I Refused To Be A Walking ATM Anymore

On the eve of Independence Day, I made a reservation at an alpine lodge and rented a private yacht. I invited my boyfriend, Luke Anderson, my best friend, Ella Reid, and a dozen other friends along for the trip. We had just reached the dock when Ella passed her suitcase to me. “My skincare products are very expensive. Be careful not to ram the suitcase into anything.” Luke frowned and tossed the car key to me. “Buy an iced americano. Ella doesn’t like hot coffee.” Before I could speak, I suddenly saw a lot of floating captions appearing before my eyes. [Here it comes! This is the easiest-to-fool walking ATM in a romance novel!] [Does Harper really think everyone wants to spend Independence Day with her? She’s the one paying for the yacht, alcohol, and lodge. Luke and Ella will use this opportunity to deepen their relationship.] [What a joke! Last night, Ella was discussing with Luke that after Harper paid the bill, they would find an excuse to ditch her to see the sunrise.] [The trust fund that her parents left her is going to run dry thanks to all these leeches. She still thinks that they’re her friends.] My fingertips turned cold from the sea breeze. Ella saw that I was not moving, so she smacked her lips impatiently. “What are you doing? Everyone’s waiting for you.” I looked down at the bill displayed on my phone screen and suddenly laughed. Since the truth was revealed, from this moment onward, everyone had to pay for their own expenses. Chapter 1 I immediately opened the payment page. My finger hovered over the cancel button. “Hold on.” I looked up. “The yacht, lodge, and alcohol totaled up to 36,800 dollars. There are fifteen of us, so each of us would need to pay 2,400 dollars.” Everyone suddenly became very quiet at the jetty. Ella Reid was stunned for a second before she broke into laughter. “You must be kidding.” “I’m not.” I turned my phone screen toward her. “Transfer the money to me now, and I’ll immediately make the payment.” Her expression froze as she turned to Luke Anderson. Luke walked over with a frown and sounded impatient. “What are you doing now? Everyone is waiting to get onto the yacht. “Are you going to make all of us stand here just because you changed your mind at the last minute?” I looked around. My so-called friends were gossiping among themselves. Some of them were taking photos of me with their phones, and others were whispering. The floating captions appeared again. [What nonsense is that? Can’t you tell who the main female character is? Those who ship Luke and Ella can get out!] [But did Harper finally come to her senses? Too bad it’s a little too late. This group of people already thinks she’s a fool.] “I didn’t change my mind at the last minute.” My voice was calm as I continued, “I didn’t clearly state it before, so I’m making it clear to everyone now. Everyone has to pay for their own expenses.” Ella raised her voice as she said, “Harper, what do you mean? In the past when we went out, you were the one who always paid. Why is this time different?” “That was in the past. This is a clean slate.” I looked at her. “If you feel it’s too expensive, you can choose to leave.” “You…” Ella’s face was flushed red in anger. She turned to look at Luke. “Look at her and her horrible attitude!” Luke’s face fell. He walked toward me and lowered his voice. “Pay first. We’ll split the bill when the trip’s over, alright? Everyone’s looking at us. Stop throwing a tantrum.” “Let’s split the bill now.” I held up my phone. “You can transfer the money to me in whatever payment method you prefer. “It’s 2,400 dollars per person. Once everyone transfers the money to me, I’ll immediately make the payment.” Luke’s face turned cold. I waited for three minutes, but no one transferred the money to me. My friends exchanged glances among themselves. Some of them whispered, “I have to be somewhere, so I’ll make a move.” Others claimed, “Let’s hang out another day.” In five minutes, half of the crowd disappeared. Ella stood rooted in place as she bit her lower lip. She teared up. “Harper, are you targeting me on purpose?” “I’m not. I just want to know who’s treating me like an ATM.” At that, I looked at Luke. Luke’s eyes turned extremely cold. “You’ve changed,” he said. “You weren’t like this in the past.” “What was I like in the past?” I laughed. “Was I a fool who paid your bills and let her use my card? “Was I a fool who let all of you order me around because I thought you were my true friends?” Tears streamed down Ella’s cheeks. “How can you say that? I’ve always treated you as my best friend…” “Then, pay me,” I said, interrupting her. “Friendship should be a two-way street.” She sobbed even harder as she looked at Luke. Luke stared at me for a few seconds before suddenly laughing. His laugh was cynical and mocking. “I thought you were so generous, but it turns out that you’re a miser. You’re being petty over a few thousand dollars. Harper, being around you is exhausting.” Chapter 2 Before I could speak, he added, “Let’s break up. You’re suffocating me, and I can’t stand it.” I felt the sea breeze against my skin. Then, I saw the floating captions again. [As expected, Luke can’t wait to pin the blame on Harper.] [He doesn’t love her in the first place. He only likes her money.] I did not cry, nor did I try to stop him from leaving. I just nodded. “Alright.” Then, I turned around and opened the payment page. I cancelled all bookings. Behind me, I heard Ella’s shrieks. Luke was calling out my name, yet I did not look back. I just wanted to go home and look into the amount of money I had spent on them for the past two years. After I reached home, I sat on the couch and stared at my phone in a daze. The floating captions kept appearing. [Harper’s parents passed away when she was young. The trust fund that they left her was enough for her to live a good life, but she doesn’t know how to manage it. Everyone around her is after her money.] [Ella and Luke had their eyes on her because of that. What a shame that she doesn’t know that.] I opened my bank application and combed through all my past transactions. My parents passed away when I was eighteen from a car accident, and they left me a trust fund. Every month, I would receive a sum of money. I had just entered university then, and I was In the throes of grief. Ella was the one who stayed by my side throughout the funeral and helped me grieve. I always appreciated how well she had treated me. Hence, when she told me her lease was up, and her landlord was going to increase the rental price, I paid six months of her rent without any hesitation. When she said she was in a huge amount of debt due to her credit card and was receiving a lot of calls from the bank at her office, I paid over 8,000 dollars for her. When she said that she wanted to change jobs yet needed money for training, I transferred another 4,000 dollars to her. I looked at the transaction history of my supplementary credit card, and I saw Ella had used it to buy bags, skincare products, jewelry, and meals from high-end restaurants. In just six months, she had spent 46,000 dollars. What about Luke? We were official for more than a year. He claimed that he was starting a business in cultural media, and he was in need of start-up capital. I believed him, and I had given him over 80,000 dollars across multiple occasions. He said that he needed to rent an office, so I accompanied him to visit some potential offices. When he was about to sign the lease, he said that it was over his card limit, so I paid a three-month deposit and rent. Then, when he said he wanted to treat his clients to a good meal, I lent him my credit card. When he claimed he needed to travel for business meetings, I was the one who booked his hotel and flight. I thought that we were working hard together, and I thought our future would be secure once he succeeded. However, when I truly thought about it, I did not know where his company was located. I did not know who his clients were or what his project was about. I had no answers at all. My phone suddenly rang. It was the butler from the alpine lodge. “Ms. Swift, would you still like to maintain your booking for the six rooms you’ve reserved? If you’d like to cancel, you must inform us in advance.” I paused. Then, I said, “Please save one room for me. I’d like to cancel the rest.” “Alright, the refund will be processed in three business days.” After I hung up, I opened the group chat we created specifically for this trip. Everyone was chatting inside. Ella’s best friend, Sandra Pearson, said in the group chat, [Some people always act generous, yet they drop the act at such a critical time.] Luke’s friend, Greg Peter, claimed, [She isn’t even willing to fork up a mere 2,400 dollars. How dare she invite us out?] Someone even mentioned me in the group chat. [Harper, you’ve really gone overboard this time. We’re all friends. Did you really have to do that?] I looked at these messages and felt ridiculous. I sent a text message in the group chat. [From this moment onwards, I’m cutting my supplementary card and revoking all payment authorizations. Anyone who’s not paying for their own expenses, you have to plan your own trip.] Then, I exited the group chat. My phone exploded with text messages. Chapter 3 Ella called me, but I hung up on her. Luke sent me text messages, but I blocked him. I pulled up my bank application, cancelled my supplementary card, and revoked all payment authorizations. The floating captions appeared again. [Good job!] [Let’s see what these clowns will do next.] I leaned against the couch and shut my eyes. No tears would come. I did not want to cry anyway. I just felt very tired and cold. The friendship and relationship I cherished had materialized through schemes from the very start. The next day, I went to the study in my family home and unlocked the safe. Inside the safe were the trust fund documents, property certificates, and other important documents my parents had left me. I remembered that I had placed all these documents according to chronological order. Yet, they were a mess. A few letters of authorization were missing. My heart sank as I quickly called the trust manager, Rosalind Taylor. “Rosalind, did anyone go to you with my documents?” Rosalind was quiet for a few seconds. “Ms. Swift, someone came to see me with a copy of your ID. They asked if the trust can be withdrawn early and about the procedures for changing the trustee.” My palms were cold and sweaty. “When did that happen?” “Last month,” Rosalind said, “but we didn’t process that request because we needed you to come sign it in person. Besides, we also needed a lawyer to be present.” I took a deep breath. “Got it. Thanks, Rosalind.” After I hung up, I remained seated. My mind was racing. Was it Luke or Ella? The floating captions appeared. [Both of them are suspicious. Maybe they worked together.] [Harper’s too naive. They must have cracked the code to the safe.] I wanted to give them a chance to explain themselves. So, I asked Ella and Luke to meet me. That way, we could talk in person. Ella arrived very quickly. As soon as she entered, she hugged me. “Harper, have you thought it through? I knew you wouldn’t ignore us for long.” I pushed her away. “Did you get your hands on the documents in my safe?” She was stunned for a moment. Then, she frowned. “What do you mean? Are you accusing me of something?” “I’m just asking if you’ve gotten your hands on them before.” “No!” Ella raised her voice. “Harper, are you crazy? When did I ever touch anything of yours? Are you still holding what happened last time against me? Is that why you’re accusing me?” Luke arrived, and he looked very tired. “This is why you’ve called us here? Just to ask this?” He said, “Harper, have you been under a lot of pressure recently? Do you want to see a doctor?” I stared at them, wanting to see if I could tell anything from their expressions. Yet, they looked as though they had nothing to hide. They did not seem guilty at all. “Forget it.” I stood up. “Maybe I remembered incorrectly.” Ella let out a sigh and reached for my hand. “I told you so. You must be too tired. Come, let’s have dinner together. There’s a new restaurant that opened recently, and it’s good.” “It’s fine.” I pulled my hand back. “I’m busy. You can head out.” After they left, I drove myself to where the yacht was docked. I made an excuse that I had misplaced something there. Not many people were at the jetty. From afar, I saw a familiar car. It was Luke’s car. I walked over. The windows were not rolled all the way up, so I could hear their conversation. “Did she find out something?” Ella asked. “Impossible. I made sure there wasn’t a paper trail,” Luke said, “It was just a shot in the dark.” “What should we do then?” Ella asked. “She cut my card, and you still need 400,000 dollars for your project. What are we going to do?” “After this incident blows over, I’ll sweet-talk her and make her sign the investment mandate. “Her trust fund is more than enough. After all, she won’t understand anything. Once she signs it, I’ll be able to retrieve the money,” Luke said. Chapter 4 I heard Ella laughing. “What would I do without you? You’re the one who can fool her like that.” “You’re not half bad either,” Luke said. “Haven’t you gotten a lot from her?” Then, I heard some rustling. Through the gap, I saw them hugging and kissing. I took out my phone. Then, I snapped photos and recorded some footage. My hands were trembling, yet I forced myself to stay calm. The floating captions kept appearing. [You must save the recordings well! This is evidence!] [Harper, you can do this! Teach these ingrates a lesson!] I turned to leave. After I got back into my car, I made copies of the recording and photos. It turned out they were conspiring against me from the start. The trip, the relationship, and the friendship only happened because they wanted to empty the trust fund my parents had left me. I leaned against my steering wheel and shut my eyes. It was enough. I would no longer give in. Three days later, I asked Luke and Ella to meet me in a cafe. Ella hugged me immediately, teary-eyed. “Harper, you’re finally willing to see me. I’ve been so worried over the past few days.” Luke sat opposite me as he took a sip of his coffee. “We should talk it out. There’s no reason for us to fight.” I took a document out of my bag and slid it toward Ella. “These are the past transactions you’ve made with my supplementary card. You’ve spent 46,000 dollars in six months. When are you going to pay me back?” Ella’s face turned pale. Then, she teared up. “Harper, how can you do this? We’re best friends! You’re the one who let me spend the money.” “Did I do that voluntarily?” I laughed. “Now, you can volunteer to pay me back.” “I-I don’t have money…” “If you don’t have money, you can write an IOU and pay me back over time.” I took out another document and passed it to Luke. “As for you, your start-up capital of 80,000 dollars, office rental of 24,000 dollars, and miscellaneous fees adding up to 16,000 dollars all total up to 120,000 dollars, you can pay me back too.” Luke frowned. “Harper, what are you doing? When we were together, didn’t you say that you wanted to support me in starting my own business? “Now that we’ve broken up, you went against your own words.” “It was a verbal promise, so it’s not legally binding,” I said. “If you think of this money as a form of investment, sure. Give me your company shares or an investment agreement. Let’s play by the rules.” Luke’s expression sank. Ella cried, “Harper, you’ve changed. All you think about now is money. Do you even remember how close we were before?” “I do.” I took out my phone and showed them the photo I took. “I also remember how you both look when you kiss in the car.” Ella’s crying halted. Luke’s expression became stoic as he glared at that photo. “I have recordings too.” I pressed the play button. “Do you want to hear how you conspired to make me sign the authorization papers?” It was dead silent in the cafe. Luke took a deep breath and suddenly laughed. “You took these without any permission, so this evidence isn’t legally admissible at all.” “Is that so?” I took out another document. “What about this then? In Rosalind’s records, last month, someone used a copy of my ID to ask about early withdrawal of the trust fund and a change of trustee. “I bet you’re the person in the surveillance footage.” Luke’s smile froze. The blood drained from Ella’s face. She grabbed my hand. “Harper, please listen to me…” “I don’t need to.” I took my hand back and pulled out my phone. Then, I called Rosalind in front of them. “Hi Rosalind, it’s me. I want to freeze all unnecessary withdrawals from my trust fund. Please also cancel all previous authorization rights.” Rosalind answered very quickly, “Sure, Ms. Swift. I’ll make the changes immediately.” After I hung up, I stared at Luke. “Didn’t you say your project is in need of money? Now, you won’t even get a single cent.” Luke stood up abruptly and pressed his hands against the table. He leaned down and glared at me. “Harper, do you have any idea what you’re doing? My project has entered its final phase, and I need this money! You’re ruining me!” “Why didn’t you think of that when you were actively ruining me?” I asked. Ella became frantic. “Harper, you can’t do this. W-We can talk about this…” “There’s nothing to discuss anymore.” I took out the very last document and passed it to them. “This is a letter from my lawyer. The trust fund is overseen by the family foundation, and any fraudulent withdrawals will trigger an investigation and recovery process. “Whoever forged the authorization documents will receive a call from the police tonight.” Luke’s face fell. Ella screamed, “It wasn’t me! He’s the one who asked me to do it! I only took a copy of your ID, but I didn’t do anything else!” “Shut up!” Luke roared at her. I stood up and picked up my bag. “Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that the monthly transfers aren’t the only thing my parents left me.” I looked at Luke. “Guess how much the principal of that trust is?” Luke was stunned. I laughed and said, “Best of luck to you.” Then, I walked out of the cafe. Behind me, I could hear Ella’s cries and Luke’s angry screams.