Part 3The Comment Feed of Fortune

Before I could even think, I’d thrown myself over the pile of luxury goods like a mother hen protecting her chicks. I'd pedaled all the way here in the dead of night for this. If she took it all back, my efforts would be for nothing.

But… I felt a pang of guilt.

Claire's eyes were red and swollen, and her slender frame looked impossibly fragile in the cold wind. The box in her hands was filled with expensive things, but the contrast between their value and her heartbreak was palpable.

[Honey, you need money to have the freedom to leave that bastard!]

[Love is gone, but you can't let the money be gone too!]

Looking at the comments, then back at Claire, my heart softened.

As much as it pained me, I slowly straightened up, forcing the words out through a tight throat. "Um, if you want it…"

"I would have just given it to you if I'd known you were here." Claire managed a strained smile and placed the box gently at my feet. "If you like it, just take it all." Her gaze fell on my torn sack. After a moment, she said, "Wait here a second."

She turned and jogged back into the house, returning a moment later with three large, plaid-patterned tote bags.

I marveled. Rich people used these kinds of bags too.

But a comment quickly corrected my ignorance.

[Those are the limited edition Louis Vuitton woven totes!]

LV? Limited edition?

"Your sack is broken. Use these." Claire knelt and started helping me pack the scattered luxury goods into the LV totes.

Oh, my god. Was this the legendary kindness of a female lead?

I stared at her for a long moment, then finally managed to ask, "This stuff… it could sell for a lot of money. Are you sure you're just giving it to me?"

She paused, then spoke after a long silence, her voice thick with emotion. "I never needed that much money anyway."

She even helped me load the three overflowing LV totes onto my crepe trike, seeing I couldn't manage it alone.

She was an angel. I could cry.

"You know how to make crepes?" she asked, looking at my setup.

I carefully arranged the three massive totes in the back of my trike, then puffed out my chest with pride. "You bet! All the neighbors say my crepes are the best. Business is great!"

Claire reached out and touched my little trike, a hint of envy in her eyes. "It must be nice, being able to support yourself."

Her words sent the comment feed into another frenzy.

[My baby is too delicate to be selling crepes out in the elements.]

[Are you serious? Selling crepes is a thousand times better than being miserable with Landon!]

[It's the middle of the night and now I'm craving a crepe. drooling.jpg]

It was almost three in the morning. I wondered if Claire was hungry. After a fight like that with Landon, she probably hadn't eaten dinner.

I expertly fired up my stove and pulled out my tools. "Miss Sterling, you've been so kind to me. As a humble crepe vendor, I have nothing to offer in return but this 'fully loaded' supreme crepe!"

I may have only been twenty, but I already had a decade of crepe-making experience. I wasn't bragging, but no one who'd eaten my crepes had ever had a bad word to say.

Claire initially tried to refuse, but the aroma of food in the dead of night was too tempting. She fell silent, her eyes fixed on my griddle.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a comment mention that Landon couldn't see Claire on the security cameras, couldn't reach her by phone, and was now on his way back.

With a final flick of my wrist, I folded a crepe bigger than my head and placed the deluxe masterpiece in Claire's hands.

"Here you go! It was nice meeting you. Thank you for the gifts! I will be grateful for the rest of my life!"

Before Claire could respond, I was already pedaling away like a madwoman. If Landon saw me, not only would I lose all my treasures, but I'd probably face some kind of retaliation. The thought made me pedal so fast I felt like I was about to break the sound barrier.