Chapter 2

With Howard gone, the three wasted no time whisking Amelia off to my coming-of-age bash.

She was a vision in her lavish dress: dripping with jewels, her lashes curled to perfection. It was her show, no doubt about it.

I watched from the shadows, smirking.

They used to throw money around like it was nothing, all thanks to our family's fortunes backing them up.

However, from the day I turned my life around, I had made it crystal clear to the finance folks: no more handouts.

At this point, they were burning through their own cash stash.

I was itching to see what they would have left once the wedding hoopla was over.

Sure enough, over the next few days, they pampered Amelia like she was royalty.

Her birthday bash was nothing short of a spectacle fit for a queen, with the three suitors outdoing themselves with gifts. Yoel outshone them all, getting down on one knee with a bouquet that sparkled with diamonds.

"Amelia, we can offer you the world. You'll always be our principessa!"

I remembered Yoel saying something like that to me once, under the old tree where we played as kids.

My heart skipped a beat, and I took a deep breath to steady myself.

However, the truth was, I never dreamed of being anyone's principessa.

I was meant to be my own queen.

What I did not see coming was, on the day I was trying on my wedding dress, a rough hand ripping it apart.

I spun around, shocked, and there they were: Yoel, Ethan and Nelson. And yet the driver who had accompanied me was nowhere to be found.

Ethan stepped forward. "Shirley, we've made up our minds. The promise we made when we were little, it's got to stand. We're meant to stick together."

"And when we tie the knot with Amelia, you can be our nanny!" chimed Nelson, nodding like it was all settled.

Their audacious words made my stomach turn. I shot back, icy, "And what's any of this got to do with me?"

Their faces crumpled into frowns. "Shirley, cut the attitude! We're practically family. How can you say it's got nothing to do with you?"

"And let's not forget, you're the one sneaking around, never trying to improve. Without us, you'd be lost."

"Everyone knows we tried to get Amelia into that special program, but you had to go and frame her for cheating! She nearly killed herself over it, thanks to you!"

I stared them down, those three stooges in front of me.

Amelia had been as sharp as a sack of potatoes, and only those three blind mice had thought she had any brains. She could not even get the simplest things right, so why would I have needed to report her?

They were still dreaming of heading off to St. Hartwell University with her, thinking they would be big shots.

I just smirked; no point in arguing with idiots.

Then, out of nowhere, there she was, Amelia, looking at me with those scared doe eyes.

"Shirley, you'd actually consider being my nanny?"

I could not help but roll my eyes. "You think I'd ditch being the principessa to play babysitter for you?"

Amelia stumbled backward, her eyes brimming with tears. "I get it, Shirley, you don't respect me, but I've got dreams too.

"Yoel, better stick with the principessa's advice. I'm just a nobody with empty pockets, no help to your big plans..."

She did not even finish before I felt a shove from behind.