Ten o'clock at night.Fresh from her tutoring gig, Ondine Sterling, still in a clown costume, was led into a private suite by a staff member. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ find{n}ovel.netHer roommate, Yasmeen, worked part-time at this exclusive club. Her boyfriend had shown up for a surprise visit tonight, so she'd begged Ondine to cover her shift. The job was simple: a group of wealthy heirs and heiresses were throwing a party, and all Ondine had to do was entertain them in costume. For a thousand bucks per ten minutes, plus tips, it was practically free money.But as Ondine stepped into the room, her heart stopped. She looked up and saw a devastatingly familiar face, and her feet froze to the floor."Ellis, aren't you sick of this 'playing poor' game yet? You've got girls lining up for you. Why are you so hung up on some broke little thing?"A smirk played on Ellis Sheppard's lips. "You wouldn't get it. All those other girls just want my money. My Ondine is the only one who loves me for me. She works three jobs just so I can eat and dress a little better. You think any of them would do that?"The man speaking was Ellis, her boyfriend of more than two years. Just ten minutes ago, he had texted her goodnight.noveldramaPlaying poor?Ondine's mind went blank, a roar filling her ears.Ellis had told her his family only gave him a five-hundred-dollar monthly allowance, barely enough to get by. He said he was so poor he often had to survive on plain rice and free soup from the cafeteria. And just as he'd said, she had taken on three part-time jobs so he could eat better and afford decent clothes. With her light senior year course load, she'd spent her days working at a coffee shop, her evenings waiting tables at a diner, and her weekends tutoring students.She had almost no time for herself.She wouldn't dream of buying a two-hundred-dollar dress for herself, yet she'd gifted him thousand-dollar sneakers without a second thought. She subsisted on the cheapest vegetable platters from the dining hall, but when she took Ellis out on dates, she always treated him to dinners that cost hundreds of dollars, and she was always the one who paid.Whenever she was exhausted and felt like she couldn't go on, she would think of him.He'd look at her with such tenderness and say, "Ondine, I love you so much. I want to build a life with you."He'd look at her with guilt in his eyes and say, "Ondine, you're suffering becauseof me. I promise, when I make it big, I'll give you the world."For the past two years, Ellis had been her reason for everything.And it was all just a game to him.Another guy chimed in. "Ellis, I heard you're planning to meet Ondine's family over the winter break and get married right after graduation You're not actually getting serious with her, are you?" Leaning back on the sofa, Ellis swirled the red wine in his glass with one handand held a cigarette with the other."Of course not. She's from asingle-parent home and has someserious daddy issues. She's desperate to get married and have a 'complete family.' I'm just playing along to keep her happy. You don't actually think I'd marry her, do you?" "Oh, I see," the guy said with a laugh. "That explains why she's so obsessed with you. I was wondering how she could date you for two years when you're pretending to be dirt poor. Not only does she not take your money, she spends all of hers on you. It's the classic single-parent sob story." The comment sparked a chorus of jeers from Ellis's friends."Seriously. You're the heir to the Sheppard family fortune. You can't marry a girl like that. She's not in your league.""Exactly. It would be a joke if a Sheppard actually fell for some nobody.""Girls with daddy issues are the easiest to fool. A few sweet nothings and they're wrapped around your finger. Hahaha.""The only one worthy of you is Chantal."“Speaking of which, Chantal will be here soon. What are you going to do if she finds out you have a college girlfriend?"Ellis just smiled. “Chantal left me to go abroad for three years, didn't she? If she finds out, she finds out. Maybe I can use Ondine to make her a little jealous.""Imagine if Ondine knew you dropped three hundred thousand on a single handbag for Chantal. She'd probably cry herself to death.""Totally! You've been lying to her for two years, living off her money while she works three jobs to support you. If she knew you were throwing cash around for another woman, she'd lose her mind."The smile faded from Ellis's lips. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Ondine will never find out."