Chapter 3 The Heiress Strikes Back

The hotel manager instantly texted back with an "ok." I finally relaxed and, with a spark of amusement, turned to watch Lawrence still basking in the praise of his audience.

He was glowing with smug satisfaction, but the moment he noticed my gaze, his brows furrowed in disdain.

"Stop staring. Arrange the cars. You've been getting dumber lately. Do I really have to teach you this too?"

His sarcasm drew immediate laughter from the crowd.

I stepped forward calmly, raising my right hand toward him. "Sure, we can get the cars, but first… pay up."

Lawrence's expression darkened instantly as he stared at me. "I said to use the family cars. Do I have to pay for this too?"

I fought hard to keep from laughing at his stinginess.

"Lawrence, calling your own cars is free, but unfortunately, your family only has one old clunker. It can't fit this many people. If we're using my family's cars, of course, there's a cost."

Liana's eyes went wide in shock when she heard that.

"Sylvia, what's gotten into you today? Why do you keep provoking your own employer like this? Lawrence, you should just fire this annoying maid. Keeping someone like her around only makes your life miserable!"

Lawrence clenched his fists at her words, his anger barely contained. "What are you even talking about? Just go rent the best cars at the dealership! I'm loaded!"

Seeing how furious he was, I masked my smile, keeping my composure as I addressed the crowd. "Everyone, today Lawrence isn't just treating all of you to a meal, but he's also arranging the best rides for you!"

The crowd cheered at my tact, and I pulled out my phone to call a friend's car rental service.

"Mr. Lawrence Carter from our school wants to rent twenty of the priciest cars for his outing. They'd better be ready at the school gate!"

Lawrence's lips curled slightly. He was clearly pleased with my arrangement. "With a bootlicker like Sylvia, you can't give her an inch. Always trying to get attention by defying her employer. Pathetic."

I smiled back, unfazed by his mockery. "Mr. Carter, the rental company requires payment upfront. Do you have enough cash on hand?"

Lawrence, thinking I was flattering him indirectly as usual, replied lightly, "When have I ever been short on money?"

He glanced at the luxury watch he had stolen from my father and raised an eyebrow. "Time's almost right. Liana's favorite celebrity will be there soon. Everyone, enjoy yourselves today!"

With that, he raised his chin haughtily and led the group toward the school gate.

…

I hung back at the end, scrolling on my phone and quietly unlinking every account connected to Lawrence.

When we reached the gate, my friend spotted me lingering at the back and dashed over. "Sylvia, why aren't you using your own cars? Why rent cars instead?"

I blinked innocently and pointed to Lawrence, who had stopped ahead, scowling. "It's not me using the cars. It's this gentleman. And I think your company's policy is to collect payment first, right?"

My friend was sharp. Seeing how I handled things, he immediately got it.

He smiled at me, then turned to Lawrence and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Carter, the round trip comes to two hundred thousand. How would you like to pay?"

Lawrence waved it off, pointing at me dismissively. "Don't bother me with this kind of petty stuff. Let my maid handle the payment."

The rental owner's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are you serious? You're calling Sylvia, the heiress, your maid?"

Lawrence hadn't expected the rental owner to know me, and his expression flickered. "Never mind. Just deal with her."

I blinked and held out my hand. "Mr. Carter, you have to give me the money first. Then, I'll settle the bill."

Lawrence's patience snapped when he heard that. "Sylvia, enough already! All the money's with you, isn't it?"

I gasped in exaggerated shock. "What money? Your money? I haven't seen a single cent. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Lawrence froze. "Sylvia, what are you talking about? Haven't you seen all my money? I keep all of it with you!"

He winked at me as he spoke.

I suppressed a laugh and replied slowly and deliberately, "Mr. Carter, you're forgetful. Your money's not with me. If I remember correctly, all that pathetic allowance of yours has been spent on Liana."

Liana shot me a glare that could cut steel. "Lawrence likes me. What's wrong with him spending a little on me? And you, a mere servant, are acting all high and mighty. Jealous again, maybe?"

After that, she leaned even closer to Lawrence. "Lawrence, I can't stand the way she acts like she owns the place. Hurry up and pay. Put this servant in her place."

Lawrence gently squeezed Liana's hand, then turned to the rental owner with a stern expression. "My unlimited black card was damaged by this servant. Scan it."

I couldn't help laughing. "Such a rich heir, and you can't even remember where your money is. What do you think a scan will do?"

Lawrence's eyes bulged with rage, teeth clenched. "Sylvia, that's it! I'm super rich! There's no way this could fail!"

The rental owner quickly displayed the payment QR code. Lawrence pulled out his phone, entered his password, and a crisp electronic beep sounded for everyone to hear. "Payment failed. Insufficient balance."

The rental owner barely held back laughter. "What happened, Mr. Carter? Aren't you super rich? Can't even pay two hundred thousand?"