Chapter 2

If Ashley told them the truth, she would have to refund money she no longer had, all while suffering major reputational damage.

She lifted her head and glared at the hotel stickers on Regina's suitcase. Her lips seemed to tremble.

-

Night had fallen.

Lying in bed, I checked my phone. My father had sent me a screenshot of the hotel's check-in system. The entire top floor had been prepared and was ready for use.

"This floor was supposed to be reserved exclusively for you during this period, but you said you wanted to make some money from it, right?" he said in a voice message. "The client who booked it is someone rather special, so you should stay home instead. I've arranged for a chauffeur to drive you to the exam location every day."

I sent my father a cat-giving-a-thumbs-up sticker and shoved my phone under my pillow.

Closing my eyes, I smiled. "Let's see how this ends for you, bitch."

…

At noon the next day, I was leaving the classroom with a glass of water when a group suddenly stepped into my path.

Ashley was among them, tears glistening in her eyes. Beside her stood Erik Hancock, a member of the Sports Committee.

He spread his arms to block my way. "You're not going anywhere, Fairfax! You owe Ashley a lot!"

Students quickly gathered around us.

I met his gaze coldly and shot back, "Me? Owe her? Am I the one who owes people money now?"

"Don't play dumb! You know Ashley's family is struggling! How could you be so heartless that you'd deny her the chance to study at the Grand Regal Hotel? Thanks to your gatekeeping, she has nowhere else to study in peace!" Erik bellowed. "What's so hard about lending a room or two to less fortunate students? The rooms would be sitting empty anyway!"

Ashley tugged on his arm and sniffled. "That's enough. It's really my fault. Poor people like me aren't worth anything to rich people, and I'm certainly not exceptionally talented or capable...

"It's just... I feel bad for other struggling students like me, okay? I wanted to secure a comfortable, conducive study environment for them, but that really upset her. She started looking at me as if I were a thief waiting for a chance to steal her things..."

Whispers spread through the crowd. The students who had previously paid Ashley 80 dollars each began to panic.

Watching the two of them put on such a performance almost made me laugh.

"Oh, you feel bad for your struggling peers, do you?" I sneered, stepping forward. "Then why did you charge everyone 80 dollars for a spot at the hotel?"

The crowd gasped. Those who had given Ashley money turned pale.

One girl demanded, "What? I thought you were collecting money to buy test predictions and study tips for everyone!"

Ashley's face went white. She staggered back a step. "W-What are you saying, Regina?! That's not true!"

"Oh, really?" I sneered before shoving my phone in Erik's face.

The screen displayed a photo of a purchase receipt. "Look. Last month, she used my bank card to buy Hermes makeup. It cost 1,000 dollars. And these are the repair fees for the accessories she borrowed from me and broke. That's another 700 dollars.

"She hasn't been struggling for a long time, guys. The money she wasted was worth more than everything the rest of you have spent combined!"

I shoved Erik aside and glared directly at Ashley. "You fancy yourself a philanthropist, huh? Then spend your own money instead of using my hotel to collect fees for your personal spending and then slandering me as some highfalutin, miserly elite!"

I swept my gaze across the crowd. "And one more thing. Someone has already booked the entire top floor of the hotel. There aren't any rooms available anymore!"