Chapter 2

2

"Still lying! Search her things! Find the dress!"

I was fuming. Why did they think they had the right to go through my belongings?

How could they attack me based on a rumor with no evidence?

I grabbed Beatrice's wrist before she could strike me again. My voice was cold and sharp.

"I call you Mrs. Miller out of respect, but if you keep putting your hands on me without proof, I will call the police."

Someone from the crowd behind her shoved me away.

"A mistress acting like she has rights? How pathetic!"

The mob was blinded by self-righteous fury.

Cassandra and Piper had already started tearing through my closet.

In an instant, Cassandra pulled out a dress. It was floral, identical to the one in the video.

The crowd erupted.

"We have the witness and the evidence! What's her excuse now?"

"This is a criminal level of solicitation. She should be in jail!"

"I heard Professor Miller has some money. I bet she bled him dry for all those fancy things!"

Even the campus security guards weren't trying to stop them anymore. They were just standing there, enjoying the show.

"How much does a college girl like this cost for a night?" one of them whispered.

"She looks plain enough. I bet she's cheap," another sneered.

Their disgusting laughter made my skin crawl.

Beatrice grabbed the floral dress and threw it aside.

"Trash everything she owns!"

My roommates backed away. Cassandra was busy typing away on her phone, her manicured fingers flying.

She looked at me with pure disdain.

A loud crash echoed through the room. My La Prairie essence bottle was shattered on the floor.

Beatrice kicked the glass, letting the expensive liquid soak into the rug.

"Mrs. Miller, stop this instant! I'm calling the police!"

"Call them! Let them take you away first, you little tramp!"

Someone zoomed in on a bottle with their phone camera.

"Wait... is that La Prairie Skin Caviar?"

"La Prairie? Isn't that the one that costs over a thousand dollars?"

The student quickly Googled the price and showed the others.

Beatrice paused, looking confused.

She came from a middle-class background. She had never even heard of a skincare product that cost that much.

A flicker of jealousy crossed Cassandra's face.

"Where would a girl like her get that kind of money?"

"She probably manipulated the professor into buying it for her!" Beatrice screamed.

She put her hands on her hips and pointed at me.

"I was wondering why our savings were disappearing! You've been stealing from our family!"

The men began frantically searching my room again.

One by one, my things were tossed into the center of the room. Tiffany jewelry, Gucci bags, a Vacheron Constantin watch...

Beatrice stared at the items with greed. She picked up the watch, admiring it.

Then, she remembered where she thought it came from, and her expression turned bitter.

"These items are returning to their rightful owner today!"

I actually laughed. It was a cold, bitter sound.

"I bought those myself. They have nothing to do with you."

"You tricked my husband into paying for these! They belong to me!"

Cassandra added fuel to the fire. "Lulu, Mrs. Miller is doing you a favor. This is basically evidence of your transaction. If the police come, at least you won't be caught with the loot."

She was a master at manipulating the situation.

I knew exactly what was happening. Cassandra had orchestrated this whole thing.

Beatrice was just a puppet, and she was too stupid to realize it.

I grabbed my phone to call the police.

Cassandra, sensing my move, snatched the phone out of my hand.

"Just give the things back to Mrs. Miller. Give up your spot for the scholarship, apologize on your knees, and maybe this goes away."

"Lulu, why force yourself into a corner?"

The audacity of this woman was astounding.

It didn't matter who was in that video. If I dropped out of the scholarship race, Cassandra was next in line to get it.

I tried to grab my phone back, but in the scuffle, it hit the floor and shattered.

"She wants to call the cops? She probably thinks we can't prove she didn't buy them!"

Piper whispered nervously, "If it was really her, why would she want the police here?"