Chapter 3

In an instant, the whole crowd surged forward.

"Always acting like she's got money. Turns out it was all fake!"

"Just drop out already, it's embarrassing to look at! Sharing a school with her makes me sick!"

Those judging eyes stabbed into me like knives.

Angela came rushing over, all for show, flinging her arms wide to shield me.

"What are you all doing! Trying to hound someone to death in broad daylight? As long as I'm here, nobody's laying a hand on my girl!"

Her voice was loud and bright, and some of the students watching actually started praising how loyal she was.

But this same "loyal" friend was the one who, on the first day of school, volunteered to be our dorm leader and made us hand over our IDs.

The second she turned back to me, she dug her fingers into my arm, her nails sinking deep into the flesh.

The pain made me suck in a sharp breath.

"Juliana, I did everything I could!"

"Listen to me, just pay the debt off and make this go away!"

"A hundred thousand is pocket change to you anyway. Your reputation is what matters!"

My father, Boris, went even further, landing a kick on me and pointing at my face, cursing me out in front of everyone.

"You disgraceful piece of trash! You've dragged the whole Gilbert name through the mud!"

"If you don't sign that courtyard estate over to Rachel today, then I don't have a daughter anymore!"

Watching this whole farce, I felt nothing at all. If anything, I found it laughable.

Acting? Who can't act?

I let my body go limp and burst into loud sobs, trembling as I clung to Angela's arm.

"Boo-hoo, Angela, I was so scared! Thank god you were here to protect me! This watch is worth fifty thousand. I want you to have it!"

"I'm being framed! Please, beg them for me, don't let them take me away!"

I fumbled the watch into her hands, pretending not to notice the corner of her mouth she couldn't quite hold down.

She even put on a little act of refusing.

"Juliana, I'm not helping you for something like this..."

Before she could finish, the watch was already fastened snugly on her wrist.

And in that moment, the watch's voice came through.

"Don't believe her, Mama! Angela is grinning on the inside! She said you're way too easy to fool! This whole crowd is actors she hired! She's got predatory loans piling up out there, and she staged this whole thing just to squeeze more money out of you!"

Hearing that, I cried even harder.

Angela patted my back, impatient.

"All right, all right, once you pay it back it's all fine. Be good now. You really think your big sister would hurt you?"

I nodded, tears and snot smearing all over her.

"Okay... I'll pay it back... I'll go get my bank card right now..."