Everyone Thought I Was a Gold-Diggger

I didn’t want to waste any more time arguing, so I pulled out my phone and showed her the list of luxury gifts I had bought for her, then asked coldly, "Then what about the things I bought for you? Shouldn’t you be the one paying me back?"

Jordyn took one glance at the screen—at the total order amount exceeding a million dollars—and actually laughed out loud in anger.

"Wayne, are you really this shameless? Do I need to broadcast to everyone here just how broke you used to be?"

"Let me be blunt. Those fake designer goods you bought? I didn’t even look at them. I tossed them in the storage room without a second glance. I didn’t throw them out because I couldn’t afford the embarrassment if someone found them."

"You think those knockoffs meant something? That money you used was charity—my charity! And now you have the audacity to send me a photoshopped screenshot and demand a refund?"

Hah. No wonder I’d never seen her wear the clothes or jewelry I’d given her. Turns out she dismissed them as fakes the moment they arrived.

All those carefully chosen gifts discarded without a thought. That hit a nerve.

I spread my hands, forcing a smile. "Since you clearly looked down on them, then returned them all to me. Every last one."

Honestly, I’d rather feed them to a dog than let her keep them.

But in this crowd, her words carried more weight. After all, the Ortiz family was a rising power in the industry, and I was just a scholarship kid she had “generously supported.”

The same people who had just been calling us a perfect couple now stared at me with open contempt.

"Miss Ortiz, thank goodness this was only an engagement. Imagine marrying him and then discovering he’s just a gold-digger!"

"If I were you, I’d fire him immediately. Who knows, he’s probably stealing your company’s toilet paper too."

"Seriously. Anyone who can burn five hundred thousand dollars online shopping in two weeks will bankrupt your company in no time. Stay far away from men like him."

At that moment, Garrett took his cue. Eyes glinting behind a mask of sorrow, he grabbed Jordyn’s arm, tears welling in his eyes.

"Jordyn, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have had a birthday... If I hadn’t, maybe you and Wayne wouldn’t be fighting..."

He turned dramatically and bolted toward the door. Jordyn instantly pulled him back, wrapped her arms around his waist, and cooed, "How could this be your fault? I should be thanking you. If not for you, I never would’ve seen Wayne’s true colors!"

Then she turned to me, eyes full of disdain.

"Wayne, if you have even a shred of self-awareness, you’ll either get on your knees right now and apologize to Garrett—and send him a proper 99,999 birthday gift—or this engagement is off. And tomorrow, you can pack up and get the hell out of the company."

Everyone in the room turned to me, waiting for my reaction.

I met her gaze head-on, calm and cool.

"Calling off the engagement? Sure, let's do that. But get on my knees? Send a birthday pocket money? Keep dreaming!"

My indifference made everyone suck in a sharp breath.

Garrett's eyes lit up with excitement, clearly itching to fan the flames.

Seizing the opportunity, he piled on with righteous indignation. "My god! How could someone be so ungrateful? Jordyn paid for your college education, and this is how you repay her?"

"All this over ninety nine dollar pocket money, and now your true self is exposed!"

"Do you have any idea how much you owe her? Even if you spent your entire life working like a mule, you’d never be able to repay her kindness!"

He could say whatever he wanted—I owed Jordyn nothing.

If anything, she was the one in debt to me.

"Jordyn, if you want to end things peacefully, return every single thing I gave you. As for work, I’ll submit my resignation immediately. But I expect to be paid what I’m owed. Don’t even think about skimming it, or I’ll file for labor arbitration."

"And regarding the money you spent on me, I’ll round it up and transfer one thousand back to you. Just in case your company goes under next week and you can’t even afford to eat."

Then, I posted screenshots of all my gift orders to the group chat.

After that, I initiated a one thousand dollar transfer, labeled specifically for her.

Then I turned around—and walked out without looking back.