Some people in the class group always loved to show off their wealth.

Today they flaunted their designer bags, tomorrow they boasted about their travel destinations and the day after that, they bragged about buying and renovating a house.

I usually didn't participate in any of this. Until one day, someone tagged me in the group and insisted that I take a photo of my car.

[Everyone else has shared their cars. Don't worry; even if you drive an electric bike, no one will laugh at you.]

I casually took a picture of my Maybach and posted it in the group.

After that, I was busy all afternoon finalizing a significant multinational contract. When I picked up my phone, a sudden series of vibrations startled me. My classmates were continuously tagging me in the group.

[Azura, how could you seduce Calista's boyfriend! How shameless can you be?]

Thousands of insults flooded in, too harsh to bear. I scrolled back and saw Calista had posted a photo of herself kissing a man in front of a car—both the model and license plate were identical to mine.

Upon closer inspection, the man holding her was none other than my husband, who was also a son-in-law who lived in my house.

[Calista just posted a photo of herself and her boyfriend showing off in that car last week. You posted about that same car being yours today—how shameless can you be!]

[You used to be a top student accepted into Qingbei without exams, yet you’ve turned into this! All that education wasted!]

[Azura, you’re just a rat in the gutter! Always quiet in the group, but secretly jealous of Calista being pampered by her boyfriend and flaunting her luxury brands. You deliberately chose her birthday to be spiteful, didn’t you?]

[Yeah! Calista is having a birthday party at the most luxurious hotel in the city, hosted by her CEO boyfriend. What do you have?”

“You weren’t even invited! Haha!]

As I scrolled through the messages, the insults and mockery in the group kept refreshing nonstop.

Looking at the notes, they were all people who liked to compare and show off in the group.

Just then, a person with a polished socialite avatar, ID'd as Calista Vesper, spoke up.

[Azura, while I don’t know what your intentions were in posting a photo of my boyfriend's car, since we’re all old classmates, I don’t want things to get too awkward. You’re invited to my party.]

She shared the location and it turned out to be my family's hotel.

[Calista's boyfriend is the president of Huachen Group—there’s no way you can compare to that! Let me show you how perfect they are together!]

Someone uploaded a video.

Calista looked stunning, dressed in a feathered gown, smiling like a wealthy lady. The man holding her hand tightly, was indeed Orson, my husband of five years. Their bodies intimately close.

The custom-tailored suit he wore was bought by me.

The Patek Philippe watch on his wrist was a gift from me.

Even the gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose were chosen by me when I took him to get fitted.

This morning before leaving, Orson hugged my waist like a little puppy, pleading with me to come home early tonight to enjoy the ginseng and matsutake chicken soup he had prepared for me.

He knew perfectly well that, as a rule, I always held a celebration dinner with the company staff on the night a contract was signed and I wouldn’t be back until at least midnight.

I clicked on Orson's profile and sent him a message. [Where are you?]

He replied almost instantly, [Out to buy some bird’s nest. You’ve been working hard on the project lately and I want to take good care of you.]

He even added a cartoon sticker saying "Love you."

Everything seemed just like usual.

I maintained a blank expression and pressed the video call invitation.

The video call was immediately rejected.

I sent a question mark in response.

Orson’s chat box kept showing “typing…”

After a few minutes, he finally replied: [Honey, my phone is running low on battery. Let me find a power bank and then I’ll video call you!]

It was clearly a delaying tactic.

I usually didn't check up on him, so Orson would definitely be caught off guard.

In the class group, they were still tagging me.

[Azura, why aren’t you speaking up? Come out and take your scolding!]

[Calista even personally invited you! You’re not too scared to show up, are you? Playing the turtle now?]

Calista added with fake concern, [Azura, you’re not afraid that you’ve flirted with my boyfriend and he’ll make things difficult for you when you see him, are you? Don’t worry; he just stepped out for a moment. Even if he returns, I’m sure he’ll let it slide since we’re old classmates. Just apologize and he won’t make it hard for you.]

I replied directly, [I’ll be there in half an hour. I want to see how he’ll make things difficult for me]

On the way to the hotel, my emotions were in turmoil.

After graduating with a PhD from an overseas university, I returned to the country and joined the family business, concealing my identity and starting from the grassroots level. Gradually, I worked my way up to the position of project group leader.

Orson joined the company at that time.

He took the initiative to join my team, working alongside me to manage our business. For a single project, we could work together for over ten hours without a break. Late at night, we would eat instant noodles in the office and motivate each other.

Once, after securing a highly profitable contract, I secretly dipped into my own pocket to treat my team colleagues to a trip to the Maldives. While swimming in the ocean, I suddenly cramped up, despite having been a strong swimmer since childhood. Just as I was about to plunge into the depths of the sea, Orson risked his safety to come to my rescue.

Afterward, he said he was a poor swimmer and only learned to swim during the trip. But when he saw me in danger, his instincts took over and by the time he realized it, he was already swimming to my side.

In the sunset, he blushed as he confessed his feelings to me. At that moment, I, who had little experience with romance, instantly fell for him. At that time, I believed Orson loved the pure me, not the wealthy daughter of a tycoon that my identity represented.

Ignoring my family’s objections, I insisted on marrying him, despite his humble background.

After our marriage, he willingly moved in with me, taking care of all my meals and daily needs without ever letting me do a single household chore.

When I expressed that I didn’t want children, he even agreed to get a vasectomy.

Seeing how understanding and obedient Orson was, earlier this year, my grandfather entrusted him with managing the family’s most unassuming business—the largest ultra-luxury hotel in the city, Seraphine.

To show my trust in him, I never interfered with Orson's work at the hotel. I thought to myself that I didn't expect him to achieve anything remarkable; as long as he didn't make any major mistakes, the income would be sufficient.

However, I never anticipated that my tolerance and understanding would lead Orson to dare to celebrate his mistress's birthday at my family's hotel. I stepped on the gas and rushed to the entrance of Seraphine Hotel as fast as I could.

To my surprise, Calista was already waiting there with a group of people. Seeing me drive up in a Maybach, Calista's expression turned ugly. As soon as I got out of the car, she splashed a glass of red wine over my head without a second thought.

"Azura, you really dare to come!" A sycophant immediately jumped in, shouting, "How dare you drive Calista's boyfriend's car! You’re provoking her.”

"How did someone like you come to Galaxy Middle School?"

In the chaos of their pushing and shoving, my professional outfit worth tens of thousands of dollars and my hairstyle done by an international supermodel stylist became a mess.

In my entire life, no one had ever dared to treat me this way.

Holding back my anger, I lifted my head and coldly asked, "Where is Orson?"

Upon hearing this, Calista angrily pointed at me and shouted, "How dare you call my boyfriend's name? You despicable little mistress!"

She then rushed to the car, yanked out the keys and started to vandalize the Maybach.

"You shameless woman, I told you to seduce other people's boyfriends and to be the mistress! I'll make sure you can never recover from this for the rest of your life!"

She scratched the words "Mistresses deserve to die" into the side of the car. After doing all this, she looked at me with a sense of pride.

But I saw her as nothing more than a clown, just like Orson. "I'm asking you one more time, where is Orson?"

My voice was thick with anger.

After so many years of marriage, I never imagined that my partner would be such a scumbag!

"Still not willing to admit your mistakes, are you?" Calista picked up a stone from the side of the road and started smashing it against my Maybach.

"Smash it all! What are you standing there for?" she shouted.

Her sycophantic classmates immediately rushed in, joining the chaos. Before long, my Maybach was left in ruins—the doors, windows and lights were all damaged. They didn't stop there; they even opened the hood and destroyed everything inside that they could get their hands on.

Some went so far as to jump inside the car and ruin the starlight ceiling I had spent 100 thousand dollars to customize, leaving nothing intact.

My fists clenched in anger, but after a moment, I felt a sense of calm wash over me. I said, "I hope that when the time comes for compensation, you can still maintain this arrogant attitude!"

My expression was as cold as frost.

But they only shouted back, "This is all private property of Calista's boyfriend! If Calista wanted to burn her boyfriend's stuff, no one would say a thing. What right do you, a mistress, have to act superior?"

The crowd echoed their agreement and their behavior became increasingly chaotic.

"Oh! I never would have guessed that a shameless mistress like you is into art!"

Suddenly, Calista pulled a jade carving from the storage compartment in my back seat. It was a Money Tree, crafted by a well-known luxury artist in the country and its value exceeded 42 million dollars because the jade itself was of the old pit glass variety.

"I advise you to calm…"

But before I could finish my sentence, Calista had already let it go. “Ah, I’m so sorry! My hand just slipped.”

Looking at her mockingly smug face, I ultimately remained silent. I honestly didn’t know how to communicate with a fool.

“Oh my God! Isn’t that the jade tree that was just auctioned at the international auction house this morning? I heard it’s worth over 42 million dollars... what a shame, it ended up in the hands of a mistress.”

Passersby sighed as they walked by.

“You shameless little mistress? How can you dare to spend so much of my boyfriend's money?” Calista’s eyes turned red with anger.

To her, it seemed everything should belong to her.

I continued to coldly stare at her, saying nothing.

Wasn’t everything from Orson’s clothes to his lifestyle and career granted by me? How dare she accuse me of spending Orson's money?

“Open the trunk! I want to see what other treasures she’s hiding!” Calista shouted angrily.

She began smashing the trunk, where I had stored a gift from a client during a collaboration meeting at the auction house earlier that day. I hadn't calculated its value, but it was worth at least hundreds of millions.

Shaking my head at her madness, I feared she might turn violent, so I quickly dialed the police.

“What are you calling for? Seeking backup?”

She swatted my phone out of my hand and I felt a jolt of panic as I bent down to pick it up.

I had been using that phone because it was a keepsake from my mother before she passed away, filled with countless memories of us together. I worried that not using it for an extended period would damage it, so I had kept it for myself.

“Crack!”

But then Calista stepped on my hand. Her high heel dug into the back of my hand, sending waves of sharp pain through me.

Yet I was relieved that I managed to protect my phone.

“Azura, you’re so pathetic, clinging to a broken phone like that?” With that, she kicked at me again.

This time, I dodged and slapped her hard.

“If the phone breaks, you might as well break along with it!” I glared at her fiercely.

Before, I didn’t care how much noise she made because problems that could be solved with money weren’t really problems to me. But this phone was different.

“How dare a mistress hit me?” Calista shouted, covering her face. “You all better help me teach her a lesson!”

Her face twisted and contorted with rage.

But those sycophantic classmates, eager for a chance to show off, rushed over one by one to kick and punch me.

“Back in school, they called you the school beauty? That’s hilarious! What kind of beauty becomes a mistress without shame?”

“How much for a ride on the bus? Just give me a number and I’ll buy you tonight!”

“Look at her pathetic face! When you hit her, be careful not to make her enjoy it!”

Curled up on the ground, the humiliation I felt was beyond words.

“You’ll all regret this!” My voice trembled with fury.

But they were like a group of masked demons, laughing wildly.

“It's hilarious! What rights does a mistress have? Do you think you can make me regret it?”

“Exactly! Just a mistress, so what if we hit you? The police will praise us for doing a good job!”

“We're just ridding the world of pests, you trash!”

They surrounded me, their words drowning me.

The guests at Seraphine Hotel were all prominent figures, yet in my current state, even those who knew me couldn't recognize who I was.

“Do you see this, you worthless woman? This is the class difference between us. A lowly person like you will never even compare to a single hair on my head in hundreds of years!” Calista sneered at me.

At that moment, a group of ten or so bodyguards surged out of Seraphine Hotel, surrounding a figure at the center.

Orson rushed forward, his face filled with concern and worry. “Baby, are you okay?”

He hurried over and the professionalism of the bodyguards was impressive, making people speculate about Orson’s identity.

“That must be the president of Seraphine Hotel! So young and handsome!”

“Indeed! Just look at that mistress; she really doesn't match up!”

As the onlookers commented, those classmates stepped aside to create a path.

Calista put on a facade of deep hurt, perfectly playing the part of a victim in this drama.

Orson held Calista tightly, his face full of concern. “Are you okay, baby? I had to handle some personal matters. Let me see how you’re doing.”

He looked at Calista with such tenderness. The thought that he used to look at me the same way made me feel sick. Some people truly didn’t deserve to be human.

Then, Orson turned to the bodyguards nearby and shouted, “Are you all blind? My girlfriend got hurt and none of you did anything about it?”

His angry demeanor chilled me. It seemed he had never lost his composure for me like that.

Of course, I didn’t need him to.

“How lucky she is! Mr. Rupert is not just handsome but also rich. Why can’t I meet a true prince charming like that?”

“Forget it, who would look at someone like you?”

Many people around were casting envious glances at Calista. Those classmates eagerly approached Orson, trying to strike up a relationship with him, afraid of missing out on any advantage.

"Mr. Rupert, I used to be really close with Calista in school; we were like best friends! Can you arrange a job for me at the hotel?"

"I'm her best friend too! We used to chat late into the night every day!"

"Mr. Rupert, I know you don't recognize me, but I supported Calista when she was with you!"

Everyone at the scene was frantically trying to network, even those who had previously been on bad terms with Calista or looked down on her were now desperately trying to show off.

Calista wore a proud expression. She first cast a haughty glance at me and then looked at her classmates.

"Okay, okay, there's no need to fight over it! My dear has plenty of money," Calista said triumphantly.

Now was her moment to shine and she naturally couldn't care less about the pain on her face.

"You don't have to worry about anything; just leave everything to me!" After saying that, she held her head high, waiting for her classmates to flatter her.

The crowd exchanged glances and Orson took the opportunity to speak up.

"Exactly! If you want jobs or anything, just talk to her. She is now the vice general manager of Seraphine Hotel. If you want to collaborate or work, she can get it done with just one word!" Orson waved his hand grandly, making a show of generosity. It’s worth noting that Seraphine Hotel was one of the few super five-star hotels in the city and its commercial value was extraordinary for ordinary people from any perspective.

This made the classmates even more excited.

"Calista, I was the one who put in the most effort earlier, so you can't forget me!"

"Calista, I was the most dedicated; I was the one who opened the trunk for you!"

"I was the most energetic when I hit that little bitch just now! You know our family is in the beer business, so just look..."

They were all eagerly fawning over Calista. Their faces flushed with excitement, afraid of being neglected by her. At that moment, Calista wore a smug expression, pretending to be high and mighty.

"Alright, I'll see how you all perform later and then I'll decide whether or not to help you," she said, putting on airs. But her classmates didn't mind at all; they gathered around her, showering her with compliments.

Just as Calista was enjoying the flattery and preparing to leave, she suddenly looked at me.

"By the way, darling, weren't you just asking me about something?"

With tears welling in her eyes, Calista said, "I—I got slapped! It still hurts!"

As she spoke, she burst into tears. That pitiful expression truly made me feel sick to my stomach.

"What?" Orson was furious.

Calista clung to his hand and pretended to be kind, saying, "But darling, you shouldn’t be too angry. I believe that person only acted out of jealousy for my beauty and because she's envious of having such a perfect boyfriend like you!"

However, Orson snorted coldly, gripping her hand tightly as he said, "No matter who it is, if they lay a hand on you, I will ruin their life!"

Calista gazed at him with affectionate eyes.

"Really? Anyone at all?" she asked.

"Yes, anyone!" Orson replied, puffing out his chest with pride.

He continued, "Maybe I'm not a top-tier tycoon, but with my current status, even those elite rich kids would have to listen to my reprimands!"

"Alright!"

"Truly impressive! He was so commanding!"

"Such a domineering man, who wouldn't love him?"

The crowd erupted in applause, all praising Orson as a great man.

I could see the smug smile on Orson's face, along with the ugly expression he wore after satisfying his vanity. I knew this was his true nature.

It was ironic that next to me, he had never had the chance to show off. Perhaps his pursuit of vanity was all he truly cared about?

"Alright, sweetheart, just tell me, who bullied you?" Orson finally turned to ask Calista after basking in the attention.

Calista pouted and said, "If I tell you, you must promise not to get angry!"

"I won’t be angry, go ahead!" Orson nodded.

At this, a smirk crept across Calista's lips as she continued, "It's a woman who's somewhat related to you. I believe you were just confused for a moment to be charmed by someone so lowly and beneath you. But as long as you love me, I can forgive you for any mistakes!" She gazed deeply into Orson's eyes.

However, Orson looked puzzled.

"Baby, what are you talking about?" he asked, clearly bewildered.

Finally, Calista pointed at me. "It's her, that lowly, worthless little mistress!"

Upon hearing this, Orson frowned and looked over at me.