Chapter 3

After I made my way to a deserted hallway, I called Evan.

"Evan," I said as soon as he picked up, getting straight to the point. "Is your biological daughter named Flora?"

Evan sounded surprised. "Yeah, Ms. Sullivan. How did you know?"

I didn't answer his question. Instead, I asked, "Has she ever asked you about your financial situation?"

Evan sounded even more surprised. "Yeah, she did. I just told her I was doing alright."

He wasn't lying. After all, my dad didn't skimp when it came to Evan's paycheck.

But Flora just assumed Evan was downplaying it and thought he was secretly rich.

I snorted and asked, "Evan, did you ever mention me or Diana to Flora?"

Evan hurried to explain, "Never. I always remember what your father told me. I wouldn't say a word about your family, Ms. Campbell. And about Diana, I figured she wouldn't want me to bring her up, so I didn't mention her name, either."

Because Evan never talked about us, Flora kept misunderstanding everything.

I nodded.

"Alright, Evan. Do me a favor. Whatever weird stuff Flora tries on you, just let it slide. Don't mention a thing about your pay or background, and definitely keep me or Diana's names out of it," I told him.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

With the way Flora is, if she ever started calling Evan "dad" for real, she'd definitely make life tough for Diana. Diana was way too mild-mannered for that.

And since Flora kept trying to push my buttons, it was about time someone taught her a real lesson.

After hanging up with Evan, I headed back to my dorm and found my closet wide open.

A bunch of girls were crowded around Flora.

"Flora, I love this Louis Vuitton bag. Can you give it to me?" one of them asked.

"Flora, this Chanel bag is gorgeous! Can I borrow it for a couple of days?" another chimed in.

Right in the middle of the crowd, Flora was showing off with my Hermès bag, checking herself out in the mirror, and flipping her hair while answering them.

"Of course! Take whatever you like," Flora boasted.

The girls all erupted in cheers.

That was until I walked in, expression ice-cold.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.

Flora arched her eyebrow when she saw me walk in, a smug little smirk on her lips.

"Oh, back already, impostor?" Flora taunted.

"I asked you what you're doing?" I snapped, my face even colder. "Who said you could mess with my stuff?"

"Impostor, you've got it twisted," Flora snorted. "All these bags were bought with my dad's money, so obviously they're mine now! What, am I not allowed to take my own things?"

The other girls jumped in to back her up.

"Seriously, Brittany, you've lived the high life for eighteen years without lifting a finger. You're the one who got all the perks!" one of them sneered.

"Exactly! Don't act all innocent after scoring all that. If I were you, I'd drop to my knees and beg Flora for forgiveness," another added.

I just stared at them, thinking how ridiculous they all were. Before I could say anything, my phone started ringing.

I glanced down and saw it was my sales associate from Hermès calling.

They probably wanted me to check out some fresh arrivals.

I had a flash of inspiration and picked up immediately.

"Hello?" I said, raising my voice so everyone could hear. "What? The new crocodile-skin bag just came in? Awesome, I'll come take a look right now."

With that, I hung up the call and threw Flora and her gang a smug, condescending look.

"These are all last season's bags anyway. If you want them, knock yourselves out and parade them around. I'm heading out to grab the newest Hermès drop," I said, voice laced with sarcasm.

With a flick of my hair, I strode out.

As I turned to leave, I could already hear those shallow girls around Flora, practically tripping over themselves to speak up.

"Flora! If Brittany can just stroll into Hermès and buy a bag, you, the real heiress, can definitely do it, right?" one of them gushed.

"Yeah, come on! Take us with you and let us see what it's like. Maybe you can even pick up a few new bags while you're at it," another chimed in.

Flora hesitated, looking a bit awkward. "But..."

The girls jumped in right away. "Flora, don't tell me your dad hasn't given you any cash or a credit card since you two reunited? Is he actually treating you worse than Brittany, the fake heiress?"

Flora practically sprang to her feet.

"No way! Let's go. Like I'd ever want Brittany's secondhand leftovers," she snapped.