Chapter 3

A few minutes later, Chelsea knocked on my apartment door, holding her hammer with an ecstatic grin.

"Anna! I told you my gamble would pay off! The moment the owner saw me, he was so stunned he couldn't take his eyes off me!"

"He even added me on social media. He's definitely trying to start something with me!"

Right on cue, her phone chimed with a notification.

Chelsea jumped with excitement.

"Look, Anna! He's already asking for my full legal name! He's totally hooked!"

"And about the car? He told me I can handle it however I want!"

I glanced at the screen.

While I didn't know what they had said down in the garage, the text messages looked oddly formal.

A strange feeling gnawed at my gut, but Chelsea didn't care about my thoughts at all.

She snapped screenshots of the chat and blasted them into our massive family group chat.

"I'm going to be the wife of a billionaire CEO! Anyone who ever looked down on me better apologize right now, because once I'm rich, don't expect me to give you the time of day!"

The family chat exploded instantly.

"You smashed his car, and he didn't demand damages? He asked for your contact info instead?"

"Wait, he told you that you can handle the car? Even though it's totaled, that's a luxury Rolls-Royce! The scrap parts alone are worth more than our life savings!"

Chelsea smugly confirmed every rumor.

Within two hours, relatives from all over town arrived at our building, surrounding Chelsea with sickening flattery.

"I always knew you were special, Chelsea! I told your parents when you were a baby that you had the face of a high-society wife!"

"Chelsea, darling, once you marry into that family, don't forget your family! Your older cousin graduated last year and still can't find a decent corporate job."

"And your cousin Sarah is struggling with the job market too! Your uncle and I have been losing sleep over it!"

Expensive gift bags, designer perfumes, and luxury treats were piled straight into Chelsea's arms.

Having spent months failing job interviews, Chelsea had never tasted such worship before.

Her ego inflated to astronomical heights.

"Don't worry, everyone! I'll get all of you executive jobs at Holloway Enterprises, just like Anna here."

Everyone turned to look at me.

Chelsea covered her mouth with a pretentious giggle. "Actually, Anna, why don't you take us to your company right now so we can check out the offices? That way, I can assign everyone their new roles. When we get there, I'll tell Reid to give you a promotion as a reward for guiding us."

She used Reid Holloway's first name as if they were already engaged.

I kept my head down and refused flatly.

"Chelsea, I'm just an entry-level employee in marketing. I don't have security clearance to bring a dozen people into headquarters. Why don't you just call Mr. Holloway? Since you're getting married anyway, one call from you should solve everything."

My refusal annoyed her instantly.

Under the watchful eyes of all our relatives, Chelsea had no choice but to dial Reid's number.

The phone rang until it went to voicemail.

Unwilling to admit defeat, she dialed three more times, but nobody picked up.

Seeing this, several relatives exchanged awkward glances and quietly reached out to grab their expensive gifts back.

"Well, maybe we were being too forward. These small gifts aren't enough for executive favors anyway."

"I knew it was too good to be true. Why would a billionaire marry into a family like ours? She was just bragging."

The flattery evaporated in seconds.

Chelsea's face turned crimson with humiliation.

"He's just busy in a meeting! Anna, you take us over there right now! Don't worry, I'll deal with building security!"

I shook my head firmly and stepped back.

This time, she completely lost her temper.