Chapter 2

I glanced at the barrage of comments flying before my eyes, feeling like my food tasted even better than before.

After the meal, Stephen said a little awkwardly, "Nadia, I'm sorry that you're going to suffer with us. We were selfish for pretending to be rich—we wanted to adopt a daughter to care for us in our old age."

Linda pulled out a bank card. "This is for you. It has every cent we've saved up over the years. Consider it our way of making it up to you."

[What a joke. Your life's savings can't even compare to Nancy's monthly allowance!]

[Mrs. Quill gave Nancy 500 thousand dollars as pocket money without even batting an eye.]

I pushed the bank card back to them. "Mom, Dad, you should keep this. Don't worry about me. I'll study hard, make a ton of money, and give you both a great life."

Stephen and Linda were so overwhelmed that they couldn't even speak. They just kept stroking my head, praising me for being thoughtful and sensible.

The heavens had given me a second chance at life; I'd escaped the Quill family's gilded cage and met such kind adoptive parents. There was no way I was going to repeat the same mistakes.

I was going to use everything I'd learned in my last life to change my family's fate. And everyone who had hurt us would pay the price they deserved!

Right then, the comments flooded the space before me.

[Oh my god. The male lead, Eugene Lloyd, just showed up! He and Nancy are finally meeting!]

[Look at how shy Nancy is right now. They're such a perfect match—they're totally made for each other!]

The corner of my lips lifted. So, Eugene was the male lead.

Perfect. I would make good use of him.

…

When the admission notice from a top-ranked high school arrived at our doorstep, Stephen and Linda were so excited that their voices trembled.

"Nadia, it really is from that prestigious high school, and you ranked first! You're amazing!"

In my last life, I'd received an elite education in the Quill family. Getting first place in the entrance exam for a prestigious high school was nothing to me.

Stephen and Linda were so happy that they took me into town and bought me several new outfits, grinning from ear to ear. "Whatever other kids have, our daughter has to have too!"

The comments went wild again.

[What? Why does Nadia get to attend a prestigious high school? And as the top scorer, no less. That means she and Eugene will be in the same class!]

[Nancy had to pull strings just to get in, and her parents beat her over it.]

[Hang in there, Nancy! Your parents are just hitting you for your own good. They want you to be ambitious and driven!]

[This is how elite education in powerful families works. With great power comes great responsibility, after all. You'll be fine once you get past this!]

As I watched the comments roll by, I could practically picture the kind of life Nancy was enduring in the Quill household right now.

I'd had more than enough of that life in my last one. This time around, I would let Nancy get a proper experience of that hell.

…

On the first day of school, Nancy spotted me as soon as I stepped into the classroom. She was draped in luxury brands from head to toe, but it couldn't hide how pale she looked.

She looked down at me from her high horse, her voice dripping with contempt when she spoke. "Well, if it isn't Nadia Walker. Oh, wait—you're Nadia Colson now. I really didn't expect this, you know.

"You sure are lucky, even after being adopted by that poor couple. They were even willing to grovel and beg so you could get into this high school?"

At her words, the classmates around us started whispering among themselves.

"So her top score is fake? I saw her marks and thought she was some kind of genius."

"I was actually planning to ask her for tips, but it turns out this is what she's actually like. Gross."

"Let's just stay away from her from now on."

Nancy's smile grew even smugger when she saw that she'd gotten exactly what she wanted.

[Nancy really is smart. It's only the first day of school, yet she's already managed to get the whole class to ostracize Nadia.]

[Nadia just got insanely lucky. Why should she be allowed to outshine Nancy?]

Nancy leaned in close to me and hissed, "Blame yourself for having bad luck. Look at you—every inch of you screams 'poor'. You're not like me. My walk-in closet is full of designer labels, something you'll never have in this life or the next."

I lifted my gaze and saw Eugene standing not far away, looking at me with thinly veiled disdain.

I smirked coldly, unbothered by his attitude. It wouldn't be long before he came looking for me on his own.