Chapter 2

When Roxanne was six, Martha brought her over to our house. She kneeled in front of my mother and begged tremblingly, "I'm willing to forgo my salary, Mrs. Wright. In exchange, I hope you can allow Roxanne to attend school with Ms. Violet. You're a mother too, so you know how I feel.

"Oakley Academy is too expensive. A housekeeper like me can never afford to pay the tuition, but I know you can. I've heard about the scholarships you provide to other children. Well, you can easily provide one to Roxanne too, right?"

Martha made Roxanne kneel with her until Roxanne's knees turned black and blue. Mom could never stand seeing a child suffer, so after Martha's "heartfelt" pleading, she caved and agreed to it.

From then on, Roxanne moved in with my family. I pitied her family background, so I readily gave her my allowance and luxury items. As a result, everyone else thought she was also the daughter of a wealthy family. She allowed that to get to her head, and over time, she seemed to have forgotten her place.

Thinking she was really my equal, Roxanne kept competing with me for everything. She even latched herself onto my fiancé, Benjamin.

In the past, I couldn't be bothered to deal with it. After all, my engagement to Benjamin was an arrangement of mutual convenience. To me, it didn't matter who my fiancé was. I didn't care who Roxanne flirted with either.

But now, after finding out that Roxanne was supposedly the female protagonist and her gang of loyal admirers would ruin my life, I could no longer be indifferent about it.

Soon, Louis returned with a USB drive. The security footage was played on the big screen, allowing everyone to see the way Roxanne snuck away from the crowd.

She was dressed in a maid's uniform when she entered the room, but she came back out in my gown. Then, holding her head up high, she strutted back into the birthday celebration like a proud peacock.

The truth was clear for all to see. Pointing at the screen, I said, "See? Roxanne stole my gown. Doesn't that make her a thief? If she dares to steal from us, that means she'll dare to steal from all of you too. Would any of you dare to hire a maid like her?"

I looked at Louis and said, "Call the police."

Immediately, a loud voice cried out, "Don't you dare!"

The comments went wild as Jerome Wright, my younger brother, came marching in. He stood defensively in front of Roxanne and said, "Roxie's got me to stand up for her, so let's see who dares to call the police now!"

More and more comments flooded in.

"At last, Jerome, the devoted second male protagonist, has shown up just in time! That vicious woman nearly got away with bullying our sweet Roxanne!"

"Hah! Let's see if Violet can keep up with her arrogance now! Jerome is the only son of the family. No matter how haughty she is, she's just a daughter who's worth nothing to the family!"

"Everything will be fine. Once Jerome assumes command of the family business, that wicked female antagonist will be kicked out onto the streets!"

Jerome? How could he assume command of the family business? He couldn't even read a financial report without getting a headache!

Narrowing my eyes, I said, "Is that how you should be talking to me, Jerome? What happened to your manners?"

Snorting, Jerome retorted, "I'll never acknowledge a vile woman like you as my sister! You always bully Roxie whenever I'm not around!"

I had enough of Jerome and Benjamin repeatedly calling me a bully. It was time for them to see what bullying truly looked like.

Gaze hardening, I pointed at the two of them before calling out, "Strip all three of them."

Since they looked down on me, they shouldn't be wearing clothes that had been bought with the money I earned. Who said they could have their cake and eat it too?

Roxanne covered her chest with her arms, her expression a mix of anger and indignation. Glaring at me with her red, tear-filled eyes, she shrieked, "Why must you be this cruel toward me, Violet? Is it because Benny doesn't like you? Because Jerry doesn't think you're worthy of being his older sister?

"But that's all your fault! You keep using the fact that you're a rich heiress to bully me! You force me to survive on your leftovers! You're the one who says I'm too lowly to even shine your shoes!"

Her tears rolled down her cheeks, splattering onto the floor as she continued, "Yes, it's true that my family background can't compare to yours. I'm not a rich heiress, but I have never felt bad about my humble upbringing! I dare say I live my life with more dignity and integrity than all of you rich people!

"So what if you're rich? You still can't get the love you have craved for so long now!"

I wanted to scoff. If she truly didn't care about her family background, why would she use the luxury goods I gave her to give others the impression she came from a wealthy family too?

Alas, the people leaving the comments acted like a bunch of fools who mindlessly agreed to everything Roxanne said.

"Roxanne's right! I know a rich heiress too, and she always looks down on other people!"

"So what if Violet's rich? It feels great to know that even if she gets on her knees and begs for his affection, Benjamin would never love her. Instead, he's hopelessly devoted to Roxanne."

"My heart is aching for Roxanne right now, but everything's going to be fine. Soon, it'll be the scene where the third male love interest shows up to teach that awful female antagonist a lesson!"

"Oh? The third male love interest is about to arrive? At last, it's time for my favorite Mr. Burton to show up. It's such a shame he's not the one Violet ends up with. I really liked the part where he imprisoned her in his house out of jealousy!"

Thanks to the comments, I realized Roxanne had a third admirer—one who enjoyed locking women up.

I looked over at the entrance, only to see a tall, broad-shouldered man entering the hall. He was dressed in a fitted suit. His hair had been swept up, revealing his prominent forehead.

Looking at me, he smiled pleasantly and said, "How has my little pet offended you, Ms. Wright? She's a frail young woman. If she comes to any harm at your birthday celebration, Ms. Wright, I'm afraid I'm going to have to hold you accountable for it."

My expression turned dark. I didn't expect Michael Burton to be Violet's third love interest.

The Burtons were known for being incredibly powerful, and Michael was the most ruthless of the lot. Even at a young age, he received the approval of his grandfather, Adam Burton, and was able to monopolize the import and export trade in this region.

Among our social circle, everyone knew not to piss him off. He was a verifiable lunatic.

How did he and Roxanne even meet?

Meanwhile, the comments were all fired up again.

"Mr. Burton is so cool! Did he just call Roxanne his little pet?"

"I'm squealing so hard! Quick! Look at Violet's face. I bet she now realizes she can't afford to mess with Roxanne. Hah! Mr. Burton can easily squash her like a bug!"

"Calm down, friend. Soon, Mr. Burton will get someone to break Violet's legs to avenge Roxanne. Violet will be forced to the brink of death soon enough!"

Still smiling, Michael walked over to Roxanne and pulled her into his arms before saying, "It's time for you to apologize to Roxanne, Ms. Wright."

The threat in his tone was clear as day.