Chapter 2
With tears brimming, my grandpa lifted Lucas's hand, the one still holding the contract, high into the air.
He asked, "Am I selling off my granddaughter for money?"
Lucas pretended to cry along with him.
He said, "Come on! Mr. Jennings, you're now the grandpa of the richest guy in the country. Hold your head high!"
My grandpa blurted out, "From now on, I'll call you Dad.
"The two of us will..."
Lucas added, "Each stick to our own family titles."
The two of them roared with laughter.
I couldn't be happier. Everyone got exactly what they wanted, including me.
I only knew Lucas's last name was Hartley; I never imagined he was that Hartley, the Solvane dynasty, the absolute top of the food chain.
I had to hand it to my damn charm: I'd conquered the top-tier dynasty in the entire book.
I might be the side character, but my luck was actually insane!
I'd really outdone myself.
The bullet comments started flooding the screen again.
One read: [What the hell am I even reading right now? This was supposed to be that trashy reverse-harem story where four guys chase the heroine, who's just a substitute for the hero's unattainable first love.
[But the first love is already paired off with someone else. So who's left to go full yandere and tear the five of them apart?]
Another read: [Seriously, am I the only one who thinks Lucas's character totally crushes all four male leads? Just give me Zara-and-Lucas fluff and keep the other five off-screen.]
One read: [No way. The second Zara's grandpa made his stance clear, the male leads' parents were already speed-dialing their sons. You just know the story's gonna stay on script.]
A comment read: [Girl, Zara, please don't mess this up. Those four jerks are so not worth it.]
It was only through the bullet comments that I finally realized what was going on.
Turns out the reason my four childhood friends hadn't shown up yet was that my stand-in, Lydia, had attempted suicide by slitting her wrists last night.
One comment read: [Honestly, Lydia has it rough. She is just a broke nobody who happens to look like Zara, and those four rich heirs play her for fun.
[Back then, whatever she wanted, the male leads would give her. They spoiled her to the heavens. But just yesterday, she found out she was only a stand-in for Zara, and now all the guys are dumping her for Zara.
[Who wouldn't go crazy in her place?]
Another comment read: [Come on, Lydia's not that pitiful. She's a total manipulator. One tiny scratch on her wrist and those four guys freaked out, instantly forgetting Zara was about to come back.
[Now they're all drowning in regret, asking themselves if they caught real feelings for Lydia, the stand-in.]
A comment read: [Those guys are total scumbags. Zara really dodged a bullet by staying away from them.]
I couldn't agree more.
Just now, while I was in the bathroom, I heard Ronald's dad out in the hallway yelling at his son, Ronald, one of the main guys in this story.
He demanded, "Ronald, I don't care where you are; you need to come to the Jennings residence right now.
"Zara's already back. Stop fooling around."
Ronald's dad was already in his fifties, and like any old-school tycoon, he still clung to one of those brick flip phones with the volume cranked up so loud the whole house could hear every word.
Ronald's voice came through, sounding totally annoyed.
He said, "Dad, Lydia's hurt. I'm tied up at the hospital, can't get away. Just tell Zara we really can't make it right now. If she can wait, we'll make it up to her with a proper welcome bash."
A woman's voice came out in a choked sob. It said, "Ronald, just go. I'm nothing but a fake, a stand-in. Go back to your first love. I'm not worth it."
That had to be Lydia, the main heroine the bullet comments kept mentioning.
The other three guys couldn't handle seeing her cry, so they all started talking at once.
"Ronald, if you're so obsessed with being the Jennings family's kept man, then just go. We will stay with Lydia," Nathan said.
"Lydia, ignore him. He's been trailing after Zara since forever. He is a total simp. If he wants to leave, let him. I'm not going anywhere," Ethan chimed in, sounding extra loyal.
"Lydia, I admit we were pretty awful to you before. But don't worry, we're done hurting you over people who don't matter. Right now, you're really important to me," Travis said, regret heavy in his voice.
Ronald shot back, "Who says I'm Zara's simp? That was just stuff from when we were kids. I don't even remember it. You guys were all over her, too, so don't put that on me.
"Dad, quit calling me. I'm not coming back. If Zara wants someone to wait on her, she can get someone else to do it."
Ronald's dad cursed into the phone, then finally realized I was standing right there.
He shot me an awkward, apologetic smile and called out, "Lydia."
He shot me an awkward, apologetic smile.
He shot me an awkward, apologetic smile.