Chapter 3
After the evening study hall, Nelson was the one who came to pick me up.
Back then, I felt bad for Sergio, having to live in that tiny dorm room. I was worried he'd get left out by his roommates, or that it might affect his grades.
So I always had the driver drop him off at our other villa first.
Even when he purposely made me wait ages, like he was trying to show who was boss, I'd just accept it with a smile.
But this time, after I got in the car, I just kicked back and closed my eyes in the back seat, telling Nelson to head out.
"Huh? Where's Mr. Carter? He's not here yet?" Nelson craned his neck.
I felt a bit annoyed and shot him a look.
"Mr. Carter? When did my family suddenly get another young master?" I said.
Nelson's eyes darted around, then he gave a sheepish grin. "Ms. Wynn, you and Sergio are having a spat, huh?
"I know he's always kind of cold to you, but that's just how he is. You should cut him some slack.
"Guys care a lot about their pride. Just throw some gifts his way, like a car or a watch, and he'll be all smiles again. If you just storm off like this, acting all spoiled, he'll never let it go once he finds out."
Nelson was lecturing me like he was my elder, acting like Sergio was the real VIP I had to please.
I almost forgot that in this world, everyone was just a supporting character for the male lead.
Even Nelson secretly teamed up with Sergio's mom, and he helped take my family down from the inside.
"Nelson, haven't you been working for my dad for over a decade? And you're pulling in over 10 thousand a month these days, right?" I asked.
Nelson lifted his chin proudly. "Yeah, Mr. Wynn's always saying I'm a real asset, and he even promised me a raise at the end of the year."
He shot an impatient look at his watch. "Seriously, where's Mr. Carter? Ms. Wynn, why don't you go find him? It's late, and you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him out there by himself."
I couldn't help but laugh.
Anyone could sit in his seat.
Our family's generosity just let ungrateful fools like him think they were more important than they were.
Right away, I grabbed my phone and dialed my dad's assistant.
"Let my dad know Nelson's fired, starting tomorrow. Get me a new driver. He doesn't even know who his real boss is," I said.
Nelson was left speechless by what I just did.
He always acted like he was some big shot just because he'd been around forever, never taking me seriously, just saw me as some spoiled rich girl who didn't know anything.
But he never imagined I'd actually kick him to the curb.
After that, Nelson didn't dare act tough anymore. He just hit the gas and drove me straight home without another word.
When we got back to the villa, Nelson tried to plead his case again, hoping I'd let him off the hook.
But I just shot him a cold smirk and closed the door behind me. I told the maid to brew me some coffee, then slipped into the bathroom for a long, relaxing soak.
Honestly, life was just too comfy. I dozed off in no time.
When I finally opened my eyes, I saw Sergio had called me over a dozen times.
Yasmine had also texted me.
I blocked Sergio and opened Yasmine's chat.
[Sydney, Sergio was acting crazy tonight. When he saw you didn't wait for him, he straight up demanded that I get him a ride home.
[And get this. He wanted to bring Tatum along and had the nerve to tell me to move out of the front seat so she could ride shotgun in comfort.
[I didn't even hesitate. I just told them both to scram, and made it clear he shouldn't bug you anymore.]
Seeing Yasmine, this sweet and innocent-looking girl, fuming in her texts, I couldn't help but think she was actually pretty cute when she got all worked up.
Just like the way besties gossip and vent about guys.
[Don't bother with him. I've got a few boxes of face masks my mom sent from abroad. W, want to try them?]
As soon as I hit send, the typing bubble popped up right away.
Yasmine shot back almost immediately, practically bouncing through the screen. [Yes. I just got some new fall outfits from a few brands. Let's have a little fashion show together and try them on first.]
*****
That night, I sprawled out on my bed, the AC blasting, and fell asleep feeling totally relaxed.
Since I'd already had the butler change the villa's passcode, Sergio and Tatum showed up at the door in a cab, but couldn't get in.
They stood outside, sweating buckets and waiting forever. Finally, totally defeated, they gave up and dragged themselves back to the dorm.
But after getting used to the comforts of a luxury villa, there was no way Sergio could stomach going back to that old, rough dorm life. Just the thought of it must've made him miserable.
After just one night, when I saw him again, he had bags under his eyes and looked absolutely exhausted. He obviously didn't get much sleep in the dorm.
He spent the first two classes yawning nonstop until the teacher finally shot him a glare and snapped at him in front of everyone.
During the big break, the class monitor announced an elite summer camp, 10 thousand per person, totally voluntary.
I was already planning to study abroad, so I had zero interest in signing up. But out of nowhere, the monitor came over and asked me for 20 thousand.
I was speechless.
"Sergio and Tatum from Class 3 signed up, and apparently Sergio expects you to cover both their fees. He said this is your last shot to make it up to him," the class monitor told me.
I was speechless.
I shoved my notebook aside. "Whatever they do is none of my business. If Sergio can't afford it, then he should just sit this one out. The nerve of him, shamelessly expecting me to foot the bill like some sucker."
Just as I finished talking, out of nowhere, a raspy, bitter voice crashed into the classroom.
"He told me everything about you two. You're unbelievable. Just because he rejected you, now you're out to get him and ruin his life," Tatum snapped.
She was standing right next to Sergio, both of them glaring at me like I was their sworn enemy.
After spending last night together, it was obvious their bond had only grown stronger. They were practically joined at the hip now.
"You just want to rob Sergio of the chance for a better education, so he'll never be able to rise above you. You're nothing but a backstabbing, vicious lowlife.
"If your family wasn't loaded, with grades like yours, you wouldn't even be worthy of being compared to Sergio's toe. You're just a leech, mooching off your family's money," she sneered.
But she had no clue that I was only ever behind Sergio because I let him win.