NEVER NO DOLLAR

First Step To Revenge

Claire sat in the hospital’s administration section, her head resting in her hands. The stack of medical bills in front of her was overwhelming. She had always been able to hold it together, but lately, the weight was becoming unbearable. Her mother’s treatment for blood cancer was draining every bit of money she earned. Modeling used to be her dream, but now it felt like a burden she could barely carry.

How did everything fall apart so quickly? She thought, biting her lip. Her father had left them when she was in high school, cheating on her mother and starting a new life with someone else. Since then, it had been just Claire and her mother, trying to survive.

The modeling gigs helped for a while, but now, with the mounting medical costs, it wasn’t enough. She had no one to rely on. No friends, no relatives, not even her popular ex-boyfriend knew how hard things were for her. Claire had always been good at hiding her struggles, keeping up the façade of perfection, but now she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on.

Maybe I need a side job, she thought, though the idea of working even more hours on top of everything else felt impossible.

As she sat there, deep in thought, she didn’t notice Leonidas approach. He slid into the seat next to her, breaking her out of her spiral.

“What do you want?” Claire asked coldly, barely glancing at him.

Leonidas didn’t seem fazed by her tone. “I wanted to talk.”

“About what?” Claire’s voice was icy, her guard up as always. She has no patience for anyone right now, least of all Leonidas.

“About your mother. About how you’re struggling with her medical bills,” Leonidas said calmly.

Claire’s eyes narrowed, her voice sharp. “How do you know about that?”

Leonidas shrugged. “That’s not important. What’s important is that I can help.”

Claire laughed bitterly. “Help? You? Come on. I know you." Claire stared at Leonidas intensely, as if she was peeling the man's skin off. "Leonidas, the scholarship student. Everybody knows about how hard you try to survive under your circumstances; no parents, your ill brother, work multiple side jobs enough to cover everything but still doesn't. Don't pretend you're in a position to help anyone.”

Leonidas was quite stunned by Claire's sharp words, but then he smiled as if he understood.

"You are as cold as the rumors say, Noble Lady," he said, didn't seem to take her words seriously. "And yet, you are so cruel."

Without next word, Leonidas stood up and walked over to the administration counter. Claire watched, frowning in confusion as he pulled out his phone and did something with the staff. When he returned, he handed her a receipt.

“There. Your mother’s medical bill, paid in full,” Leonidas said, his tone casual.

Claire’s jaw dropped. “What? You—no, take it back. You can’t just—this is—”

“I’m just proving my point,” Leonidas cut in, his voice steady. “I told you I could help.”

Claire was too stunned to speak at first, staring down at the receipt. She shook her head, disbelieving. “This doesn’t make sense. Where did you get this kind of money? Are you robbing a bank?” she said with a hint of sarcasm, trying to regain control of the situation.

Leonidas in a flash shock before he laughed. "Rob a bank? Lady, I just got robbed and almost died last night. You got no idea how I came to this point, before your eyes. And what I want to say to you is a once in a lifetime offer."

Claire raised an eyebrow. “An offer?”

Leonidas leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. “I’ll help you with your mother’s medical bills. All of them. But in return, you have to be my girlfriend for one month.”

Claire blinked, incredulous. “Excuse me?”

Leonidas remained calm. “I’ll pay you too, of course. Consider it a contract. You pretend to be my girlfriend, and I’ll take care of everything.”

Claire still looked like she couldn't believe Leonidas' words; it sounded like nonsense. But he held the proof of payment and everything was in order, Leonidas really had the money he was bragging about.

"Are you a hidden son of tycoon or something? Did you hid your real identity all this time?" she asked, only to got a short laugh from Leonidas.

"Yeah, you can think of me like that," Leonidas said, making Claire stared at him for a moment before shaking her head, laughing softly.

“You must be out of your mind, Leo. I’m not interested in selling myself, not even to a billionaire. This isn’t some twisted fairy tale where I just throw my dignity away.”

Claire waved the payment slip in front of Leonidas. "You're right, I have a bit of a problem regarding my mother's medical bills. I really appreciate your help but I'll return this soon. I don't want to owe anyone."

Leonidas took a deep breath; disappointed. Seemed like he didn't make it to work with the Noble Lady; she turned out so recognized, that was smart but it was deeply regretted.

Leonidas preparing himself to let her go, he was about to quit it.

Maybe this was too much, he thought, but just as he was about to back off, a notification from the system flashed before his eyes.

[Attention, users! A new task is coming]

[Task: Win over Claire Adwell. Reward: $1,000,000]

Leonidas' heart raced. The system wanted him to be with Claire. The promise of a huge reward made him hesitate. He couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. He leaned in again, his tone serious.

“Claire, listen. I’m not asking you to sell yourself. This is just a contract—nothing more. You can keep your space. I'll fully respect that. But think about your mother. Working a side job will take more time, more energy. Can you really afford that right now?”

Claire frowned, her fingers clutching the receipt. She felt hesitate about her stance and started to question it; was this still okay to keep on her stance when her mother was suffering from a serious illness?

“I… I don’t know," her sound full of hesitation, and Leonidas saw a chance. The system was right. He shouldn't give up on her too easily like a second ago.

“I’m not asking you to do anything uncomfortable. You’ll still be in control. This is just a way to make sure your mom gets the care she needs without you having to work yourself to the bone.”

Claire was silent, her gaze shifting to the floor. Leonidas watched her nervously, his calm exterior starting to crack. Would she agree?

"I'm sorry to get you involved to my revenge, but we shares 50:50 profits. You got your mother's nursing in control and I got my revenge."

Finally, Claire looked up, her eyes meeting his. There was something different in her expression—a mix of doubt and curiosity. She let out a soft sigh, then gave him a small, almost reluctant smile.

“Fine,” she said quietly. “One month.”

Leonidas couldn't hold his smile to not grow wider.

"Yeah, one month!"

***

Two days later, Leonidas stepped out of his brand-new sports car, the engine purring as the students on campus stared in shock. He was dressed in expensive, perfectly tailored clothes that accentuated his newfound confidence. The whispers spread like wildfire.

“Is that Leo-ser?”

That was it; how they were used to nickname-naming Leonidas all this time.

“No fucking way! That's the newest of Muscang! Where did he get that car?”

"Stole it? No way he can afford that car!"

"Are you sure? Look at his new style. Seems like a golden-spoon baby just popped out of his mansion."

“You're right. He looks… different.”

As Leonidas walked through the campus, the eyes of his former bullies—Marcus, Derek, Tobby—were fixed on him. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. But the real shock came when Claire Adwell, the untouchable “Noble Lady,” walked up to Leonidas, her arm slipping around his.

The crowd fell silent, jaws dropping as they watched Claire, the most desired girl on campus, cling to Leonidas' arm as if they had always been together.

“Is this for real?” someone whispered.

Leonidas glanced at Marcus, who stood frozen in disbelief, then at Derek, whose face had turned an angry shade of red.

With a smug smile, Leonidas leaned in close to Claire and whispered, “Let’s give them something to talk about.”

Claire chuckled softly, her expression unreadable. But even as she played the part of his girlfriend, Leonidas could sense the lingering hesitation in her.

It’s just the beginning, he thought to himself, his mind already racing with plans.

And as they walked away together, arm in arm, Leonidas felt for the first time that he was no longer the loser everyone used to trample on. The system had given him power, and now, with Claire by his side—even if just for a month—he was ready to take his first step toward revenge.