The Trillionaire No One Saw Coming

“Clean this up soon and go serve the customers waiting, you worthless punk!” the manager of Dush Restaurant barked, throwing a soaked rag straight at Vincent’s face.

The rag slapped his cheek with a wet thud, leaving behind a cold smear of milk. Vincent flinched slightly but didn’t say a word. He only bent down, wiping up the puddle on the floor, his hands trembling slightly—not from anger, but exhaustion.

“Let's endure it,” he reminded himself. “One more shift. One more paycheck. Then I can finally buy Jenny her birthday gift. She’ll love it... she has to.”

The cold floor met his knuckles as he scrubbed the tiles, the sour smell of milk stinging his nose. Despite the humiliations, the snide comments, and the long hours juggling part-time jobs and late-night study sessions, Vincent never once complained.

He did it all for love. For Jenny.

She was everything to him. The girl who smiled at him during freshman orientation. The one he spent every dime on. Her phone, her clothes, her spa appointments—he paid for them all, believing he was giving her the life she deserved, even if it meant going without food for days.

After mopping the last of the spill, he rose to his feet and made his way to the counter to pick up an order.

“Hey, tortoise. Took you long enough,” snapped Carla, his colleague, rolling her eyes. She shoved a tray into his hands without so much as a glance. “Table 3. And hurry up before the manager chews you out again.”

Vincent bit his tongue, nodded, and carried the tray to the waiting customer with practiced ease. He glanced around—no other customers were waiting.

He turned, heading toward the manager’s office, when the chime above the restaurant door jingled.

Two people walked in.

A woman’s high-pitched laugh cut through the air, followed by a man’s deep chuckle. Vincent looked up.

“Go on, tortoise!” Carla shouted mockingly from behind. “Go greet and serve the customers!”

Vincent put on his best customer service smile and strode toward them. “Welcome, sir and ma—”

He froze mid-step.

His throat went dry.

Jenny?

His Jenny… was holding hands with Billy Corners—son of a wealthy family, the cocky heir of Corners Estates, who strolled around campus like he owned it. They slid into the booth like they’d done it a hundred times.

Jenny leaned into Billy’s chest, whispering something that made him grin wide. Her hand was caressing his.

Vincent’s breath caught. His vision blurred. Every part of him screamed that this couldn’t be real.

“Look who we’ve got here, Jenny.” Billy’s smug voice rang out like a slap. “The pauper himself—Vincent.”

Jenny turned her head slowly. Her eyes landed on him with chilling indifference.

She blinked. “Do I… know you?”

Vincent stepped closer, his fists tightening at his side. “Jenny, what are you doing? Why are you with him?”

Billy laughed, leaning back like he was watching a comedy show. “Isn’t it obvious? She traded up.”

Vincent reached for Billy’s collar, fury bubbling to the surface. “Stay away from my girlfriend!”

Jenny’s face twisted in disgust. She yanked Vincent’s hand off Billy and shoved him backward.

“Are you insane?” she snapped. “Don’t you dare touch him!”

He stared at her, heart hammering. “Jenny… It’s me. I’ve done everything for you.”

“Don’t you dare mention my name,” she hissed. “I’m not your girlfriend, Vincent. And I never was. You must be stupid to think I’d ever date a loser like you.”

Her words tore through him like knives.

“I did everything you wanted,” he said hoarsely. “Your birthday gifts. Your shoes. I starved so you could be happy—”

“Pathetic,” she spat. “You were never more than a tool. You think a real woman would settle for a broke waiter with no future?”

Billy laughed again, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Should’ve known your place, Vincent. People like us don’t mix with dirt like you.”

“Billy is right, Vincent. I could never settle for a meaningless relationship with you. You're way below my level,” Jenny spat, tightening her grip around Billy’s arm as if to emphasize how far she’d risen above him.

Vincent stared at her, the girl he had once called the love of his life. His chest heaved with disbelief. The betrayal cut so deep it numbed him for a moment.

“After everything I did for you? Two years, Jenny. Two years!” His voice cracked with a blend of heartbreak and disbelief. “You let me carry your burdens, your rent, your bills… and you think this—this is nothing?”

Jenny rolled her eyes and smirked. “You chose to play the hero, Vincent. I never asked you to.”

His hands trembled. “You never said no either. You smiled, you kissed me, you let me believe you loved me—”

“I never loved you,” she said, voice cold and sharp like glass. “I only put up with you because you were convenient.”

Vincent scoffed, pain twisting into something darker. “You’re unbelievable.”

“No,” she said, lifting a glass from the table. “I’m just honest.”

Before he could react, she splashed the water in his face. Gasps erupted from the surrounding tables. His soaked shirt clung to his chest, his pride dripping down along with the water.

“I’m done pretending!” she shouted, stepping away from the booth. “We’re over, Vincent. And guess what? Everyone should know—you're broke, pathetic, and you’ll probably die still paying off your student loans.”

Laughter bubbled from Billy’s throat as Vincent stood frozen, dripping wet and humiliated.

Vincent’s voice was small now, almost broken. “Then why were you with me all these years… if you didn’t love me?”

Jenny’s eyes narrowed with a sneer. “Love? Don’t insult me.”

She leaned closer, her words laced with venom. “If you hadn’t been so desperate to serve me like a loyal puppy, I would never have looked at you. You were just... useful. Someone to foot the bills and play the part. Nothing more.”

He felt something snap inside. Not rage. Not even sadness.

Just emptiness.

The girl he loved had never loved him back.

And now, the world knows it too.