Chapter 3

Over the next two months, Sebastian kept targeting me.

My lunch was thrown in the trash. Dead spiders appeared in my locker. Someone burned holes in my new dress with a cigarette.

He was probably waiting for me to cry or complain to his parents.

I just threw out what was ruined and went back to class.

The most valuable thing the Ashfords could give me wasn’t clothes, jewelry, or luxury cars. It was time.

In my first life, I had spent my afternoons helping my adoptive mother work, then gone home to keep my adoptive father from searching my schoolbag for money. This time, I didn’t have to work or worry about my next meal. I could spend that time studying.

Vera still wore old clothes to help Mrs. Miller clean the academy. She told Sebastian she would keep at it, no matter how tired she was.

But she kept skipping tutoring sessions. As her grades slipped, the competition spots her teachers had recommended her for went to other students.

She thought she could make up for all of it later. As long as Sebastian liked her, nothing else mattered.

She wanted someone to save her. I wanted to be able to leave on my own.

When the academy began preparing for its annual arts showcase, I was put in charge of the dance group’s rehearsals. Vera signed up, too.

Out of more than thirty rehearsals, she attended only a few. At the final rehearsal, she still couldn’t remember where she was supposed to stand.

The dance teacher asked me to finalize the lineup. I crossed Vera’s name off.

Several students’ arts scholarships depended on this performance. I wasn’t going to make them pay for her absences.

The next afternoon, I passed the rehearsal room and saw Vera sitting outside, crying.

Sebastian stood in front of her.

“What happened?”

“They took me out of the performance.”

“Who did?”

Vera didn’t answer, but he had already guessed.

“Evelyn?”

She bit her lip.

“Don’t blame her. Maybe she had her reasons. I don’t want her getting in trouble because of me.”

When his expression darkened, she lowered her voice.

“She said I couldn’t afford a costume. That my parents were just a cleaner and a maintenance worker, and someone like me shouldn’t be on the same stage as her.”

I stopped walking.

I hadn’t said a word of that.

Sebastian didn’t bother checking.

“How much is the costume?”

Vera immediately shook her head.

“You really don’t have to. I don’t want to start depending on you for everything just because we know each other.”

I had said that in my first life, too.

Sebastian’s gaze softened.

“I’ll buy it. And I’ll deal with Evelyn.”

“But she lives with your family now,” Vera said quietly. “You fund so many programs here. Even if the teachers know she’s bullying me, they might be afraid to do anything.”

Just then, a woman I didn’t recognize spoke up.

“Wait.”

A press badge hung from her neck. Local reporters had been visiting the academy over the past few days, investigating bullying.

“Did you just say you were removed from the performance because your family is poor?”

For a moment, Vera looked panicked. Sebastian had already stepped toward the reporter.

“That’s right.”

“You mean the human girl under the Ashfords’ guardianship?”

“Yes.”

Vera reached for his sleeve, but she was too late to stop him.

She had only needed Sebastian to believe her.

Now she had to convince everyone.

Soon afterward, I was called into the academy’s conference room.

The principal, the dance teacher, several reporters, and the Millers were already there.

The count and countess arrived last. The first thing Count Ashford said was, “Why is the press here?”

It had never been about me. It was about the Ashford name.

The reporter set a recorder on the table.

“Vera Miller says you removed her from the performance because of her family’s financial situation. She also says this isn’t the first time you’ve used your connection to the Ashfords to target her. Is that true?”

Vera sat across from me, her eyes red.

I looked at Sebastian.

“You believe her, too?”

“She wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because she’s nothing like you,” he said coldly. “She’s never been after my family’s money. She doesn’t like owing anyone favors. She helps her parents every day without complaining, no matter how tired she is. Even when someone hurts her, she worries about them first.”

“She’s always taken care of herself. She has no reason to make this up.”

The reporter pushed the recorder toward me.

“Evelyn, we need your answer.”

“I didn’t remove her because of her family’s finances, and I never said any of the things she’s accusing me of saying.”

Vera’s head came up.

“Of course you’d deny it now.”

I didn’t argue with her. I took out my folder and looked at Sebastian.

“You said she keeps working no matter how tired she is, and never uses her family’s situation as an excuse.”

“Then let’s look at these records in front of everyone.”