After leaving the Chanel store, Sophia Laurent seemed a little distracted, her thoughts drifting far from the bustling street around her.
The weight of the shopping bag in her hand felt unreal. This was, without question, the most expensive gift she had ever received in her life.
When she was young, her family had always favored boys over girls. All the attention, care, and affection from her elders were poured into her younger brother. In their eyes, a daughter was only temporary, someone who would eventually marry and leave. There was no point investing too much in her.
Fortunately, Sophia Laurent had never relied on them. Through her own determination, she passed the art exams and earned her place at Oxford Academy of Arts.
Her dream had always been simple. One day, she would leave that cold, loveless home behind and never look back.
After arriving in the city, her beauty quickly drew attention. Suitors came one after another, each hoping to win her favor. From that moment on, she made a quiet decision.
If she was going to stay in this city, she would find someone who was both wealthy and kind. Only then could she truly escape her past. She refused to ever return to that suffocating place again.
A girl like her could not be easily labeled. Calling her a gold digger felt too simple, too shallow. Her appearance was her advantage, the one thing she could rely on. She only wanted to use it wisely to build the life she desired.
In the end, it was human nature. And perhaps… understandable.
But Kobe Gray had just given her something far beyond anything she had imagined, without hesitation, without conditions. That was what unsettled her the most.
Seven thousand two hundred.
The number echoed in her mind like a warning bell. She had never spent that much money in her entire life.
And once a Channel bag was bought, there were no returns.
'If Kobe Gray asks for something unreasonable later… will I really be able to refuse?'
'If I say no, will he demand I pay him back?'
'And if I can't repay it… would that count as fraud?'
'Will I get arrested? Will everything I've worked for… disappear?'
A faint ache spread through her chest as those thoughts piled up, each one heavier than the last.
Not far from her, Kobe Gray stood quietly.
While Sophia Laurent was drowning in worry, he was caught in a completely different storm of thoughts.
He kept replaying everything in his head.
Why did buying a few simple cosmetics increase her favorability by twenty points… but a seven-thousand-dollar bag only raised it by four?
'Is it really that hard to break past fifty?'
'Isn't money supposed to make anything possible?'
'Why can't it make her fall for me?'
'Am I really that lacking?'
For the first time, Kobe Gray began to question his belief that money could solve everything.
"Don't you like the gift?"
After holding it in for so long, he finally spoke.
Sophia Laurent immediately shook her head.
"No, no, that's not it. I really like it. It's just… it's too expensive. We've only just met, and you've already given me something like this… I don't have anything to give you in return…"
Kobe paused, then let out a small breath as realization dawned on him.
"So that's what you're worried about."
'She really isn't a bad person.'
A faint smile appeared on his face as he gently patted her shoulder.
"If you feel that bad about it, then later…"
Before he could finish, Sophia Laurent's heart leapt into her throat. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her skirt, and she bit her lip, bracing herself.
"Later… what?" she asked softly.
Kobe raised an eyebrow.
"Treat me to a meal."
She blinked, caught completely off guard.
"Ah… just dinner?"
"Yeah. What else were you thinking?"
"No, nothing! Of course, I'll treat you!"
Relief washed over her so suddenly it almost made her dizzy.
She had expected something else entirely.
In the past, when a wealthy second-generation heir gave her a bag worth just over a thousand, it always came with conditions.
'How many movies will I have to watch with him? How long will I have to let him hold me?'
Those moments always made her feel like she was selling herself, even if she refused to admit it out loud.
But this time…
Kobe Gray had spent so much more, and all he asked for was a simple meal.
[ Sophia Laurent Favorability +1 ]
[ Sophia Laurent Favorability has exceeded 50 ]
Kobe froze slightly, completely caught off guard.
'Spending money couldn't push it past fifty… but this did?'
'So that's how it works?'
'A woman's heart really is impossible to predict…'
At that moment, a familiar electronic sound rang out in his mind.
< DING >
[ Congratulations, host. Your favorability with Sophia Laurent has exceeded 50 and reached the "moved" stage. ]
[ Cashback for this bound target is now disabled. ]
[ However, when favorability reaches 100, the host will gain one opportunity to increase the cashback threshold by 10 points. ]
[ This allows cashback to remain active at higher favorability levels. ]
[ Additional threshold increases may allow cashback even at 100 favorability. ]
[ You have received 1 system point. ]
[ Points can be used in the system store. ]
[ Reaching 100 favorability will also grant a special reward. ]
'Wait… no more cashback?'
Kobe's heart skipped for a moment, but as he read further, he relaxed slightly.
It wasn't that the system stopped working entirely.
It just meant Sophia Laurent was no longer a viable cashback target.
'So once it turns into real attraction… the system cuts it off.'
It made sense, in a way.
If two people genuinely fell for each other, the money involved would naturally grow much larger. At that level, the system probably couldn't allow unlimited exploitation.
Still…
'If this one doesn't work anymore… I can just bind someone else.'
The thought came easily, almost too easily.
'I don't want to be that kind of person… but this system really pushes you in that direction.'
With a thought, he opened the system store.
A wide range of items appeared before him.
[ Guaranteed scratch-off win - 10 points ]
[ Top-tier basketball talent - 12 points ]
[ Top-tier piano talent - 12 points ]
[ Read a target's thoughts once - 15 points ]
[ Advanced mathematics mastery - 20 points ]
[ Guaranteed stock opportunity - 25 points ]
Everything imaginable was there.
Unfortunately, he only had one point.
'Useless…'
'Wait… so advanced math is worth more than reading someone's thoughts?'
'Math really is more unpredictable than women…'
He nodded to himself, oddly convinced.
"Kobe? What are you thinking about?"
Sophia Laurent's voice pulled him back.
He chuckled awkwardly.
"Nothing. Just wondering what we should eat. I just got to Oxford City today, so I'm not familiar with anything yet."
Sophia gently took his hand, her touch warm and steady.
"Then let me be your guide. I'll take you to the Oxford Hotel. It's one of the best places in the city."
After everything that had happened, she was completely certain.
The boy in front of her was not only wealthy, but genuinely kind.
Not like the others.
Not someone who used money as leverage.
Her resolve quietly strengthened.
If she met someone like this, then taking the initiative wasn't wrong.
Inviting him to a place like the Oxford Hotel… that was sincerity.
At the mention of the hotel, Kobe's lips twitched slightly.
That morning, Isabella Sinclair had mocked him, talking about a rich man with a SeDavies who could take her there for a candlelight dinner.
And now, only a few hours later…
He was the one being invited.
Life had a strange sense of humor.
He let out a quiet, inward laugh.
…
"Kobe, let's get you some clothes too."
Sophia glanced at his simple outfit and felt a small sense of responsibility.
A meal alone didn't feel like enough to repay him.
If anything, she wanted to help him present himself the way someone like him should.
…
Not far away, hidden behind a pillar, Brianna Monroe watched everything unfold.
Her eyes burned with jealousy as they fell on the Chanel bag.
"Giving something like that on the first day…"
Her voice trembled with bitterness.
"Isabella Sinclair… how stupid can you be?"
"You threw away someone like that… just to be with a disgusting old man?"
Her nails dug into her palm.
"In terms of looks, I'm not worse than you."
A slow smile formed on her lips, sharp and calculating.
"Since you didn't value him…"
"Then don't blame me for taking your place."