The poker game ran late, and Aiden walked away $340 richer despite deliberately losing a few hands to keep things friendly. When he crossed the quad Monday morning, something had shifted in the campus atmosphere.
People stared. Actually stared.
"Is that the guy from the café?" someone whispered as he passed.
"He looks completely different."
"I heard he came into money. Like, serious money."
Aiden kept his expression neutral, but internally, he was cataloging every look, every whisper. The system's charisma enhancement was working overtime. He moved through the crowd like it parted for him, his new coat drawing eyes in the October chill.
At the campus coffee shop—the same one where Jessica had dumped him—he ordered a real breakfast. Not dollar menu, not the cheapest option. An actual meal.
"Aiden?"
He turned to find Claire from his econ class, along with two friends. All three looked at him with open curiosity.
"Hey, Claire."
"I—wow, you look amazing. New coat?"
"Among other things." He collected his food, acutely aware of the growing audience. Jessica's public dumping had made him memorable for all the wrong reasons. Now people were reassessing.
"We're still on for Thursday, right?" Claire asked hopefully.
"Definitely." He gave her a smile—easy, confident, the kind of smile that came naturally now. "I'll text you."
As he left, he heard her friends' excited chatter. "He's so different!" "Do you think he's single?" "Girl, shoot your shot!"
Aiden settled at an outdoor table, pulling out his laptop to check his stocks. TechNova was climbing steadily. The system's prediction was proving accurate to the decimal point.
"Well, well. Look who's back at the scene of the crime."
His stomach clenched. Jessica stood there, designer purse on her arm, Marcus Chen hovering behind her. Aiden hadn't seen her since the dumping. He forced himself to look up calmly.
"Jessica. Marcus."
She studied him with narrowed eyes, taking in the coat, the confident posture, the expensive laptop he'd bought over the weekend. "You look... different."
"I am different."
"Where'd you get the money for that coat? That's a $600 Burberry."
"Investment profits." He turned back to his laptop. "If you'll excuse me—"
"What investment?" Marcus Chen stepped forward, territorial. "You work at the library for minimum wage."
"Worked. Past tense." Aiden met his gaze steadily. The old him would have shrunk from confrontation. Now he felt the system's confidence flowing through him. "I made some profitable decisions. Turns out I'm better with money than people thought."
Jessica's expression flickered—confusion, calculation, maybe the first hint of regret. "You're lying. Nobody makes that kind of money that fast."
"Legally? It's called the stock market. You should try it sometime." He stood, gathering his things. "Though it requires research and intelligence, so maybe not."
Students nearby tried and failed to hide their grins. Jessica's face flushed.
"You're still the same broke loser—"
"Actually, Jessica, I'm not. And that's what's bothering you, isn't it?" Aiden's voice stayed level, unbothered. "You dumped me for being poor. Now I'm not. But you're still the same person who values designer bags over character."
He walked away, leaving her speechless. His heart pounded, but not from nervousness. From exhilaration.
Behind him, he heard the whispers explode.
"Did he just—"
"Oh my God, savage!"
"Poor Jessica. Wrong choice, girl!"
The system pinged in his vision.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Stand Your GroundReward: +2 Confidence, +1 Charisma
Aiden smiled. The old him had been too poor to matter, too invisible to notice. This version of himself would never be invisible again.
And somewhere on campus, Jessica was realizing exactly what she'd thrown away.