My Girlfriend Chose a Rich Man, Then My Money Started Multip

Chapter 1.

Noah Reed checked his phone again.

7:48 p.m.

Their anniversary dinner was supposed to start at seven, but Claire still hadn't shown up. He slipped the phone into his pocket. The small ring box pressed against his thigh.

They had been together for three years.

For weeks, Noah had been setting money aside for tonight. He had even booked a table at a restaurant Claire had wanted to try for months. One meal here cost almost as much as he usually spent in an entire week.

He didn't care.

 Tonight was supposed to be special. His fingers brushed the box in his pocket.

Inside was a simple silver ring with a small stone set in the center. Nothing extravagant. Noah had paid for it little by little, saving whatever he could over the past few months.

Tonight, he was going to ask Claire to marry him.

The restaurant door opened.

Noah looked up. His hand froze over the ring box.

Claire walked in. She wasn't alone.

A man in a perfectly fitted dark suit walked beside her. Even his watch looked more expensive than the car Noah drove every day.

Noah knew him.

Victor Hale.

Everyone in the city knew the Hale family. Their businesses were everywhere, and Victor was the heir who regularly appeared in society news.

Claire stopped beside Noah's table.

Noah pushed back his chair and stood. "Claire?"

She looked at him for a few seconds before speaking.

Victor stepped forward. "You're Noah, right?"

Noah kept his eyes on Claire. "What's going on?"

Claire lowered her gaze. "We need to talk."

Noah glanced at the empty chair across from him, then at the man standing beside her.

The ring box suddenly felt heavier in his pocket. Whatever he'd imagined for tonight was already gone.

Noah looked at the man again. "Who is he?"

"Victor."

Victor held out his hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

Noah looked at his hand but didn't take it. "What happened?"

Claire drew a slow breath. "I want to break up."

Noah stared at her. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

"After three years?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while."

Noah searched her face for something. 

There is no doubt or regret there.

"When did you decide?"

Claire looked away. "I realized we want different things."

"Like what?"

"I want a better life."

Noah frowned. "I'm trying to give you that."

"That's the problem." Claire looked back at him.

"I'm tired of hearing the word 'later.'"

She paused.

"Later we'll have a house. Later we'll travel. Later we'll be able to afford the things we want." Her voice had grown colder. "I don't want to wait another few years."

Noah said nothing.

His hand slipped into his jacket pocket. His fingertips found the small box he'd been carrying since the afternoon.

The ring.

"I've been saving."

Claire noticed the movement. "You brought a ring?"

Noah took out the box and placed it on the table.

He opened it.

A simple silver ring rested inside. "I was going to give it to you tonight."

Claire stared at it for a few seconds then she shook her head. "I can't accept it."

Noah closed the box. "Because it's too cheap?"

Claire didn't answer.

Victor stepped closer to her. "Claire." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box.

Claire turned toward him.

Victor opened it.

A diamond bracelet caught the light.

Claire's expression changed immediately. "For me?"

Victor smiled. "For you."

She took the bracelet with a smile Noah hadn't seen when she'd looked at his ring.

Noah stood there quietly. He didn't need to ask how much it cost. The bracelet was almost certainly worth more than the ring he'd spent months saving for.

Claire slipped her hand into Victor's. "Noah, I'm not changing my mind."

Noah put the ring box back into his jacket.

"I understand."

Claire looked surprised by his answer. "You're not angry?"

"Of course I'm angry." Noah picked up his jacket from the back of the chair. "But I'm not going to force you to stay with me."

Claire fell silent. "You'll regret this."

"Maybe." Noah put on his jacket. "But I won't ask you to stay." He turned and walked toward the restaurant entrance.

Claire didn't call him back.

Noah didn't look behind him. The ring box was still in his pocket.

---

Outside the restaurant, Noah pulled out his phone. He opened the ride-hailing app.

The trip home would only cost a few dollars, but he checked his bank balance anyway.

$37.

He stared at the number for a moment before closing the app.

"I'll walk."

Nearly an hour later, Noah reached his apartment.

It was barely big enough for a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a tiny kitchen.

He dropped his keys on the table then he noticed the pile of things he'd kept in the corner. Things he'd saved because he'd believed they'd matter someday.

A plane ticket for a trip they never took. A birthday present he'd never gotten around to giving Claire and a cookbook.

Noah picked it up.

Claire had shown it to him when they'd stopped by a bookstore. They'd even joked about cooking together after they got married. He flipped through a few pages.

A handwritten note sat in the corner of one page.

"Try this recipe sometime."

Noah's finger rested against the words.

He closed the book.

For three years, he'd been saving money and planning a future he thought they'd share. Now, all of it had ended at a restaurant table.

His stomach growled. Noah checked the time.

Almost nine.

He didn't have the energy to cook. He grabbed his jacket and headed back outside.

A small coffee shop two blocks from his apartment was still open.

"Small Americano."

"Three dollars."

Noah handed over the money. He stepped outside with the coffee in hand.

A few steps later, his phone vibrated.

Noah pulled it out.

A notification appeared on the screen.

[Multiplier System Activated.]

Noah frowned. "What the hell is this?"

He tried to dismiss the notification.

Another message appeared.

[Eligible purchase detected.]

[Purchase: $3]

[Reward: $30]

Noah stared at the screen. "Reward?" He immediately opened his banking app.

The balance that had been $37 now read:

$64.

Noah blinked. He refreshed the app.

$64.

Again.

Still $64.

"No way..." He looked down at the coffee in his hand.

Three dollars had just left his account. Thirty dollars had appeared in its place.

His phone vibrated again.

[Every eligible purchase will generate a reward equal to 10× the transaction value.]

Noah read the message twice then he looked at his bank balance again.

$64.

That night, Claire wasn't on his mind.

Noah stared at the screen. "Ten times?" 

He stood there for a moment, a thought crossed his mind.

"If that's true..." His eyes narrowed. "What happens if I spend more?"