status. If you dare make my granddaughter
suffer again, you won’t have a place in this
family anymore!”
65
“And you!” Grandma’s gaze shifted to Bethany.
Her sharp eyes nearly brought Bethany to her
knees.
“Gr–Grandma, I…” Bethany stammered.
“Don’t call me Grandma. I only have one
granddaughter, and that’s Melissa.” Grandma’s
disgust was palpable. “I hear you’ve been
impersonating the Miller heiress at school.”
“No, I haven’t, I didn’t—”
“Whether you did or not, you know the truth.”
Grandma pressed on, giving Bethany no chance
to explain. Another snort, and beads of sweat
trickled down Bethany’s forehead.
<
After my grandfather passed away when my
dad was a teenager, Grandma took over the
Miller empire. She’d run the company until my
dad was ready, navigating difficult times and
transforming it into the successful business it
was today. Her business acumen and
decisiveness were legendary.
Decades of sharp decision–making had left
their mark. Even now, in her older age, a single
look from her was enough to make people
tremble.
“I’m making this clear today. The Miller family
has only one heiress, and that’s Melissa. She’s
the only one who will inherit the company.”
“Anyone with any sneaky ideas should think
twice about whether they’re a match for this old
woman. If I hear of anyone trying to pull any
stunts and upsetting my Melissa, I won’t be so
forgiving!”
く
With that, she pulled me to my feet and
instructed Mrs. Robinson, “Pack your things. I’m
staying here for a while. I want to see who
dares to cause trouble under my watch!”
Grandma settled in. Within two days, she’d
replaced all the household staff except Mr.
Davis. My mom and Bethany were livid. They’d
finally gotten the staff on their side, and
Grandma had undone all their work in an
instant.
My mom was furious but didn’t dare show it.
Grandma was constantly watching her, every
move, every word scrutinized.
Bethany had it even worse. She’d been used to
getting her way, thanks to my mom’s favoritism.
But now my mom was too preoccupied with
staying in Grandma’s good graces and spent
most of her time away from home, claiming
filming commitments.
Bethany’s position in the house became
precarious. The staff she’d ingratiated herself
with were gone, replaced by new staff who only took orders from me. Even Mr. Davis, after my
warning, kept his distance, afraid of incurring
my displeasure.
Bethany was practically invisible now. Her basic
needs were met, but the princess treatment
was over. But wasn’t this how it should have
been all along? She was just a scholarship
student; why did she think she deserved to be
treated like royalty?
Greedy as she was, Bethany tried to change
things, even attempting to win over Grandma.
But her little tricks were no match for
Grandma’s sharp eyes.
After Grandma halved Bethany’s allowance, she
finally gave up her scheming.
It was the most peaceful period I’d experienced
<
in both my lives. Without the constant drama, I
could finally focus on studying for the
midterms. In my past life, I’d been so distracted
that my grades had plummeted, dropping me
out of the top ten.
This time, there were no surprises. I maintained
my position as number one.
After the midterms came the parent–teacher
conference. I didn’t harbor the same naive hope
as before that my mom would attend. I knew
how much she didn’t want to acknowledge me
as her daughter.
On the day of the conference, I was assigned to
collect parent signatures at the door. I heard a
commotion in the hallway, growing louder as it
approached our classroom.
“No way! I just saw Carol Evans, the actress,
with Bethany at the school gate.”
110
с
heiress?”
>
“Definitely! I saw Carol Evans with her arm
around Bethany, all chummy. They must be
mother and daughter!”
The whispers reached my ears. The familiar
click of high heels drew closer, stopping in front
of me. I glanced up. Bethany and my mom.
stood there, one smug, the other triumphant.
Bethany peeked into the classroom, noticing my
empty seat in the front row. A flicker of
malicious glee crossed her face. In a low voice,
meant only for the three of us, she said, “Sorry,
Melissa. Aunt Carol felt bad that I didn’t have
any parents here, so she’s standing in for them.
You don’t mind, do you?”
“Oh, right, right. I don’t mind at all.” I pushed
the sign–in sheet towards them. “Could you
please sign quickly? There are other parents
waiting.”
<
My face betrayed no hint of discomfort.
Bethany wasn’t my real mom. Who she attended
parent–teacher conferences for was none of my
business.
Seeing my indifference, their smugness faltered.
Bethany gritted her teeth, signed quickly, and
hissed, “Just keep pretending.”
I just smirked internally. Some people were so
good at deluding themselves.
My mom’s presence caused a stir. As a famous
actress, she was easily recognizable. Basking in
the attention and compliments, she held her
head high, shooting me triumphant glances. I
ignored them and went to my seat.
As the conference was about to begin, a few
more parents arrived, and our teacher entered
the classroom. She looked surprised to see my
mom with Bethany, then asked politely,
“Bethany, is this…?”
<
“Hello, teacher. I’m Bethany’s mother.” Just like
in my past life, my mom proudly announced this
to the entire class. She looked at Bethany with
feigned maternal love.
“I’m often on set, and Bethany’s father is busy
with his business,” she continued, her voice
dripping with false sincerity. “So we don’t get to
spend much time with her. I’d be grateful if you
all could befriend Bethany and look out for each
other. It would give her father and me peace of
mind.”
Her humble demeanor and caring tone touched
many parents.
“Of course, Ms. Evans! We love having Bethany
around.”
“She’s just as kind as you are!”
“Don’t worry, Ms. Evans, we’ll take good care of
<
Bethany. We won’t let anyone bully her!”
65
Their words, accompanied by pointed glances
in my direction, implied that I was the bully.
After confirming my mom’s “identity,” the teacher scanned the room and finally settled on me. Seeing my empty seat, she frowned slightly. “Melissa, where are your parents? Couldn’t they make it today?”
Her voice was quiet, but loud enough for some
to hear.
Before I could answer, my mom spoke from the
back. “Melissa, did you tell your parents about
the conference? Even if you’re independent, you
shouldn’t keep this from them.” She pulled out
her phone, pretending to dial. “Your dad’s
probably still waiting outside. I’ll call him.”
