Chapter 2

Lauren waited a couple of seconds, but the butler, Nathaniel Zimmer, made no move to open the door for her. She furrowed her brow and turned around, only to see the household staff carrying her belongings into the storage room.

She shrieked and ran over. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Nathaniel replied with a smile, "You went to the wrong room just now, Ms. Joyner—that room belongs to Ms. Faulkner. Didn't you say you wanted the storage room? We've already cleaned it up for you."

Lauren stared at the dusty storage room, barely keeping a straight face. "When did I ever say I wanted to stay in the storage room?"

Nathaniel maintained his smile. "Ms. Faulkner worked this out based on what you said earlier, and we all think her reasoning is perfectly sound."

Lauren gritted her teeth and glared at me with bloodshot eyes. "Why are you constantly targeting me? Is it really that hard for you to handle someone prettier and more talented than you?"

I couldn't help but laugh out of sheer exasperation. "You were the one who said you couldn't bring yourself to stay in such a lavish place, didn't you? I was worried you'd be overwhelmed with guilt, so after thinking about it, I decided the storage room is perfect for you! Is something the matter?"

Lauren's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She looked at me with a wounded, humiliated expression and said, "Mom sent me here for my education! Why do you keep picking on me and humiliating me?"

She threw a pitiful glance at Jude as she spoke, but Jude was hopelessly distracted. He was frantically messaging his crush to ask if she'd heard any crazy rumors about him having a crush on someone else going around lately. As such, he completely ignored her.

But Lauren never ended up staying in the storage room.

Jude eventually stepped in and settled the matter. She was the daughter of Margaret Jagger, our loyal housekeeper and the person who had saved Mom's life, so there was no way he could actually let her stay in the storage room.

That night, Jude, Colton, and I spent the whole evening complaining about Lauren in the family group chat.

Mom and Dad were slightly taken aback. "That can't be right. Margaret is such a decent, hardworking person. She's the reason your mother wasn't struck by that car. Lauren should take after Margaret, shouldn't she?"

Jude merely sent a crying emoji in the family group chat, leaving no further explanation needed.

…

I got to school early the following day, and my classmates instantly gathered around me to chat about what had happened—after all, words always traveled fast in our social circle.

Just then, someone screamed, breaking the silence. Lauren sat on the floor while Rhett Crawford stood over her, covered from head to toe in milk.

Rhett was the school's heartthrob and its resident troublemaker. He was in a good mood that day, so he decided to let it go, even after Lauren poured milk all over him for no reason.

Just as he turned to walk away, Lauren grabbed his hand and fixed him with a stubborn look. "You bumped into me! You owe me an apology!"

Rhett let out an exasperated laugh. "You were the one who rushed in here, ran straight into me, and spilled milk all over me! You actually expect me to apologize to you?"

Lauren inexplicably flushed, as if she were embarrassed. She then placed her hands on her hips and barked, "Do you think you can do whatever you want just because you're rich and powerful? I'm not afraid of you! I won't submit to you!

"I don't care what kind of power trip you were on before, but now that I'm here, the bullying stops today!"

Everyone was speechless at what Lauren said, while I buried my face in my hands in embarrassment.

Rhett let out an incredulous laugh, but Lauren was totally clueless about the danger brewing. She actually thought he was laughing because he found her antics endearing.

She doubled down on her act, saying, "I bet your grades are terrible! I guess I'll just have to step in and make sure you study properly from now on—"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Rhett balled his hand into a fist and swung straight for her face.

Just then, I quickly yelled, "Hold it right there!"

Rhett immediately stopped what he was doing and flashed me a docile smile. "What's up, Isla?"

I stepped in and pulled Lauren behind my back. "Do you have to solve everything with your fist? Go get changed first!"

Rhett shot Lauren a cold glare, then turned back to me with a smile. "Got it, Isla!"

He then turned on his heel and scampered off.

Rhett might seem well-behaved right now, but when we first met in the past, he actually planned to have someone rough me up. He was ultimately tamed by me with nothing but sheer wit and strength.

Lauren finally came back to her senses. She felt a lingering sense of fear and confusion before turning a resentful, jealous gaze on me.