Rebate System: From Poor Student To Billionaire Playboy

Chapter 16. Alicia The Gold Digger

Alicia was out on the town, blowing through cash like there was no tomorrow. The money Harry had sent her didn’t last a full day, by sunset, every dollar was gone. Designer handbags, luxury shoes, perfume that cost more than a house rent, she bought it all without a single thought about tomorrow.

Financial responsibility had never been her strong suit. Why would it? She’d always managed to find another man willing to pick up her tab. And now by the looks of things she has two men she can live off of.

But even with that careless streak, Alicia still had her own ambitions. She wanted to be a famous model, walking the runways in Paris, London and Milan, walking red carpets, cameras flashing from every direction, being on the cover of Vogue magazine. She could see it so clearly sometimes that it hurt. Yet reality had a way of humbling her.

Her career was stagnant, her agency had gone downhill, and every new audition or submission of headshots seemed like another rejection waiting to happen.

Still, she couldn’t get one thing out of her head: why had Harry sent her money, only to completely ghost her afterward? The silence made no sense. Watching him spend money on a stranger yesterday made her blood boil.

She was sitting in one of the priciest salons in town, surrounded by marble floors and the soft hum of hairdryers, when a nail technician asked, “Would you like to do your manicure as well, ma’am?”

Alicia nodded. “Of course.”

It cost a fortune to look good, but that was the price of maintaining the image she’d built. To play the part of the glamorous starlet, she had to look the part, at all times.

Her phone started ringing just as the technician began painting her nails. She considered ignoring it, it would mess up her manicure, but instinct won out. She slid in her AirPods. With so many auditions lately, this could easily be the callback she’d been waiting for.

“Hello, this is Alicia,” she said smoothly.

“Good afternoon, Miss Alicia Morgan!” came the cheerful voice on the other end. “This is Rita from Savour Agency. I’m pleased to inform you that your application has been approved. Welcome aboard, we’re excited to work with you!”

Alicia froze, then smiled. Finally, finally, some good news. Her old agency had been a sinking ship for months, barely securing her any work. The only work she’d been landing lately were low-budget productions or half-baked erotic projects that no serious model would touch. She’d taken them anyway, desperate to keep her lights on and her lifestyle intact. Even with Marcus funding her lifestyle, he had a lot of limitations on the amount of money he could give her. His father literally dictates almost everything about him.

When the call ended, she sat for a few moments, letting the satisfaction sink in. Then her phone buzzed again, this time, a message.

She glanced down, and her heart skipped. The sender’s name made her blink.

Harry.

The man she’d broken his heart to tiny little pieces. The man she hadn’t heard from since he pulled that stunt at boutique.

Confusion swirled with curiosity. Part of her wanted to ignore it. The other part, the one that knew how to read opportunity, couldn’t resist. If he wanted to throw money at her again, she’d happily catch every bill.

She opened the message.

> Hey, I was busy earlier but I’m free tonight. How about dinner?

Below it was an image, an emerald-green designer dress, gorgeous enough to make her breath hitch.

> I think this would look great on you. Wear it when I come to pick you up.

And then came the real shock, her banking app notification. $100,000.

She blinked at the screen, mouth slightly open. “What the hell…?”

He’d sent her that much money just for dinner?

She leaned back in her chair, completely floored. Was Harry rich all along? Some undercover millionaire pretending to be broke for fun? A thrill-seeker playing at being ordinary? Whatever he was, she wasn’t about to question it too much.

She zoomed in on the picture again. The dress shimmered on her screen. There was no way she was turning this down.

“Harry has gone insane,” she muttered under her breath, but a smirk tugged at her lips. “Insanely rich.”

And that, to her, was the best kind of insane.

*******

Meanwhile, across town, Harry’s phone lit up with system notifications one after another:

> [Spent $100,000. 10x Critical Hit! Earned $1,000,000.]

[2x Bonus Critical Hit! Earned $2,000,000.]

[Funds transferred to account XXX-XXX-XXX.]

[Spent at least $100,000 on a beautiful lady!]

[Affection update: Alicia +20%.]

Harry leaned back, staring at the figures on his screen. His total balance now sat at roughly $3,145,000. He still couldn’t wrap his head around how surreal his life had become.

But if there was one thing he understood clearly, it was that Alicia was a gold digger, through and through. And that was fine. Because he had more gold than she could ever dig up.

He smirked, already planning the night. He’d reserved a table at one of the most exclusive hotels in the city, the kind of place only CEOs and celebrities could afford to breathe in. Bringing her there wasn’t about showing off, it was about control. He wanted to see how far she’d go for the money, how deep the greed ran.

He’d been humiliated once because of her. Tonight, he’d make sure the scales were balanced.

As he mentally mapped out how the evening would go, his phone rang again. The name flashing on the screen made him frown.

“Brandon?”

He answered reluctantly. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Ah, Harry! Sorry to bother you,” Brandon began. “There’s a bit of a situation. My car’s having issues, and I promised my wife I’d take her to pick up some things from a store out of town. I hate to ask, but could you…?”

Harry sighed quietly. The irritation was immediate. A few miles out? Great. That was going to eat into his evening.

For a moment, he considered refusing. But then, guilt crept in. Brandon had put up with him for years back when Harry couldn’t pay rent on time. The man had every right to ask for a small favor.

“Yeah, sure,” Harry said finally. “I’ll help.”

“Really? You’re a lifesaver, Harry. I owe you one!”

Harry hung up and sat there for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn’t thrilled about chauffeuring Mrs. Langston around, but it wasn’t like he had anything else going on until dinner. Besides, maybe it would be good to repay a small part of the debt he owed the man.

Still, he couldn’t help but think, This is going to blur the line between landlord and tenant real fast.

He glanced once more at his messages, at the picture of that green dress, and smirked.