Sophie Wexler saw her communicator light up and picked it up, thinking it was a message from Cillian Forrest.
But when she looked, she found it wasn't. It was from the original host's fair-weather friends.
Calling them fair-weather friends was putting it nicely; they were really just a bunch of people who treated the original host like a sucker.
On the surface, they'd sweet-talk her and pretend to fight for her, but in reality, they'd give her a bunch of terrible ideas and then watch her make a fool of herself.
And every time the original host went out with them, she was the one who paid.
A total sucker.
This message was no exception: "Sophie Wexler, come hang out! We found a really great bar this time."
Sophie Wexler looked at the message, her mind automatically translating it. It was as if the words were saying: 'Sophie Wexler, you sucker, come on over and bleed some money for us.'
Still, Sophie Wexler looked at the message, then got up from the sofa.
She had to go.
After all, those guys had all borrowed a lot of money from the original host—several million Star Coins in total.
She was so poor now she could barely make ends meet. How could she not get that money back?
She went back to her room to change before going out, but when she opened the closet, the pile of gaudy clothes inside gave her a headache.
Even though it wasn't the first time she'd seen them, they still managed to shock her.
'Just how badly was the original host influenced by those fair-weather friends? What kind of fashion sense is this?'
Having no other choice, she picked out an outfit from the very bottom of the pile—one the original host had shoved to the back for not being flashy enough.
As she changed, Sophie Wexler lamented, 'When I get some money, I'm definitely getting rid of all these ugly clothes from the original host!'
Once she was ready, Sophie Wexler set off for the address they had given her.
They had chosen the most expensive bar in the district. By the time Sophie Wexler walked in, they were already in full swing.
Seeing Sophie Wexler arrive, someone stood up and shouted at her, "Sophie Wexler, what took you so long? We're almost done here." Their tone was filled with undisguised contempt.
"Done?" Sophie Wexler raised an eyebrow. "Looks to me like you're just getting started."
Another person noticed that Sophie Wexler's attitude was different from usual—a little cold—and nudged the speaker, whispering, "Knock it off. Don't piss her off. We're still waiting for her to pay."
Sophie Wexler couldn't be bothered to argue with them and found an empty seat and sat down.
Seeing Sophie Wexler sit down, the person immediately started a new topic. "Sophie Wexler, how did that idea I gave you last time work out? Has Howard Sharp gotten tired of Rosalind Rhodes yet?"
At this, Sophie Wexler looked up at her. 'So, the terrible idea to drug Rosalind Rhodes came from you.'
Sophie Wexler smiled, her voice devoid of any emotion. "It was a great idea." 'So great I wanted to kill her.'
"Right? I knew it. That idea was definitely solid." After speaking, she winked at another person.
That person caught her gaze and immediately chimed in with a smile, "If Howard Sharp gets tired of Rosalind Rhodes, he'll definitely fall for you! You're also a Healer-class, not to mention you're Miss Wexler and you're beautiful. Besides having a slightly higher Level, how can Rosalind Rhodes possibly compare to you?"
Sophie Wexler gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. 'In the Galaxy, where everything is judged by spiritual power, you're telling me Rosalind Rhodes's only advantage is a "slightly higher Level"?'
'I have no idea what the original host was thinking, believing such brainless nonsense.'
"In that case, to celebrate this good news, let's order some more things," someone suggested, seeing their chance.
'After all that talk, this is probably their real goal.'
'They want me to bleed money? Fine, I'll grant their wish.'
Sophie Wexler glanced around, her eyes curving into a smile. "Alright. Order away."
She then raised her hand and called for a waiter. "Hello, we'd like to order."
Before long, someone came over. "What would you like to order?"
A voice, exceptionally familiar, came from above Sophie Wexler's head.
Sophie Wexler snapped her head up. Staring at the person before her, who wore a mask that revealed only their eyes, her own eyes went wide with shock.
"You!"
'What are you doing here?!'
Cillian Forrest paid no mind to her reaction, simply repeating what he had just said. "What would you like to order?"
Sophie Wexler finally managed to suppress her shock and took the menu from his hand, pointing to the most expensive items. "This one, this one, this one... and this one. Bring us one of everything."
After her extravagant order, she saw Cillian Forrest's gaze fall upon her, and Sophie Wexler's finger froze.
His eyes darkened slightly as he let out a soft scoff, then turned and left.
Sophie Wexler: "..."
'He doesn't think I ordered all this for myself, does he?'
'Especially since I don't even have any money. In his eyes, this must look like I'm just pretending to be rich when I'm not.'
'It's over. The new image I've built up over the past two days is about to be ruined.'
But with so many people here, she couldn't say anything and could only watch helplessly as Cillian Forrest turned and walked away.
When the food and drinks were brought over, Sophie Wexler tried to engage with him, but Cillian Forrest wouldn't even give her a look. He just set the items down and left.
To make matters worse, the person next to her chose that moment to speak up. "You've really got to hand it to Miss Wexler. So generous! Thanks for treating us."
Sophie Wexler looked up, feigning confusion. "Huh? What did you say? Aren't you guys paying?"
The others, who had been about to dig in, froze in place, their faces a picture of shock.
Sophie Wexler continued, "I only came because I thought you were treating. Isn't that right?"
"You guys aren't actually expecting me to pay so you can eat and drink for free, are you?" Sophie Wexler raised her voice, putting on a surprised expression.
At this, people around the bar started to look their way. They were all at least somewhat known in their social circles, and being stared at like this was utterly humiliating.
Someone snapped harshly, "Sophie Wexler! What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Oh, so you weren't planning on freeloading? Good. This bill comes to 580,000 Star Coins. I haven't had a single bite or sip, so I won't be splitting it with you."
"Oh, right," Sophie Wexler added as if suddenly remembering something. "I've been the one fronting the money every time before. The total comes to 6,888,000 Star Coins. As for the other things you've taken from me, I won't bother calculating them one by one. Consider them a gift."
"So, let's just round it up to a nice, even seven million Star Coins," Sophie Wexler said magnanimously.
God knows when Sophie Wexler had calculated the total earlier, she felt like her heart was bleeding. All that money had come from the original host selling an A-level Crystal Stone, and this group had scammed it all away. And now she was the one left to fill the hole they'd left.
"What!" The person who had first shouted at Sophie Wexler shot to their feet, their voice rising. "Sophie Wexler, don't be so ungrateful! How dare you talk about money with us!"
"If it weren't for you, why would we have chosen to come here!"
Sophie Wexler let out a soft laugh. "For me?"
"Everyone knows Howard Sharp comes here every Thursday! You were dying for a 'chance encounter' with him, weren't you? Weren't we doing this all for you?!"
Upon hearing this, Sophie Wexler's expression froze.
'What? Howard Sharp is coming here?'
'No, if he sees me here, he'll misunderstand and think I'm stalking him again.'
'Nope. I need to leave, now. I want nothing to do with the name Howard Sharp.'