Black Card Canceled, Bill-Happy Nanny's Son Goes Berserk

During spring break, my family's housekeeper's son, Ethan Shaw, steals my black card and takes the entire class on a luxury trip to Norkin.

He books out an entire fireworks show to impress my girlfriend, Claire Sanders. Then, he treats everyone to first-class tickets for the cruise while basking in the spotlight.

But when I discover he's using my card and confront him, he teams up with my girlfriend to twist the story. They accuse me of being jealous of him. Cornered on the deck, I'm about to pull out my phone to prove it when Ethan suddenly shoves me over the railing. I'm left hanging by one desperate hand.

His voice is ice-cold. "Lucas is just picking a fight because he's after my money. I can't sleep soundly with him around."

On Ethan's signal, his lackey crushes my fingers one by one until my grip fails. I fall into the open sea, ending as food for the fish.

When I open my eyes, I find myself back on the day Ethan is booking the fireworks show. Watching him revel in the spotlight, I take out my phone and call the bank to cancel the card.

This time, I want to see just how he plays the lavish big shot.

"Since everyone likes it, I'll just book us an entire fireworks show."

Ethan Shaw made the grand announcement right in front of everyone and booked an entire event. It immediately drew a wave of admiration from the group.

"That's our Ethan for you."

"Seriously, he just makes it happen. I've never even been to a proper fireworks show."

"If he hadn't taken us along, we might never have had an opportunity like this."

Generosity and wealth had become his personal brand on this trip.

I saw the admiration in Claire Sanders' eyes. She seemed to have completely forgotten she was my girlfriend. Rather than acting like it, she was full of resentment toward me.

"Lucas Hart, look at Ethan. He just spent tens of thousands like pocket change. You could never measure up."

My expression turned icy as a torrent of thoughts surged within me.

Ethan was a joke. He wouldn't be here today without me.

Ethan's mother, Maria Warren, was my family's live-in housekeeper. While I had always known exactly who he was, he'd never seen me anywhere but at school. Out of respect for his mother, I quietly looked out for him.

After learning my family was wealthy, he used his mom's access to sneak into the villa and steal a black card. He had no idea it was mine and just thought it belonged to her employer.

In Ethan's eyes, I was just another moderately well-off classmate. Now, he was using my card and my money to flirt with Claire. It was a chain of events I knew that would lead to my death. The thought made my fists clench, my knuckles cracking.

Seeing that my expression had darkened, one of my classmates immediately started picking on me.

"Hey, Lucas. I heard your family's pretty well-off too. How come you've never treated us to a trip abroad?"

As soon as one of them started, the rest were eager to pile on.

"Yeah. Why bring such a nasty attitude? You're only here because of Ethan too. What's with the ungrateful act?"

A chorus of agreement followed.

Their money-grubbing faces made me laugh inwardly. I had never confirmed the rumors that I was rich. I just kept a low profile, as my parents had always taught me not to flaunt what I had. Yet even that made some people see me as pretentious.

"Who are you trying to fool? If you can't afford it, just say so. It's not like we'd laugh."

"Exactly. We're only here because Ethan's footing the bill, right?"

Ethan listened to them taunt me for a while before finally raising a hand to stop them.

"Alright, everyone. I'm not perfect myself, so let's not be too hard on Lucas. We're all here to have a good time. That's what matters most."

It was such a hypocritical act. Everyone beamed at his performance, turning their flattery up to the max.

At the same time, mocking glances settled over Claire and me. I knew exactly what they were thinking. To them, it was just another sign that I couldn't even keep my own girlfriend's attention, which made my usual low-profile demeanor look like nothing but a pathetic act.

But Ethan had been spending my money this whole time. Of course, I had every right to be here. Was I supposed to be grateful for spending my own money?

The sheer idiocy of it almost made me laugh. I dismissed them and turned my attention away, failing to notice the deep, furious flush rising on Claire's face.

The sound was sharp as a whip. She had stepped forward and slapped me hard across the cheek. "Why do you have to wear that scowl when we're all trying to have fun? Apologize to Ethan right now," she snapped.

I could only stare at her, completely stunned.