Chapter 2
"Why the hell do you care if my bag is real or fake? Whether I'm loaded or broke—does that even concern you? Just because you've paraded around with a few designer bags, you suddenly think you're qualified to judge me?" I shot back.
Her eyes went wide in shock.
She probably never thought the quiet one like me would finally talk back to her.
For the past three years, no matter how much she ran her mouth, I just tuned her out.
I just treated her words like air.
I didn't want to waste my time on her crap.
But this time, her crap really stank.
Her stink finally got to me.
I just couldn't hold it in anymore.
"You know why the teacher made us sit together? It's so my calm attitude can put a lid on your constant attention-seeking. Always glammed up like you're about to hit the catwalk—maybe you've already forgotten you're just a student?" I shot back.
"And if Snowman Sip offends your delicate eyes so much, why don't you get your daddy to buy out the company, slap on a new name and logo, and be done with it? Otherwise, stop acting like such a pain and save the complaints. You're seriously exhausting," I barked.
Kensley looked completely stunned.
The other students around us looked just as shocked, mouths hanging open.
"Damn, the pushover finally grew a backbone?" someone blurted out.
"Either you fade away in silence or you blow up in style. Respect!" another chimed in.
"Every time Kensley goes off on Vanessa, her words are savage and I always want to step in. Didn't think Vanessa would clap back like that—talk about jaw-dropping!" someone else added.
"Kensley, if you hate Snowman Sip so much, maybe tell your super-rich daddy to buy the whole company. You love showing off about your family's money—let's see if you've actually got what it takes to go head-to-head with Snowman Sip," another student tossed out.
"Snowman Sip might not be on your level, but they've still got ten thousand stores all over the country. Kensley, you're always flexing that your family's got money to burn—so seriously, what does your family even do?" someone teased.
For once, Kensley was stunned into silence by all the savage comments from her classmates.
Her cheeks burned bright red, and she just opened and closed her mouth, but not a single word came out.
Honestly, not a soul here would ever guess that Kensley's mom was the one who cleaned my house.
"Kensley's dad is the chairman of Globalis Group and Southport's ultimate big shot. Buying out Snowman Sip? That's peanuts. He could easily scoop up Starbucks and Häagen-Dazs if he wanted—it's just a snap of his fingers. The only reason he hasn't bothered with Snowman Sip is he's simply not interested. What do you guys even know? Such clueless wannabes!"
Just then, Kensley's bestie Eleanor Gardner strutted over with her little posse, ready to bail Kensley out from the roasting.
Kensley cleared her throat, trying to play it cool, and picked up where Eleanor left off. "Yeah, my dad might be loaded, but it's not like money just falls from the sky, okay?"
The second the name "Globalis Group" dropped, the whole class looked seriously rattled—I could see the disbelief all over their faces.
After all, Globalis was the country's top multinational powerhouse.
Their business literally stretched across five continents and four oceans.
They offered a crazy number of jobs—like, over a hundred thousand.
Their mobile OS already dominated a quarter of the market nationwide.
But the real kicker? My dad's company was literally Globalis.
Did I miss the memo where Kensley became my dad's kid?
"So you just announce you're the Globalis heiress and expect us all to buy it? Please. I could say I'm a prince who grew up among ordinary folks," someone in the class joked.
Someone couldn't help but toss out a snarky comment.
Eleanor shot back without missing a beat.
"Believe it or not, I've actually been to Kensley's mansion—the biggest one in all of Southport's rich-people district. Forget Globalis heiress—even if she claimed she was a royal princess, I wouldn't doubt it for a second," Eleanor said.
I suddenly remembered I'd got a whole villa just gathering dust right in the heart of Southport's luxury neighborhood.
Two years ago, Kensley's mom—yeah, the same lady who cleaned our house—volunteered to take care of that villa, saying it'd give her a chance to visit her daughter at boarding school once in a while.
But now, it was starting to look like things weren't that simple after all.
Eleanor's face grew even more animated. "Have any of you seen a bathroom as big as a three-bedroom apartment? Or a walk-in closet that's over 3,000 square feet? What about a princess bed with a 15-foot radius? Didn't think so. But for Kensley, that's just her everyday life!"
Kensley looked a bit awkward, waving her hand like it was no big deal. "All that stuff? It's just things money can buy. Honestly, I'm just a regular girl."
Eleanor sighed with envy. "Kensley, I love how chill you always are. Being in the same class as you is honestly pure luck for me."
Eleanor couldn't resist teasing the others. "You all better get in Kensley's good graces while she still calls you classmates. Who knows—maybe one day you'll be hoping her dad comes through for you!"
Even with all of Eleanor's hype, there were still a few students who weren't buying it.
Kensley finally threw up her hands, exasperated. "Fine. My birthday's in a few days, and I'm having a party at my place. You're all invited—come see for yourselves so you won't think I'm faking it."