Chapter 2

I looked at everyone below the stage and calmly announced, "Starting today, I will be stepping down as vice president of the student council. For the transition, my assistant will work directly with President Luther."

Everyone in the auditorium was stunned.

Simon’s face darkened at once. His eyes were filled with disbelief.

I continued, "Also, Easton Group’s special sponsorship for the school’s basketball team will be suspended starting today. The school will need to make other arrangements for all specialized training equipment and private coaching."

The entire auditorium erupted into whispers.

Steven shot to his feet.

As the captain of the school basketball team, he cared deeply about the team. Easton Group gave them a million-dollar sponsorship every year. That money was the reason they could compete at such a high level in the NCAA.

"Natalie! Have you lost your mind?" Steven shouted from below the stage.

His eyes were already red with anger.

I looked at him and smiled. "You misunderstood. I'm simply cutting unnecessary expenses."

After saying that, I put down the microphone.

Then, under the shocked eyes of the students and teachers, I calmly walked out of the auditorium along the red carpet.

The comments disappeared for a few seconds. Then, a few slowly appeared.

[Wait. She really threw a curveball there.]

[Wasn't she supposed to cry and beg them to take her back? Why did she pull the funding instead?]

[Haha, she's definitely playing hard to get. She thinks she can use money to force them to give in. She's so naive.]

I looked at the comments and gave a cold smile.

Hard to get?

These people really thought too highly of those three men.

After piecing together the situation from the comments, I also figured out what I needed to do next.

Jessica had transferred here six months ago.

Her family was poor, so she lived on scholarships and money from her part-time jobs.

When she first arrived, several rich students picked on her because of her old cloth and quiet personality.

Steven stood up for her. Simon helped her with all the transfer paperwork. Quentin helped her catch up with her classes.

Over the past six months, the three of them had taken great care of her.

It was almost like something straight out of a romance novel.

And I was the spoiled villainess who was about to be abandoned by them.

But I didn't care much.

After all, I hadn't spent the past year sitting around doing nothing.

Easton Group didn't need an heir who could lose her head over love.

My grandfather had never blamed me for taking a year off from school. But I knew some people inside Easton Group had started questioning my abilities.

I needed a major project to prove myself to the old sharks on the board.

That was why I had set my sights on the Southport property.

That afternoon, I sat in the VIP reading room on the top floor of the library, going through the key documents for the Southport project.

The library had been funded by Easton Group, so normally, only the four of us had access to this floor.

Then the door opened.

Steven walked in with Jessica.

Jessica was carrying a thick stack of study guides. The moment she saw me, she stopped.

Then she instinctively moved behind Steven. "Steven, maybe we should go downstairs. Someone's already here..."

She bit her lip and spoke in a timid voice.

Steven still had anger in his eyes when he looked at me.

He walked over and slammed his hand on my desk. "Natalie, have you lost your mind? Jessica has been using this seat the entire year you were gone. You come back and immediately take it. You did this on purpose to target her, didn't you?"

I raised my head from my computer screen and looked at his angry face.

Then I looked at Jessica standing behind him. She hugged her books tightly against her chest, pretending to look deeply hurt.

More comments appeared before my eyes.

[Jessica has always sat here. Natalie is shameless. She even has to steal her seat.]

[Steven is so handsome! He stood up to his childhood friend just to protect Jessica.]

[Natalie must be furious. Someone took the place that belonged only to her.]

Furious?

I suddenly found Steven a little funny.

Back when he got injured playing basketball, I was the one who called a private doctor to treat him in the middle of the night. When he failed a class and was about to be suspended from the team, I was the one who helped him study.

And now he was slamming his hand on my desk all because of a seat.