The campus coffee shop was crowded Friday afternoon when Jessica Martinez walked in and froze. Aiden sat at the same table where she'd dumped him four weeks ago, but everything else was different.
He wore a charcoal suit that probably cost more than her designer purse. His laptop was new, his watch was Swiss, and three people stood around his table—students Aiden had apparently hired as research assistants based on the paperwork visible on the table.
"Market opens in three hours," Aiden was saying. "I need those sector analyses before then. And remember: we're looking for sustainable growth, not speculation. Quality over quick returns."
The students nodded eagerly, gathering their materials. As they left, one—a pretty sophomore Jessica recognized—touched Aiden's shoulder and smiled. "Thanks for this opportunity, Aiden. You have no idea what this means for my resume."
"You earned it, Michelle. Your analysis on renewable energy was exceptional."
Jessica felt something twist in her chest. Since when did Aiden give opportunities? Since when did people treat him like he mattered?
She'd been watching him for weeks, telling herself the rumors were exaggerated. But here was proof: Aiden Schols had somehow transformed from charity case to campus power player in a month.
As the students left, Jessica approached his table.
"Aiden. Can we talk?"
He looked up, and Jessica nearly flinched. The way he looked at her—polite, distant, utterly unbothered—made her feel like a stranger. Like someone who'd never mattered at all.
"Jessica. What can I do for you?"
"I—" She sat down uninvited. "I wanted to apologize. For how I ended things. It was cruel and public, and you didn't deserve that."
"You're right. I didn't." He closed his laptop, giving her his full attention. "But you did me a favor."
"A favor?"
"You showed me what I was accepting. A relationship where I was constantly judged for having less money. Where my worth was measured by my bank account." He smiled, but it wasn't friendly. "So thank you. Your cruelty was clarifying."
"Aiden, I made a mistake. We were good together."
"We really weren't."
"You're different now. More confident. Successful." She reached across the table, touching his hand. "Maybe we could try again? Start over?"
Aiden looked at her hand on his, then gently pulled away. "Jessica, you dumped me because I was too poor. Now you want me back because I'm not. Do you see the problem?"
"People change. I changed."
"No, you didn't. You still value the same things—money, status, appearance. I'm just on the other side of your equation now." He stood, gathering his things. "I don't blame you for wanting those things. But I want someone who values me regardless of my bank balance."
"Like who? That computer science girl everyone says you're obsessed with?" Jessica heard the bitterness in her own voice. "She's not even pretty."
"She's brilliant. And kind. And honest in ways you'll never understand." Aiden's voice stayed level, but his eyes flashed with something that made Jessica shrink back. "Sophia sees me, not my portfolio. That's worth more than any amount of money."
"You're making a mistake."
"The only mistake I made was wasting two years on someone who never saw my potential. I won't make that mistake again."
He walked toward the door, then paused and turned back. Jessica's heart jumped—maybe he'd reconsider, maybe—
"I hope you and Marcus are happy together. Genuinely. You deserve someone whose worth you can measure in dollars. And he deserves someone who values him for his trust fund. It's perfect."
Then he was gone, leaving Jessica sitting alone at the table where she'd publicly destroyed him a month ago.
Students whispered around her. She heard the words clearly now:
"Did she really think he'd take her back?"
"She dumped him for being poor. Karma's a bitch."
"Aiden's way too good for her now."
Jessica pulled out her phone and opened Instagram. Her feed was full of Marcus Chen's posts—bottle service at clubs, expensive restaurants, designer shopping. Things she'd thought she wanted.
But Marcus was boring. Predictable. He talked about his trust fund like he'd earned it, treated waiters poorly, and had never once looked at her the way Aiden just described looking at that computer science girl.
She'd traded someone who was becoming extraordinary for someone who'd never be more than his father's money.
The realization hit her like ice water: she'd lost.
Not just Aiden. Not just the relationship. She'd lost the chance to be with someone whose worth was growing exponentially because she'd only been able to see what he'd had in that moment.
Jessica gathered her things and left the café, aware of every whisper, every judgment. For the first time in her life, she understood what Aiden must have felt that day four weeks ago.
And she understood why he'd looked at her just now with pity instead of anger.
She'd dumped a future millionaire for a trust fund baby.
And everyone on campus knew it.