Chapter 2

Mom's little act of playing the generous patron with money that wasn't hers was nothing new to me.

I had seen it all in my previous life.

Still, when she stood at the podium and announced that my financial aid would be given to someone else, I was still taken aback by her sheer audacity.

The entire class stared at me in surprise and admiration, but the instant she finished speaking, I got to my feet.

"Who said I was withdrawing my financial aid application?"

She had deliberately announced it to the whole class before asking me, hoping to pressure me into accepting it.

Too bad for her.

What was mine was mine, and no one was going to take it away.

Her fingers paused on the page of her textbook, and anger ignited in her eyes.

"What did you say?"

I raised my voice so everyone could hear.

"I said I'm not withdrawing my application! I already told you that in your office, and every teacher there heard me!"

She hurled her thick math textbook at me.

I didn't flinch.

I wasn't afraid of her striking me.

Everything she did to me today would eventually become the very thing that brought her down.

The book slammed into my forehead, and a painful lump swelled up almost instantly.

She pounded on the desk, desperate to cling to her authority as both my teacher and my mother.

"What does it matter if the teachers in the office heard you? I'm your homeroom teacher, not them. If I say you're not applying, then you're not applying!"

A wave of whispers swept through the class.

Realizing she had gone too far, Mom quickly backtracked.

"Anne, you need to learn to be considerate of your classmates. There are so many students here who need this money more than you do. Why can't you make a small sacrifice for their sake?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"If someone needs it more than I do, then feel free to point them out."

We'd all been in the same class for three years, and there wasn't anyone who didn't know everyone else's backstory.

I looked across the room, and my eyes came to a halt on the girl in the corner—Myra Davis, the very same bully who had murdered me in my past life.

I could feel the hatred burning in my eyes. She gave me a casual look and put on the same smirk she'd worn when she'd crushed me beneath her heel in my last life.

I smiled pleasantly at Myra.

"Everyone here knows what my family's situation is like. I'm not selfless enough to give away the money I need to survive to someone else. Myra, you agree with me, don't you?"

A heavy silence descended upon the classroom. The students shot each other confused glances, but no one could quite figure out what was happening.

Everyone knew who Myra was.

She was the queen bee of the whole grade, the girl nobody dared to cross.

And where did I get the guts to go up against her like that?

The smile that had been gradually forming on Myra's face faltered and then vanished entirely.

Mom's already stormy face froze over.

I could read her mind like a flashing neon sign.

The sole reason she had come to this school was that she saw me as an easy victim.

To secure her place as the lady of the Davis family, she had even teamed up with Myra to push me off the balcony to my death.

And to cover it all up, she had painted me as a worthless troublemaker who deserved to be taught a lesson.

What about me? What had I ever done to deserve that?

A soft, warm smile played on my lips, though my eyes betrayed nothing but contempt.

"After all, my entire year's tuition doesn't even cost as much as one pair of shoes that certain people wear. Am I wrong?"

Mom snapped, "Enough!"

I shut up immediately.

She drew a deep breath, composing herself.

When she opened her eyes again, that signature smile had returned to her face.

I had won this round.

Sure enough, Mom set the application form aside and bowed deeply to the class.

"I'm sorry, everyone. It seems I've made a mistake. I apologize to all of you, and I hope Anne can forgive me as well..."

She knew exactly what would happen if she kept pushing me.

I had already exposed our relationship in the office, but most of the teachers there could be counted on to keep their mouths shut.

Even if the news did leak, few would take it seriously.

But saying it in front of the class was completely different.

There were too many people watching, and rumors would spread through the entire grade before anyone could stop them.

The Davis family had status and money, but that also meant they had a lot to lose.

I didn't think Zayne Davis, the CEO of Davis Corporation, would risk the public backlash of marrying a woman who'd walked out on her husband and daughter for money.

I met Myra's nasty glare with a defiant smile, then silently mouthed a few words that made her face go pale.

"Myra..." I drawled.

"How does it feel to be the heiress cherished by everyone in the Davis family?