Frances was ushered into the sleek, modern suite at the Sapphire Hotel, their usual meeting place. The soft glow of the city lights filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a calming ambiance over the room. As soon as Rain saw her, his face brightened, and he pulled her into a tight hug.
"What were you doing?" Frances asked, tossing her shoes carelessly onto the plush carpet as she jumped onto the bed, sinking into the soft mattress with a sigh of relief.
"I was working on my assignment," Rain replied, holding out a glass of water. Frances didn't hesitate to gulp it down, the cold liquid soothing her instantly.
"Thank you!" she said, breathless. Rain took the empty cup gently and sat beside her, opening his laptop with a focused expression. Frances glanced curiously at the screen.
"What is this?" she asked, eyebrows raised. "It doesn't look like an assignment from our class."
"Of course it's not from our class," Rain said casually. "This is my college assignment, not for Dudley."
"College? Are you in college?" Frances blinked, shocked.
"Cici! Don't you know that?" Rain teased, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Of course I don't! How am I supposed to know that? You never told me," she said, her voice catching slightly.
"Isn't it obvious? I got admitted to college two years ago. I'll be in my third year in a few months."
Frances's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? You're halfway through college? What the hell are you still doing at Dudley then?"
"Dudley refused to let me go, so they reached an agreement with Crawford University to let me split my time. I attend online classes and go to school whenever I'm needed."
"Crawford? You're at Crawford?" Her voice wavered with a mix of awe and disbelief.
"Yes, baby. You don't like it there?" Rain asked casually.
Frances blinked back a sudden rush of tears. "Are you kidding me, Rain? You're at Crawford, for fuck's sake! How hard is it to get admitted there? And you're almost in your third year at just 17!"
Rain chuckled softly. "Is it that hard? They offered me admission themselves, and I'm on a scholarship too."
Her mouth fell open, eyes wide. "What are you studying?"
"Computer science, of course. Mathematics for computer science, algorithms, data structures, operating systems,?we cover it all. We do tons of projects at Crawford, way more than at Dudley."
"Way more than Dudley?" Frances echoed, shocked.
"Yes! Dudley's curriculum is basic since we don't have many geniuses in computer science. I cover most of the advanced stuff for them. Crawford has a lot of students with higher-level knowledge, which makes the work easier."
"Do you get paid for all this?" she asked, voice low.
"Definitely! There's always a cash prize for big projects, especially those involving national security."
"Wow, Frances breathed, her mind spinning. "I thought we'd all struggle to get to college together."
Rain laughed heartily.
"You're dumb, Frances! Rain is the best student at Dudley, how do you expect him to struggle? Of course, he's already in college." She slapped her cheeks lightly. "I'm so stupid!"
"Would you like to attend Crawford too?" he asked, eyes hopeful.
"What, Crawford? How can I? I haven't touched a book in years. I wouldn't dare hope to get admitted there."
"You have to try," Rain said gently.
"I'm not even interested in school. Besides, I'm not that intelligent."
"You're not intelligent or just doing it on purpose?"
"What are you talking about? You know I have bad grades, they only keep me barely passing to move up a class."
"I've been watching your grades since first year. They're always the same, never good enough to impress, but never bad enough to fail. Why?"
"Because I'm not interested. I just want to pass without stressing. I have nobody to impress."
"Really? How about me?"
"You?!" Frances laughed incredulously. "You get straight A's every time. How could I impress you? Even if I tried, I'd barely scrape tenth place. I'm not book-smart."
"Everything you do impresses me. At least try to get into a good college."
"Getting in isn't the problem. My grades aren't important because I'm not interested. It'd be boring."
"If you don't go to college, what would you do then?"
"Be a housewife. Take care of you. Learn to cook, prep your food every day, drive you to school, and pick you up."
"Instead of driving you should enroll too."
"And after you graduate? I'll be all alone."
"Okay, you can do online classes and only go to school when it's important. Deal?"
"I can do that?"
"Sure! I'll support you in every way."
"Thank you, my love!" She threw her arms around him, kissing his cheeks softly.
"I'll take you to my gaming company soon. We're about to launch a new game."
"Really? Is the company big, Rain?"
"Of course. It's a big building with more than 500 workers."
"That many? Do you earn a lot?"
"It's a gaming company, babe. Of course, we do."
"How much?"
"Since the first launch, monthly revenue was around $30-35 million. It keeps growing, we're making up to $100 million monthly now. But the company needs more development, and there are a few shareholders. My personal monthly income is around $3-5 million."
"That's not bad! By the time you're 25 or 30, you'll be a billionaire, isn't that great?"
"Of course! I'll have enough to take care of you. You just be my rich wife and fly everywhere."
"I have money to do that myself!" Frances snapped, then quickly clamped her hand over her mouth. You're stupid, Frances! How can you say that to your boyfriend? You'll hurt his ego! she screamed silently.
"So you don't want my money?" Rain asked slowly, eyes searching hers.
"Of course I do! What are you talking about? As a woman, spending your man's money is the biggest flex!"
"How come you never ask me for anything? Other girls ask their boyfriends for bags, shoes, trips, spa dates, you don't."
"Of course I used to! Just now, I wanted to ask you for money. I'm so broke lately, I can't go out shopping, I'm bored! I wanted some Dior bags to make myself feel good. Our graduation is coming up soon, I need a custom haute couture dress to stand out. I hope you don't mind helping a bit!" Frances said, feigning tears as she rested her head gently on his chest.
Rain pulled her closer and hugged her protectively. "You needed all this and didn't tell me? I know it's hard being all alone without family. You should always ask me for anything."
"I don't want to burden you."
"You're not a burden!" He reached for his wallet on the bedside table and pulled out his card, handing it to her with a warm smile. "This is my main card. It has a lot of money. You can buy anything, even a whole house."
"Really?" Frances gasped, eyes shining.
"Of course!" She grabbed the card eagerly and kissed it.
"Oh my God! I'm gonna have the feeling of spending my boyfriend's money too!"
"You should! I'm all here for it!"
"Thank you, baby! I love you so much!" She cupped his face and peppered it with kisses.
"I love you too, baby," he said shyly, smiling. Watching her excitement made him happy beyond words.
Malone rushed into the classroom, panting heavily, sweat clinging to his forehead. His shoes squeaked against the polished floor as he burst through the door, waving his hands excitedly like someone who'd just witnessed a miracle.
"Guys! There's news!" he screamed out, breathless but hyped.
The classroom, which had been buzzing with low chatter and the occasional shuffle of notebooks, went dead silent. Every head turned his way.
"What's the news today, Malone?" one of the students called out with an amused smile as Malone dramatically collapsed onto the front desk like a breaking news anchor.
He leaned forward, barely containing himself. "Guys! Frances bought a new car. And it's not just any car, it's Mercedes AMG S-Class 2025. Matte black with a clean pink interior,?it looks so insane!"
"Ohhh!" the entire class gasped in unison, eyes widening.
"Frances bought an AMG, wow!"
"Isn't that truck almost $200k?" someone blurted, stunned.
"You must be kidding, Malone! Frances is obsessed with that van of hers, she never changed it. Moreover, isn't she an orphan? Is it easy to buy that kind of truck out of nowhere?" another student added, narrowing their eyes skeptically. A few others nodded, murmuring agreement.
"I'm not lying about this!" Malone insisted, pointing towards the window. "Y'all will see it at the parking lot. It's a clean one."
"Y'all should stop doubting, please!" Evie snapped, folding his arms and glaring. "My girl might be an orphan but she's anything but broke!"
"Oh, you sure she's not broke?" a classmate teased with a smirk.
"Even if I'm broke, my boyfriend is not!"
The voice came from the hallway, sharp and confident.
Everyone turned in shock.
Frances stood by the window, one hand on her hip, the other resting casually on the sill. She wore her signature smug look, her arms slowly crossing as she gave the room a moment to simmer in silence.
The students jolted to attention. Some sat straighter in their chairs, others nervously flipped open books they hadn't planned to read.
She entered the classroom like she owned it, pink LV backpack slung over one shoulder, the fresh sheen of new leather catching the light. Her strides were deliberate. Confident.
Frances walked up to the teacher's stand, turned, and faced the entire class with a slow, knowing smile.
"Hmm hmm!" She faked a light cough, holding her chin high, clearly enjoying the spotlight. "Guys, in case anybody is wondering where the car came from, I spent my boyfriend's money. He has tons of it."
"Wow!" someone whispered, awe-struck.
"Yes! My boyfriend does not mind me spending his money. I hope y'all will also try and mind your business too. If you are jealous, you should try and find a rich boyfriend too. Thank you for listening," she said, flashing a cheeky grin and giving a tiny wave before stepping off the platform.
The entire room went silent again, speechless.
She strolled to her seat, dropped her backpack with a soft thud, and plopped into the chair like she just won a gold medal. She was glowing with happiness.
Rain, seated just a row behind, had his palm over his mouth, barely containing the laughter bubbling up his chest. Frances is so unserious, he thought with amusement, a soft smile curling on his lips. He shook his head. Feels good to be her boyfriend at this moment.
The class was now abuzz with whispers.
"Rain is lavishing on Frances that much?" a voice whispered.
"Of course! If you have a girlfriend like Frances, won't you lavish on her?"
"True! But Frances started it first, right? She's been buying Rain so many gifts even before they started dating."
"They really love each other. I can't believe Frances would be a lover girl."
"Me too! She has always been crazy. Now she's in love."
"At least they love each other. That's all that matters."
Evie, sitting beside Frances, lunged for the bag like a kid who just spotted candy. She snatched it up with wide eyes.
"Girl! When did you buy this?"
"Yesterday. I went shopping and bought so many things," Frances said, stretching like a cat who'd just had a full meal.
"This backpack is too beautiful! Why didn't you get me one?"
"Of course I did! We need to twin, right? It's inside my car, a pink one just like this," Frances replied with a wink.
"Rain really bought you all these?"
"Sure! He gave me his card so I went out and bought everything I could lay my hands on."
"Wow! He is that generous?"
"Of course he is! He wanted me to have everything I wanted. I bought a truck and did shopping and bought a home."
Evie's mouth fell open. "What? Are you crazy? Why would you buy a home, Frances?"
"He said I can buy a house."
"Does that mean you should go ahead and buy it?"
"How much does that cost?"
"$5m. It's a good apartment for a big family. It's our marriage home."
Evie slapped her forehead in disbelief. "Why are you buying a home for marriage when you're not even married yet, Frances?"
"Why not? It takes a long time to set up that kind of home. It might take more than a year, so why not buy it now? Moreover, I showed Rain and he liked it."
"What if he doesn't like it? Rain will say yes to anything that you want, even if he doesn't like it."
"It doesn't matter! If he doesn't like it, we will go for what he likes. Moreover, I told him to find the interior decorator for the house and make the right choices for us. I want him to decide everything, but he said he will only get me the interior decorator. I can decide on the rest since I'm the wife."
Evie threw his head back with a dramatic groan. "The two of you are so ridiculous! I can't unsee it! Love has overturned your heads."
Frances laughed and shrugged playfully. "Just leave it! How's your college preparation going?"
"I applied already. Our graduation is just one month away. I will leave in two months' time after Cora's wedding."
"Oh, true! Cora's wedding is just a few days after our graduation. She told me she would have to go to Italy for some months after the wedding."
"Yes, she has to get familiar with her husband's family. She will move back to Frosty City after all that is over."
"I'm gonna miss her so much. And you guys too."
"I'm gonna miss you too, baby!" Evie said, reaching over to hug Frances tightly, his eyes a little misty. "We only have the group chat to rely on for communication."
"It's just for a while. After three years, everyone will be back in Frosty City."
"Yes, we will!"