Chapter 1: Bullied

Brielle’s POV

Three years ago, if someone had told me my life would turn out this pathetic and broken, I would’ve laughed in their face.

“Oh well, look who we have here,” a sharp, mocking voice called out behind me.

The tray in my hand shook from a sudden shove. Before I could react, it slipped from my grip. Glass cups and a bottle of wine — a rare one worth three million dollars crashed to the floor, breaking into pieces.

The music in the club stopped quickly as gasps filled the room. All eyes turned to me, and I already knew my job was over. 

Worse, I might end up in jail. There was no way on earth I could pay for what I just broke in years to come.

“Oops!” That same voice rang out again, this time with laughter. “My body tripped,” the voice added sarcastically.

 

My hands trembled as I dropped to my knees, tears already stinging my eyes. I tried to gather the shards, but my fingers shook too much.

When I looked up, eyes blurry with tears, I saw her. Alice and her ever-loyal minions. Alice, the notorious queen of BriarWood College.

Her father is one of the main shareholders of the school. Meanwhile, I’m just a scholarship girl with divorced parents.

My first day in school? A disaster. Alice and her gang had already bullied me into the mud. 

All because I caught the attention of a few boys, including the school’s famous hockey star, Jackson, the next Alpha of the Coldstone pack. 

He even offered me a spot on the cheerleading team.

“You’ve got a great body. We could use someone like you. Think about it,” he had said before walking away.

Turns out, he was the guy Alice had her eye on. The one she couldn’t have, but wouldn’t stop chasing.

And not just the hockey star. I have caught the eye of a basketball star, Jace.

A volleyball star, Jason, as well as the famous Lacrosse star, Jayden.  BriarWood Academy has a lot of sporting activities going on in the school, and so they had different starts for various sections.  They are called the J4 of BriarWood Academy. So I heard.

It happens that there were lots of stars in the college. But one thing I didn’t know was that they were all from the same family. They were brothers. 

“Transfer while you still can, Brielle,” one student had whispered yesterday, before quickly walking off like she didn’t want to be seen with me. “You won’t survive here.”

Tears streamed down my face as yesterday’s pain came flooding back.

And now, today… Alice shows up at my workplace? And worst of all, the bottle of wine that I had just broken belongs to her.

Just then, Camellia rushed through the crowd, her eyes wide as she spotted the mess. Her gaze dropped to my bleeding knees, and she let out a sharp breath.

“Brielle! What happened?”

“Alice…” I choked out. My throat burned as tears spilled freely.

Camellia’s face changed. She paused, staring at the broken bottle on the floor, her eyes flickering back to Alice. “Wait… that drink. Do you know how much it costs? The boss is going to—”

Before she could finish, Alice stepped forward, connecting her hand with my cheeks. One that echoed loud and hard.

My cheek burned. I tried to protect my face, but she hit me again. The crowd gasped. I stumbled, crashing to the ground beside the broken glass as blood spilled out.

“What the hell is going on here?!” My boss stormed over.

He glanced at me, then at Camellia, who opened her mouth to defend me, but I shook my head. No.

This job is all we have. Camellia gave me all her savings just so I could get into BriarWood. We can’t both lose our jobs. Not like this. She was like a friend turned sister. 

“Is this how you train your staff? Breaking expensive bottles for fun? Especially my order? Are you aware of how much that drink costs?” Alice shouted, now turning her attention to my boss. Her eyes flicked back to me with venom.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m really sorry. This drink is on the house. We’ll bring another one immediately,” my boss said, forcing a weak smile as he turned to Camellia and signaled her to get another bottle.

But just as Camellia took a step forward, Alice’s voice rang out, sharp and cold, freezing everyone in place.

“I want her to go on her knees—on the broken bottles—and apologize.”

Silence dropped over the entire club like a heavy curtain.

I was sure of it now. One of her minions had pushed me. No doubt about it.

I had stayed quiet all this while, only because I knew my boss had tried to cover for me out of pity. But now, she was asking for something that crossed every line.

“But ma’am, I said the house will shoulder the—”

“Do you know who my father is?” Alice cut him off, her tone laced with threat. My boss froze.

She stepped forward. “Unless you want this whole place shut down by tomorrow morning and demolished, you’ll do exactly as I say.”

My boss flinched. His hands trembled slightly as he turned to me, adjusting his tie.

“Brielle Parkman,” he said stiffly. “You’re fired. Leave the premises immediately and don’t come back.”

I turned to leave, holding in my tears, determined not to break in front of them. But before I could take another step, Alice’s bodyguards moved in, blocking my way.

Panic rose in my chest as I stepped back. 

“Go down on your knees and grovel!” Alice yelled, her voice sharp and commanding.

Everyone in the room stiffened. Some looked away. No one dared to interfere.

Alice’s father was a powerful Mafia Lord in the United States. As his only daughter, she could ruin lives with a single call. 

And right now, she was about to ruin mine, just because I was poor and dared to exist in her world.

I clenched my fists and finally looked her minions in the eye.

“You pushed me, didn’t you?” I said calmly, my voice shaking but firm.

They all looked away. 

“It was intentional, wasn’t it?” I asked again, still in tears.

But instead of an answer, I was met with another slap, harder than the last. The sound echoed in my ears, making me dizzy.

“Don’t speak to me,” Alice snapped, withdrawing her hand. 

“I won’t waste words on someone whose mother is a whore.”

I froze.

“Now grovel,” she ordered. “Unless you plan to pay me back the full three million dollars. I doubt your entire generation could afford that in a hundred years.”

“Alice, I—”

“Jail or grovel. Choose.” She folded her arms across her chest with satisfaction.

Tears welled in my eyes. My knees began to buckle. I had no one, no way out, and no power to fight back.

But just as I started to bend, a deep, commanding male voice echoed from behind, shaking the room.

“That’s enough.”

Everyone turned as he slammed his hand on the table in anger.