Chapter 2

But Rene went straight to the counselor, saying I was leaving her out and asking to switch rooms.

There were no extra dorm rooms available now, so the counselor could only ask her to wait or find a place to rent outside.

Our relationship dropped to freezing point after that.

But last month, she suddenly withdrew her request to switch dorms.

Then, out of nowhere, she started dieting by going whole days just drinking water, and even fainted in class from low blood sugar.

I used to be confused about her behavior, but now I knew why.

My brother had been on annual leave lately, so he'd been taking me out for meals and shopping pretty often.

Rene, the villainess, totally misread the situation and thought he was my sugar daddy. Now she was all fired up, determined to snatch him away.

But she had no idea.

My brother spent twelve years chasing after his wife. They hit a rough patch, and she ran off while pregnant.

He went through years of the infamous 'wife-chasing hell,' and by the time their kid was almost old enough for elementary school, she finally agreed to remarry him last year.

He even installed monitoring apps on his own phone and was known for being completely devoted to his wife.

Thinking about it, I curled my lips into a sly smile.

If Rene wanted to play the villainess, I would let her go all out.

After placing an express order for a mini spy camera online, I got ready to set my plan in motion.

I sent my brother a voice message, using my best cutesy voice.

"I'm craving that place you took me to before. Yeah, the one called Hidden Flavors."

"Make a reservation for us at Hidden Flavors for tomorrow night."

After locking my phone, I turned around.

Rene instantly yanked her curtain shut, acting like she hadn't just been eavesdropping on me.

The next afternoon, after class, I went back to the dorm to get ready.

For once, Rene, who usually went out of her way to avoid me, was actually there, hovering like she wanted to say something but kept hesitating.

I ignored her and started putting on my makeup and picking out my outfit.

Once again, a barrage of comments flashed across my vision.

[The side character is so stupid. She actually exposed the sugar daddy’s information to the female lead. She’s just waiting to have him taken away.]

[Can't wait for Rene and the sugar daddy to meet for the first time. He'll be hooked the second he lays eyes on her.]

[Don't feel insecure, Rene. The sugar daddy's going to buy you clothes way fancier than these, and you'll be dolled up like the cutest little treat every day.]

Just as I was about to head out, Rene called out to me, acting all shy and awkward.

"Hey, I've got a date later. Can you lend me an outfit?"

"No."

Leaving her with that, I headed out without another word.

Once I got downstairs, I checked my phone for the feed from the camera I'd set up by my desk.

Sure enough, Rene opened up my wardrobe and started snooping around.

She picked out the shortest skirt she could find.

Then she just plopped herself down at my desk and started using my makeup like she owned the place.

The fish bit the hook.

My brother, Hadlee Duran, was waiting for me at the school gate.

Half an hour later, we arrived at the restaurant together.

As soon as we sat down, his striking good looks drew plenty of attention from the other diners.

My brother took my father's last name, Duran, while I took my mother's, Colon.

He inherited my father's deep-set features, and his legendary devotion to his wife.

Yesterday, he got a bit of cigarette smoke on him while shopping with me, and my sister-in-law made him sleep outside the door all night as punishment.

He didn't complain at all. He even stayed up all night, stacking designer bags into a gift wall outside the door, just worried my sister-in-law might get so angry.

The restaurant door swung open.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Rene, looking totally out of place.

I knew she'd show up.

I curled my lips into a sly smile and stood up.

"Hadlee, go ahead and order. I’m going to the restroom."

"Go ahead."

But instead of heading to the restroom, I just slipped into a corner to watch Rene put on her act.

Rene, caked in heavy makeup, wearing my shortest skirt and heels, awkwardly made her way over to Hadlee.

As soon as she caught sight of Hadlee's face, her ears flushed bright red, and she managed to squeak out something barely above a whisper.

"Um, sir..."

Hadlee looked up with a puzzled expression.

A barrage of comments flashed across my vision.

[The side character is so basic. The sugar daddy's never had anything this fancy before. He's probably blown away.]

[Rene's got natural beauty. She used to just focus on her studies, but now that she's glammed up, no guy can resist her.]

[Bet the sugar daddy's already picturing which villa he'll put Rene in, just so he can have her all to himself day and night.]

Rene's cheeks turned bright red, and she kept hesitating, unable to get her words out.

He raised his hand and pointed across the room.

"The restroom's over there."

Rene panicked.

"No, that's not it."

She rushed toward Hadlee, practically stumbling over her own feet.

But she took a step too big and nearly lost her balance.

At the last moment, Hadlee jumped up and moved back.

Rene ended up flopping right onto the chair Hadlee had just vacated.

The ends of her hair brushed past Hadlee’s hand before he could pull it back.

The chair made a loud screeching sound against the floor, and everyone in the restaurant turned to stare.

Rene's face flushed bright red with embarrassment, and she looked up at Hadlee with a helpless, almost puppy-like look.