Chapter 2
Jenny teased, "Olivia, aren't you short on cash? This is a golden opportunity. Why not try it?"
Felix turned to me and pointed. "Olivia, you do it."
They were quick to agree, and someone behind me gave me a shove, pushing me right into the center.
Felix saw me get pushed forward and called out, "Olivia, you're up."
I was cornered, unable to move forward or back, and all eyes were on us now.
"Slap Sophie, and Felix will definitely pay you," Jenny teased.
"Olivia won't lay a finger on her unless she sees the money first."
The crowd erupted in chatter. Some cheered, others sucked in their breath.
Felix pulled out a fat stack of cash from his pocket and flung it out with a flourish, bills flying everywhere like a storm.
Under the blinding lights, the money poured down in a dense shower, exploding like a money cannon and scattering all around us.
Bathed in a green spotlight, I locked eyes with Sophie. Her gaze was full of sorrow and utter despair.
The noise around me was getting out of hand, and a few people couldn't wait any longer. "Hurry up and slap her. If you don't, someone else will."
"Olivia, slap her, and I'll give you 3000. The more you slap, the more cash you'll get," Felix shouted.
All that cash scattered across the floor was way more than I'd ever make in a month of hard work.
The 3000 Felix promised could pay for my mom's medical bills.
If I took the money, I wouldn't have to rush to work every day, and my sister, Nicole Bluefield, wouldn't have to pinch pennies to get by.
My hand twitched involuntarily, as if my body was being controlled by some unseen force.
[Finally, Sophie's awakening arc is happening.]
[As soon as Olivia slaps Sophie, Sophie will instantly awaken and won't be manipulated by Felix anymore.]
[This is when Sophie shows everyone she's really Miss Moore from the Moore family.]
The messages scrolling across my vision blurred my sight, but each line snapped me back to reality.
"Miss Moore? Wait, does that mean Sophie is the famous heiress from the Moore family?
"But if Sophie's really that loaded, why does she do whatever Felix says?" I muttered.
Reading the messages, it hit me. Sophie was the Moore family heiress and the main character. Wait, did that mean I was the villainess?
[Even if Olivia slaps Sophie, she won't get a dime, because the money and the villa are all Sophie's anyway.]
[Sophie was way too nice. She fell for Felix and even helped him cover up his real background.]
[Felix is using Sophie's money, acting like a big shot.]
[Once Sophie wakes up and sees Felix's true colors, she'll leave the villa with her mom, who's been working as the housekeeper.]
[Olivia might be smart, but Felix and Jenny totally tricked her, so she ends up quitting school and working to make ends meet.]
[But honestly, it's because her mom's sick. That's why she went along with Felix's plan.]
[Serves her right for slapping Sophie. She brought it on herself.]
[Once Sophie wakes up, she should kick Felix to the curb and go for the meal lead, Vincent Whitmore.]
After reading the messages, it all clicked. I was the villainess in this story. If I slapped Sophie, she'd finally wake up.
She'd dump Felix and start stepping all over him. And soon enough, she'd reveal she was the real Miss Moore.
But if I slapped Sophie, I'd end up on her bad side, and things would get worse from there.
Once everyone found out Sophie was the Moore family heiress, they'd all start avoiding me and throwing shade.
People trying to get on Sophie's good side would spread rumors and isolate me, making me the scapegoat for everything.
Because of my mom's illness, I'd end up falling for Felix's lies and taking the fall for him and Jenny, taking all the blame onto myself. In the end, I'd be forced to drop out early and spend my whole life stuck in dead-end jobs.
My mom always hoped I'd focus on my studies and use education to get us out of this mess.
But because of all this, I'd end up quitting school, skipping the SAT, and hustling to make ends meet.
The messages kept bringing up my mom's illness. What are they even talking about?
My mom's sick right now, so were the messages referring to her current condition?
"Sophie, slap Olivia, and I'll give you 3000. Come on, that's a steal, isn't it?" Felix coaxed.
The crowd couldn't wait any longer, urging me, "If you don't want the cash, plenty of people here are dying for it."
The messages kept saying the villa and all that cash were Sophie's anyway.
If I slapped Sophie and she woke up, she'd ditch Felix and totally forget about me.
Felix could barely take care of himself. Forget the 3000, he'd end up dragging me into his money mess sooner or later.
I didn't know if what the messages said was true or not, but I wasn't about to gamble with my future or go down the path they described.
If I kept helping Felix, I'd end up making things even worse for myself.
Maybe if I treated Sophie better now, I could actually change how things turn out for me.
Honestly, nothing could be worse than slapping Sophie anyway.