obvious to ignore.

Gideon's brow creased.

Seeing that, Lena pushed harder. "It's degrading to pay a woman off. If it were me, I wouldn't take a cent, even if I had nothing. Dignity and love come before everything. A woman's first time should only be given to her future husband."

As she said that, she blushed at her own words.

I let out a cold laugh. This was exactly what happened in my previous life.

Last time, I let Lena goad me. I couldn't bear the shame, so I refused Gideon's offer. Later, when bills piled up, she egged me on to ask him for money.

In the end, things spiraled, and I was thrown out of Kingsborough. I had nothing left and hit rock bottom.

Lena could put on an act all she wanted in this life. She just wasn't going to polish her halo with my money again.

I looked up and met the eyes of the refined man across from me. Gideon looked indifferent, as if he already knew I would turn him down in anger.

The next second, I smiled, pulled up my Venmo QR code, and held the screen out to him. "Sure. Wire it."

The room fell silent. Gideon froze, clearly not expecting me to be so blunt.

On the live stream, the chat exploded.

"Unbelievable! She has no shame at all! The male lead must have never seen anyone so greedy!"

"The female lead is chaste and elegant. She's the only one worthy of him!"

After a moment, Gideon narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips tight. "I thought you'd—"

"You'll only feel at ease if I take your money, won't you?" I cut him off with a smile. "It was just an accident. We'll clean it up and move on. Besides, freely you have received; freely give."

That surprised Gideon. The indifference in his eyes gave way to curiosity. "I knew you were at Kingsborough University, but I didn't expect you to be the type to quote scripture."

Lena chimed in, "Mr. Hart, you may be rich, but that doesn't give you the right to dig into our backgrounds. That's insulting!"