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She Called Me a Nobody,Now I Own the Deal That Destroyed Her
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
My girlfriend was a medical genius. I barely scraped into a third-rate college. Our friends said I wasn't good enough for her. She cut them off on the spot: "Matthew Gilbert is my salvation. You don't...
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第1章
My girlfriend was a medical genius.
I barely scraped into a third-rate college.
Our friends said I wasn't good enough for her. She cut them off on the spot:
"Matthew Gilbert is my salvation. You don't get to judge."
But no matter how hard I tried, graduation seemed impossible.
So I asked Louisa Pruitt to add my name to one of her papers.
Without hesitation, she put my name before hers.
But when I hugged her, thrilled, I heard her whisper in my ear:
"Academic arm candy."
After that, she made less and less time for me.
And spent more and more time with the campus golden boy—smarter than me, better looking than me.
When I tried to plan something for her birthday, all I got was a jab:
"I haven't had any papers to carry you on lately. I wouldn't dare let you celebrate with me."
I didn't argue. Didn't make a scene.
I canceled the residency she'd arranged for me at a top hospital.
Changed my placement to Southridge State—a thousand miles away from her.
...
When her roommate told me Louisa hadn't come back to the dorm by midnight, I tracked her down to a private room at a karaoke bar.
The moment I opened the door, the music cut off.
The room was packed with people from Louisa and Otis Armstrong's circle.
I barely recognized any of them.
But they all seemed to recognize me.
One guy raised an eyebrow:
"Well, well. Louisa, your man's here to pick you up."
"Tsk! Trudging through the snow in the middle of the night, hangover soup in hand—so thoughtful. What's the play, angling for a few more papers?"
"If you ask me, marriage should be between equals. Our boy Otis here is better looking and smarter. Isn't he a better match?"
Otis laughed and punched the guy's arm:
"Hey, no need to state the obvious!"
Louisa's eyes were flushed pink from the alcohol.
She smiled at their comments. Said nothing to shut them down.
I gripped the thermos of soup tighter:
"Louisa. Are you coming or not?"
She turned to Otis with a smile:
"Should I go?"
Otis gave her a playful shove:
"Why are you asking me? He's your boyfriend. Do what he says!"
"Fine."
She stood up. "Whatever you say."
Otis's face went red.
I clenched my jaw.
I'd driven here in Louisa's car.
Louisa's talent for medicine was extraordinary.
She'd been recruited by Crownbridge School of Medicine before she even took her college entrance exams.
Before graduation, she already had offers from multiple institutions, inviting her to join as faculty the moment she finished.
Over the years, research partners had showered her with resources and money.
The girl who once shared a backpack with me now wanted for nothing.
The Audi A6 parked outside was the least impressive thing she owned.
I was about to get in the driver's seat when she grabbed my arm:
"Call a driver."
"Why?"
"You're not smart enough to handle this car."
She pulled out her phone, eyes hazy, and ordered a designated driver. Then she smiled at me:
"I'd like to live a little longer."
I frowned:
"I drove it here myself!"
"Did you? And yet you're so clever you need your girlfriend to carry you on papers?"
I ground my teeth:
"If you don't want to help, I'll give back the credit!"
"Give it back how?"
She leaned closer. Those familiar eyes were soft, but now edged with something cold:
"You're not Otis. What—you think you can publish in a top journal too?"
I had no response.
The gap between me and Otis Armstrong wasn't just academic.
Otis's father was a hospital president.
My parents woke before dawn to sell vegetables at the wet market.
They'd scraped together Louisa's first tuition payment from those earnings.
But that was a long time ago.
After the driver dropped us off, I called my parents, still seething.
第2章
I told them everything.
Silence on the other end.
I thought the signal had dropped. After calling "Hello?" twice, my parents finally spoke:
"Louisa's not wrong, you know. You really aren't that bright. We're your parents—we'd know better than anyone."
"Besides, Louisa was doing college entrance exam problems at eight years old. She's a prodigy! Of course someone like her thinks you're slow. That's just how it is!"
"And this thing with Otis Armstrong? The guy goes to an Ivy League school. What, you're going to tell him who he can and can't hang out with? Anyway, it's late. Get some sleep."
I wasn't having it.
"But—"
"Enough!"
Dad's patience snapped.
"Who do you think got you that internship at a top hospital? Louisa pulled strings for you! She's been more than good to you, so quit making a scene!"
The line went dead. I couldn't stop my eyes from burning.
But Mom, Dad... I never wanted to study medicine in the first place.
Louisa Pruitt was a medical prodigy.
I wasn't.
Far from it.
My grades had always been rock bottom.
Junior year of high school, Louisa got a guaranteed admission to a top university and took a leave of absence.
Every single day, she drilled me on problems she could solve at a glance.
My parents tried to reason with her:
"Matthew doesn't have your brains. Just go to Capital City on your own. Worst case, he can stay here and sell vegetables with us."
But she was adamant:
"If Matthew doesn't go, neither do I.
"He sells vegetables, I'll gut fish. We'll be a team.
"Wherever Matthew goes, I go."
I knew how stubborn Louisa could be.
If I didn't get in, she really might end up selling vegetables and gutting fish with me.
During those brutal study sessions, I'd told her to just worry about herself.
But she grabbed my hand, eyes rimmed red:
"I was five when my parents died. My uncles took everything. You're the one who brought me home.
"You ran my bath water. You chased off the kids who called me an orphan.
"Your parents gave me food. When they saw my grades were good, they spent their vegetable money to send me to prep courses out of state.
"If I forget who pulled me up when I had nothing—if I just walk away—then my whole life meant nothing.
"I'm not capable of that kind of betrayal."
To keep her from actually gutting fish beside me, I studied like my life depended on it.
I barely scraped into a second-tier university in Capital City.
But now, Louisa had grown tired of me.
What hurt even more—
My own parents were taking her side.
I didn't go back to the dorm. I crouched downstairs, smoking.
My buddy came down and found me.
After hearing everything, he shot to his feet, ready to go find Louisa.
I grabbed his arm:
"Forget it. I've made up my mind—I'm done with medicine!"
Ned Delgado stared at me, eyes wide:
"What are you going to do?"
"Sell pharmaceuticals!"
Ned's jaw dropped.
I'd never been much of a student.
But I could sell.
Whenever I helped at the vegetable stand, my parents always got to pack up early.
All those years interning at hospitals—I hadn't picked up many skills, but I'd figured out the entire pharmaceutical supply chain.
"I thought about it all night. With my half-baked abilities, if I actually had to perform surgery someday, I wouldn't have the nerve.
"People could die.
"I already found out there's a warehouse up in Northside District sitting on a pile of inventory. I'm going to check it out tomorrow."
Ned looked at me:
"But you put in five years. Walking away now... that's a lot to throw away."
I shook my head.
The sky was starting to lighten at the edges.
第3章
"No regrets. Not a single one."
The inventory from Northside was originally meant for Huaying Healthcare—the same hospital where Otis's father worked.
But a competitor had swooped in halfway through the deal, and the supplier got stuck holding everything.
In the end, I negotiated a price.
Twenty thousand dollars for his entire stock.
I was confident I could convince Huaying to take my goods instead.
The only problem was—twenty grand was serious money for someone like me.
When push came to shove, I still had to ask my parents.
I called them.
At first, they thought it was a bad idea. But after I talked myself hoarse, they finally agreed to let me try.
I waited for the transfer, practically bouncing with anticipation.
A whole day passed. Nothing.
When I called back, I found out they'd sent the money to Louisa instead.
"You're too clumsy for this. Louisa knows way more about medical stuff than you do. At least she'll know how to spend it properly. If you need money, go ask her—let her give you some advice."
I was furious.
But I didn't have time to stay angry.
I quickly tracked down Louisa's location and grabbed a cab to that same karaoke place.
This time, it was Otis's birthday party.
I showed up at the private room door, out of breath.
The familiar scrutinizing looks landed on me like always.
I stared straight at Louisa.
"Louisa. Give me twenty thousand dollars."
Someone spat out their drink.
"Holy shit! They're not even married yet and he's already asking for a dowry!"
"If they actually got married, he'd be demanding millions from her every other sentence."
"I mean, our girl Louisa can afford it—but does he deserve it?"
Louisa turned off the music and looked at me from the couch.
"What do you want it for?"
"None of your business. My parents sent you some money, right? Hand it over."
"Oh my god, that's hilarious—like Louisa needs handouts from your folks? Who are you trying to fool?"
"The things people say to save face."
I walked up to Louisa.
"Give it to me."
"Your parents did transfer me some money. But it wasn't twenty thousand."
I froze.
She showed me the transfer record. I stared at the amount—less than ten grand.
And my parents' note:
Matthew wants money but won't say what for. Keep this for now. If he's just going to blow it partying, don't give him a cent.
So that's what they really thought of me.
I clenched my jaw.
"But I can give you twenty thousand."
Louisa held out a bank card between two fingers.
I reached for it.
She pulled it back, a teasing smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
"What's this? Not satisfied being an academic boy toy—now you want to be a dowry beggar too?"
The room erupted in laughter, sharp and grating.
My hand hung there in midair like the punchline to a joke.
"Relax, I'm just kidding."
The card came toward me again.
Everyone watched with amusement.
Someone whistled at me.
"Hey! You still have the nerve to take it?"
Otis looked on, clearly enjoying himself.
I snatched the card with a sharp snap.
My eyes locked onto Louisa's.
"Then thank you, Ms. Pruitt."
While she sat there, slightly stunned, I turned and walked out without looking back.
When Ned heard about this, he nearly lost his mind.
"Just wait—I'm going to her school right now to settle this!"
I grabbed him tight and forced him back into his chair.
He was seething. "You're not even mad?!"
The bank card flipped through my fingers.
I smiled.
第4章
"Angry or not, what difference does it make?
"I'd rather crawl forward on my knees than stand still, fuming and demanding answers."
Ned stared at me, caught off guard.
"Besides, who would I even be angry for?
"Her?
"If guilt or regret meant anything to her, she never would have hurt me in the first place."
I waved the bank card in front of his face.
"Point is—we got the money."
On my first day of fieldwork, I styled my hair with gel and borrowed some cologne from a classmate. I wanted to make a good impression on the department head.
But the moment I pushed open his office door, a coffee mug smashed into my temple.
"Get out! You bastards! What the hell are you dressed up for?
"I'll never touch any medicine you bastards are peddling! Get out!"
A nurse rushed over with gauze to stop the bleeding.
"Bad timing," she said quietly. "Dr. Finch found out this morning his wife's been cheating. The other guy was some slicked-back, cologne-wearing type."
My vision went dark.
Off to a great start.
The commotion drew attention. As I stumbled out of the corridor, pressing gauze to my forehead, I ran straight into Louisa, arriving for her shift.
She hadn't even graduated yet, but a breakthrough she'd spearheaded two years ago had already earned her a position as a consulting physician.
Otis walked beside her, also in a white coat.
"Heard you got into it with Dr. Finch," she said.
I didn't want to talk to her. I moved to walk past.
She grabbed my arm.
"The money I gave you wasn't enough? You like being someone's boy toy that much?"
Slap.
My palm connected with her face.
Otis's first instinct was to cradle her cheek.
Then he turned to me, eyes hard. "Matthew!"
I locked eyes with Louisa. "Watch your mouth."
"Matthew." Otis's voice was cold. "Remember whose turf you're on."
I didn't answer. I turned and walked away.
But before I made it out of the hospital, I understood exactly what he meant.
A few guys cornered me in a storage closet.
"Mr. Armstrong sent us. Says we should teach you a lesson."
"You know what's going on between him and Dr. Pruitt, right? Think you own this place?"
"Nice jawline, though. No wonder Mr. Armstrong says you're after Dr. Finch's wife."
They forced me to the ground.
My phone clattered across the floor.
Right then, Louisa's call came through.
I heard her say "Hello?" twice.
I bit down hard on the hand trying to cover my mouth.
"Louisa! I'm in the storage closet! Someone's attacking me!"
Silence. Then a cold laugh.
"Just tell me how much you want."
"I don't want money! Just help—mmph!"
"Matthew, drop the act. If you want something, just say it. You think I can't see right through you?"
She sighed.
"I called to tell you—I sent the money back to your parents. If you need cash, come to me. They work too hard for you to bleed them dry too."
My mouth was clamped shut.
By the time I could speak again, she'd already hung up.
When I got home that night, one side of my face was swollen shut.
Ned came over and just stood there, stunned.
"What the hell—they did this to you? In a hospital? Just because he's some rich kid, he thinks he can do whatever he wants?
"I'm calling the cops! This is insane!"
I held up the contract I'd just signed, wincing with the effort.
"It's fine. Look—another hospital's buying from me now.
"And I got my supplier a deal with them too."