All Chapters of The "Country Bumpkin" Strikes Back: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I walked toward the bulletin board with my exam paper in hand. The name "Valerie Miller" appeared in clear, bold letters at the very top of the honor roll.A few girls stood nearby. As I approached, they took two steps back as if I were something filthy they wanted to avoid.One of them, a girl with a ponytail, even made a show of covering her nose with her sleeve. "What's that smell? Why does it smell like a pigsty?"They burst out laughing and looked me up and down.My face grew warm. I had grown up in a small rural town. My skin wasn't dark, but it was nowhere near as pale and delicate as theirs, the kind of complexion that came from a lifetime of pampering.My fingers were thick and rough, with faint yellow calluses around my knuckles from years of hard labor.At St. Claire Academy, everyone came from a wealthy or powerful family. They all assumed I'd been admitted as a special exception because of my grades.I lowered my head and hurried away. The words "Top of Class" on th

I deliberately used my hair to hide the red marks on my cheek, but my third brother, Caleb Miller, noticed them.His eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward, his voice instantly turning serious. "Valerie, what happened to your face?"Everyone immediately turned toward me.My mother grabbed my shoulder and angled my face toward the light. "Valerie, did someone bully you?"Her fingers trembled as she gently touched the edge of my cheek. I sucked in a sharp breath at the pain, and she immediately pulled her hand back as if she'd been burned.My father slowly set down his cutlery. He didn't say anything, but his usually calm, easygoing expression suddenly tightened.Zachary got up and walked over with an expression I'd never seen on him before. He looked unusually serious. "What happened?"I flinched at the look on his face. I thought he was going to blame me, so I didn't dare tell them the truth. "I bumped into something. I was running too fast after class and hit the doorframe..."M

The call abruptly disconnected.Cassie stepped on my ruined phone and ground it beneath her shoe several times.A cold, cruel smile curled across her lips. "You still think you can call someone for help? Who do you think can save you? You're just a country girl. Who could you possibly call?"I suddenly remembered what my brothers had told me. They'd said no one in Westhaven would dare bully a Miller, much less lay a hand on me.In my panic, I blurted out, "I'm a Miller. My dad is Nathan Miller, and my oldest brother is Zachary Miller..."The girls burst into laughter as if they'd just heard the funniest joke in the world."Valerie, do you think we're as stupid as you are? Just because your last name is Miller, you think Nathan Miller is your dad?""Wake up! A real heiress wouldn't look like you. Your dad's probably still shoveling manure back in your village!"Cassie laughed even harder. "Give me a break, Valerie. You really think I'm going to believe you?"Nathan Miller is th

"Just tell your father that the partnership is terminated. From now on, the Miller Group will have no business dealings with the Nolans," Zachary said flatly.…That night, the atmosphere in the Miller household was as cold as a frozen tundra.My father sat in his study with three computers open in front of him, their screens filled with dense rows of documents and data.He stared at me for a long moment before his eyes suddenly reddened and he broke down in tears. "Valerie, you've been through so much."I sat across from him with a cup of warm milk clasped between my hands. My fingertips were still a little cold. "I'm sorry, Dad... I didn't want to cause you any trouble."My father set down his pen and walked over to me. He crouched in front of me and looked into my eyes. "Trouble? You're the daughter I've spent 16 years searching for."We owe you 16 years of protection, 16 years of companionship, and 16 years of the life you should've had."Someone dared lay a hand on you rig

"Miss Miller..." Richard rubbed his hands together and practically bent at the waist. "I failed to raise my daughter properly. Cassie is young and didn't know any better. I hope you'll be the bigger person..."Cassie stood behind her father with red-rimmed eyes, without a trace of yesterday's arrogance. Her lips moved several times before she finally managed to mumble, "I'm sorry."Then tears streamed down her face.I looked at the father and daughter and suddenly felt completely calm.I recalled the terror I'd felt when they had pinned me against the windowsill yesterday. I remembered the despair that had consumed me when they had stomped on my rosary. I thought about the contempt in her eyes when she had torn my exam paper to pieces in front of everyone.If I had really been a poor student from the countryside with no one to rely on, what would my fate be right now? Expelled? Sent back to the village? Or beaten so badly that I'd spend the rest of my life in a hospital?But I wa