Chapter 2

Ronald looked at me. His eyes were cold and sharp.

I acted like I didn't see him. As long as I had done nothing wrong, he had no reason to target me.

Silence filled the room. Not once did Regina mention that I had taken a knife for her.

"I'm still recovering," I said calmly. "You should go if there's nothing else."

Regina wrinkled her nose, clearly annoyed. "All this attitude just because I didn't visit you, huh? Ronald already sent you 150 thousand dollars."

My eyes lit up. Feelings could lie. People could lie. But money didn't. I checked my phone. The transfer was real. There were 150 thousand dollars.

My expression softened right away. "So, what do you need from me?"

Regina brightened. "There's a birthday party tonight. Come with us."

The comments started popping up again.

[Regina couldn't hide what she was thinking. It was written all over her face.]

[She was just a nobody, and still acted so full of herself. Let's see how long she could keep that up tonight.]

I frowned. There was a kind of cruel excitement in those comments, and it made my stomach tighten.

I couldn't see the details yet, but one thing was clear. Something bad was waiting for me tonight.

Ronald got tired of waiting. He clicked his tongue and said, "Sacha, we were just trying to be nice. Did it really take you this long to decide?"

I ignored him. I kept my eyes on the comments until one line finally stood out.

[These rich kids really knew how to have fun. Birthday party, pick one unlucky person, and everyone takes turns messing with her.]

[What else were they supposed to do? Ronald's family was only average in that circle, and the main girl was new. Of course, she'd get targeted. That was why they were using her best friend first.]

My heart turned cold. At the same time, my mind cleared. I looked up and finally caught that same ugly excitement in Regina's eyes. So it was true.

I smiled like nothing was wrong. If they wanted to play games, then fine. I'd play along.

In the next second, I let my face fall. My voice softened, a little shaky. "Regina, I really wanted to go. But you know my boss is already upset because I got hurt. I have to show up today."

That part wasn't a lie. My boss had said exactly that. Normally, I would have taken the day off anyway, even if he yelled at me.

But today was different. Today, I planned to make these two pay.

A flash of annoyance crossed Regina's face. She lightly tapped Ronald's arm.

Ronald pulled out his phone without a word. A second later, my phone buzzed. I received 300 thousand dollars.

He glanced at me and said, "Is that enough? Don't drag this out. Regina's being nice. Don't make her look bad. Just show up."

I flashed a smile. "I'll definitely be there."

Regina, were you ready for what was coming?

The second they left, I started packing. I couldn't stay in that place anymore. I used to trust Regina. I had even given her a spare key. Now it felt like I had invited trouble into my own home.

Luckily, the area wasn't in the city center. Rent was cheap and easy to find. I didn't have much stuff, so by the end of the day, I had already found a clean one-bedroom and moved in.

After that, I didn't stop. I went straight to the biggest vet clinic in the area and bought everything I needed. When I walked out with those things in my hands, I felt a strange rush of excitement.

I had never been the kind of person who just took things lying down. If I were, I wouldn't have stood up to those bullies for Regina back in middle school.

The comments came and went, flickering in and out. I didn't care anymore if they saw what I was doing.

When night fell, the comments showed up again.

[Here she comes. Tonight's unlucky girl is finally here.]

[God, she's such a good friend. She helped Regina dodge trouble again. I almost feel bad for her.]

[Oh, come on. Didn't the author give her the second male lead later as a reward? Thomas was the pitiful one, marrying a wife who couldn't help him at all.]

My hands paused for a split second as I got dressed. Finally, there was something useful. Thomas Mallin was the second male lead.

He had been my neighbor when we were kids. My family was poor. My parents died in a car accident years ago. My relatives showed up right after, trying to take everything we had.

My grandmother managed to hold on to part of it, and we ended up living next door to the Mallin family.

But even back then, Thomas and I barely talked. Calling us childhood friends would have been a stretch.

Later, he moved away. That was when I found out he was the illegitimate son of a rich man. After the man's wife died, Thomas was taken back into that family.