Chapter 4

Ignoring Belle, I turned to Celia, the cook. "Serve the food."

She stood there frozen for a long time and didn't move.

"What? You didn't save me any, huh?" I started recording with my phone. Then I got up, walked over, and stared her down.

"Don't bother showing up tomorrow," I said coldly.

"What?" Celia exploded and glared at me. "You've got some nerve, Ramona! I've worked for the Willis family for over ten years. I watched Mr. and Mrs. Willis's daughter grow up.

"They've been eating my food for over a decade, and they respect me. Even they wouldn't dare fire me just like that. Who do you think you are to fire me?"

A maid with that kind of attitude, huh? Unbelievable.

I let out a cold laugh. "No, you didn't watch me grow up."

"I was talking about Belle!" she snapped, then looked toward Belle.

Belle chimed in to defend her, "Ramona, you can't fire Celia!"

I ignored her and looked straight at Celia. "When did my parents ever have two real daughters?"

Celia blinked, confused. Then her face changed, and she sneered, "Of course, they only have one daughter, and it's Belle!"

"Perfect." I stopped recording and sent the clip straight to my parents.

Their reply came quickly. [Tell the butler to have Celia pack up and get out—immediately.]

I played the voice message out loud for everyone to hear.

The butler frowned, walked over to Celia—who looked like she was about to explode—and said, "Please leave."

Belle's expression kept twisting into something uglier by the second.

"Wipe that look off your face. It's disgusting," I said without even glancing at her. Then I ordered takeout.

*****

The next day at school, Winton was waiting for me at the classroom door.

I turned my head just in time to catch the shock on Belle's face.

She clearly hadn't expected Winton to survive yesterday.

I motioned to the side, and Winton followed me over.

As soon as we stopped, he kept thanking me and handed me a small gift bag. "Just a little something to say thanks. By the way, are you free tomorrow night? I'd like to treat you to dinner."

He'd heard the rumors—that I was the Willis family's illegitimate daughter—and figured I had no status at home and probably wasn't even allowed to go out on my own.

"I'm free," I said.

After all, I had saved his life. If I didn't let him repay me somehow, he'd probably feel guilty and keep bothering me.

After we talked, I headed back into the classroom.

The second I walked in, I saw Belle's face twisted with jealousy.

I smiled and waved the gift bag at her.

Belle looked like she was dying inside, but on the outside, she forced a sweet smile. "Ramona, what did Winton want?"

"None of your business," I said, rolling my eyes.

Right away, a few classmates got mad and started scolding me.

Belle lowered her eyes, looking all hurt. "Ramona, I'm just worried about you. You were soaking wet yesterday and still walking around school like that.

"I don't know what happened, but maybe Winton saw you, and that's why he came to find you today, right? Because of what happened yesterday, huh?"

By now, everyone at school had heard how the driver had left me—drenched and dumped—at the school gate like trash the night before.

I stuffed the gift bag under my desk and turned to face Belle.

I didn't like what she was hinting at. "Wow. That's a pretty slick way of twisting things. Who are you trying to fool? But yeah, you're not wrong—Winton did come because of what happened yesterday."

The whole class gasped and started whispering like crazy.

Winton was the top student in the class next door—handsome, smart, but broke. Basically, he was the school's most popular boy.

Nobody could believe that someone like him would be talking to me, the so-called illegitimate child. Their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

Belle's eyes flickered with rage, but she still put on a hurt look. "Ramona, how could you seduce Winton?"

I stepped closer to her and laughed. "Seduce?"