The Reaver Chronicles: Rowen (Book 4)

It was pouring rain as of nine o'clock in the evening when the phone at a Blossoms convenience store near Ridgeview University rang.

"Thank you for calling Blossoms! How can I help you?"

"Get me a box of Durex and two tissue packets. Deliver them to Sheraton Hotel on the South River, Room 1302 now. And be quick!"

Logan Pearce hung up the phone and shook his head pathetically. Young people these days never planned ahead for anything.

Logan quickly packed up the items from the shop, put on a raincoat, and rode his electric scooter to the Sheraton Hotel by the South River.

Logan accidentally slipped as he navigated the waterlogged street, leaving his pants and shoes soaked and disheveled. Despite his dirty and disheveled state, the goods remained dry, so he pressed on, hoisting the vehicle, and continued toward the hotel.

Upon reaching Room 1302, Logan knocked, and the door swung open.

"Hello, your delivery is..." Logan froze mid-sentence.

A woman stood in front of him, and it was none other than his girlfriend, Paige Reynolds!

Paige donned a white robe, her damp black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and the scent of shower gel and shampoo filled the air.

"P-Paige? Why are you here?" Logan gaped, his mind reeling as he stared at his girlfriend in disbelief.

"Why are you the one delivering this?" Paige's heart skipped a beat as she stammered, taking a step back, her thoughts in turmoil.

"What's going on?" A young man emerged from the room. He was draped in a luxurious robe and slippers. Logan recognized Oscar Walsh immediately. He was a reputed playboy from Ridgeview University's School of Economics and Management.

Fury surged within Logan. "How dare you touch my woman!?" He lunged at Oscar.

"Stop it!" Paige quickly intervened and stepped in front of Logan. Her initial panic was swiftly replaced by composure. Now that her secret was out, she had nothing left to conceal. It was time to reveal her true feelings.

"Logan, we're done. Let's break up!" she shouted.

"Break up?" Logan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Paige, we've been together for more than a year. You want us to break up now?"

"Yes! It's over!"

Paige met his gaze unflinchingly. "Are you that surprised? Every time we dine out, it's at some cheap roadside stall. The cosmetics you buy me are always the cheapest. Look at everything you're wearing right now. They're worth no more than $200 combined. When I'm with you, people snicker behind my back. Did you know that?

"I don't want that kind of life. With all I have to offer, I never should have settled for a poor loser like you. My naivety as a freshman led me to be duped by a penniless fool."

Her words brimmed with scorn.

Paige embraced Oscar's arm and declared to Logan, "He's my boyfriend now. From now on, I, Paige, have nothing to do with you. Don't bother me again!"

"You must be Paige's pathetic ex," Oscar taunted.

He smirked provocatively at Logan, who looked like a complete loser, disheveled in his raincoat, mud-stained pants and shoes.

Oscar snatched the plastic bag from Logan's grip, pulled out a box of Durex, and waved it mockingly. "You came all this way to deliver these to your ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend? How generous of you." He laughed.

"Are you going to leave, or what?" Paige snapped at Logan.

Oscar sneered. "Maybe he wants to stick around and watch you with me. We could put on a live show for him…"

Logan's heart sank as he faced the couple. He turned around dejectedly and left the room.

"Hey bro, refusing the money? How noble. You've given your girlfriend to me, and now you're giving me complimentary condoms?" Oscar surveyed Logan's slumped figure with satisfaction before closing the door.

Outside, the rain intensified.

Logan removed his raincoat, allowing the icy downpour to soak him through. It chilled his body but cleared his thoughts a little.

So, Paige dumped him because she believed he was poor. He ought to be grateful for escaping a materialistic woman like her. Why mourn the loss?

Buzz! Buzz!

The phone in his pocket vibrated. Logan pulled it out and saw that he had received a text message. But seeing the number, he trembled and stopped in his tracks.

[Following our investigation, it has been determined that Logan, the heir of the Pearce family, has successfully completed the poverty training assessment. Effective today, he will regain control of his inheritance.]

Bean-sized raindrops pelted the screen, blurring the message.