After the Pretending-to-Be-Poor CEO Is Exposed by Me

With dreams of the future, I threw myself into work even harder.

I used to work two jobs a day. Slowly, I started picking up three, sometimes even four.

There were times when I felt so exhausted as if I could fall asleep just by closing my eyes.

But every time I thought about our future, I pushed through to the next shift.

Some days, I'd only get two or three hours of sleep, but I didn't mind.

Every day when I got home, Lewis would be waiting for me at the door, right on time.

He'd look at my tired face with concern, then quietly go about preparing a warm meal for me.

Whenever I sat down and felt the heat from those dishes, a wave of satisfaction and happiness would rush through me.

It felt so good to know that someone was thinking of me.

That day, I came home as usual.

But when I opened the door, I was stunned by what I saw.

The entire room was filled with flowers, and Lewis was walking toward me with a smile.

He knelt down on one knee, pulled a tab from a soda can out of his pocket, and grinned. "I graduated. I figured I'd use this for now to propose, just so you won't leave me."

I squealed in delight, throwing myself into his arms, and we both tumbled into the sea of flowers.

With my head buried in his neck, I whispered, "Are you really going to marry me?"

He hugged me tightly, his voice firm, "What do you think? You can try saying no and see what happens."

And with that, he leaned in and started kissing me gently.

The next morning, just as I was getting ready to head out for work, Lewis stopped me and suggested we go visit my parents.

I hesitated.

He teased me with a smile, "Lola, don't worry. Your parents are my parents now. I'll treat them well."

I forced a smile and nodded. "Alright, I'll take you home with me."

Lewis was thrilled and took me shopping to pick up some gifts.

Curious, I asked him where the money came from, and he chuckled, "I made it playing video games."

I pretended to be angry and scolded him, "You've been secretly earning money behind my back again, huh? Lucky for you, you graduated; otherwise, I wouldn't let you off the hook."

Lewis immediately nodded and agreed, "Of course, you're right, my dear wife."

I gave him a playful glare. "Stop calling me that."

But he put on a serious face. "I'm not joking."

Then he leaned in and kissed me again.

By the time we got to my parents' place, it was mid-afternoon.

I brought Lewis inside, and when my mom saw the gifts we brought, she finally greeted us with a smile.

She grabbed the bags from our hands, barely giving us a second look as she started rifling through them.

But as soon as she realized the gifts were all cheap stuff, her face darkened.

Once inside, she tossed everything aside without even inviting us to sit down.

Awkwardly, I told Lewis to take a seat, and just as he did, my mom blurted out, "So, you're planning to marry my daughter?"

Lewis nodded.

Without missing a beat, my mom held up one finger. "One million dollars. That's the wedding gift, and then she's yours."

I froze when I heard that number. I couldn't help but snap, "Mom, are you selling your daughter? All you ever talk about is money!"

Before she could say anything, I grabbed Lewis's hand and stormed out.