Chapter 3

Paradiso Castle was the most expensive property in the entire city. Having enough money did not guarantee the right to buy it, which only proved how absurdly generous the MRS truly was.

I stood behind a 600–square-yard, floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the city's nightscape while red wine sloshed gently in my glass. I had never felt more at peace.

In my last life, I must have been genuinely brain-dead to believe they would love me simply because I obeyed every command. Oh, I was so "loved."

I turned my phone over and braced myself for the flood of messages and missed calls.

"Where the hell are you?!" My dear mother, Lucy, shrieked in a voice message, her voice sharp enough to pierce stone. "Get your ass back here and apologize to Bella, now! Do you have any idea how much shame you brought on us today?! Poor Bella hasn't stopped crying!"

Damien's text followed soon after.

Damien: [Running out of money already now that Dad terminated your cards? Once you finally get tired of starving yourself, you can come back on your knees and beg for forgiveness. We might consider mercy if you show enough sincerity.]

And finally, Gabriel.

Gabriel: [Enough with your theatrics, Marceline. You embarrassed me today, but I am willing to be magnanimous. Come to my office tomorrow, and I may consider not canceling our marriage.]

I stared at the screen and laughed. "Look at all these clowns. They truly believe I am homeless and penniless just because I left the Blancs."

I sent a photo to Damien, showing a small glimpse of my bank balance: 10,000,000 dollars, give or take.

I added a caption: [Call me Mommy, and maybe I'll buy you a wife.]

Then I blocked his number.

Next was Gabriel. I sent him a voice message. "I've always been curious about something. Are you actually impotent? One would think Bella would have stopped being a virgin by now, given how often you two are together. Instead, she looks like she's wilting."

Satisfied, I blocked him as well.

Finally, Lucy's turn arrived.

[Stop screaming into the void. Just pretend I died and move on with your life. After all, the only one you ever needed was Bella, right? I was just an accessory. May you all live like royalty during the Revolution, with lives as long as the space newspapers reserve for obituaries.]

I blocked the last number. Silence reclaimed the world.

[Delivering emotional damage to family. 3-Star madness. Reward: 7,000,000 dollars.]

I collapsed onto my Yeetalia genuine leather couch and sighed in contentment. Making money really was not that hard.

Still, it was not enough. The pain and suffering they had inflicted on me in my last life ran too deep. I wanted them to see who their precious, innocent Bella Summers truly was.

After that, I wanted them to stare up at me in despair, forced to acknowledge my dominance and the height I had reached. I now stood at an apex they would never touch.

…

The next morning, the doorbell dragged me out of sleep.

I peered through the peephole and saw Magnus. How the hell did he find out I lived here?

Of course. He was a hacker. Tracking my phone would have been effortless for him.

There was no reason to rush. I brushed my teeth and washed my face at my own unhurried pace, then opened the door.

He looked livid.

"How the hell did you get in here? Where did you get all this money? What is this place, a rental?" His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Don't tell me you debased yourself and sold your body just to get a pathetic edge over us, Marceline. How else could you afford this place after Dad terminated your cards?"