"She can't even keep her lies straight!"

"If you're really that rich, why show up in knockoffs and embarrass yourself?"

The man named Dickerson is my husband's secretary.

Austin Delgado has doted on me for years. Ever since we married, he's spent most of his time traveling with me, honeymooning, always wanting to be by my side.

Company matters especially, he prefers to hand off. For certain important occasions, he simply sends his secretary to stand in with full authority.

I never imagined the rumors outside had grown so wild.

Somehow Secretary Dickerson had become the owner of Sheridan Group.

"Believe it or don't."

I shrugged and looked at Muriel. "I've passed along the message. As for you, don't come crying to me later when you regret it."

"Remember, arrogance always catches up with a person."

I turned to leave, and outside a crack of thunder split the air, rain crashing down all at once.

"Oh no, what do we do? It's suddenly pouring out there."

"Did any of you drive here? Nobody brought an umbrella. How are we supposed to leave?"

Muriel suddenly laughed, put away her phone, and made sure every classmate heard her.

"It's raining, and my husband just said he's coming to pick me up."

"In the Rolls-Royce he just bought, too."

Another round of fawning swept the room.

"Oh my god, your husband is loaded, huh?"

"A Rolls-Royce, seriously? I've never ridden in one my whole life. I don't even know what it's like."

A few of the girls crowded up to Muriel, gushing over her.

"Could you ask your husband later? Let us ride in his car too?"

"Yeah, yeah, for old times' sake, let us bask in it a little."

Muriel looked at me, smug.

"Daniela, your husband's so poor, he probably can't even afford a car."

"In rain like this, he probably can't be bothered to come get you. Why don't you ride back in my husband's car?"

I answered flatly.

"No need. I have a car."

At my answer, the whole room froze.

"Don't joke around, how could you… possibly have a car?"

"Right, you don't look anything like someone who owns a car."

"Even if you did buy one, it wouldn't be anything decent, would it? Probably some off-brand little junker."

"We all know exactly what your family situation was like."

"Back then you had to apply for the low-income student grant every year just to get by."

"So don't put on a brave front for us."

"Right, even admitting you don't have a car isn't anything to be ashamed of."

I stood where I was, silent.

They weren't wrong. Back then my family really was poor.

Every year I had to apply for the low-income student grant.

But that was ten years ago.

I earned a perfect SAT score and got into an Ivy League university.

Arriving in New York City was like a fish half-dead from thirst finally finding water.

With a sharp head for business,

just two years into college I'd built my own company and made my first ten million.

The years after that only got smoother, and after I met my husband, Austin Delgado, I built Sheridan Group from the ground up into a Fortune 500 company.

While my classmates were proud just to land jobs at Sheridan Group, I had already become the one who called the shots there.

"Drop the act, Daniela!"

Muriel cut me off with a cold laugh.

"I saw every car downstairs, all of them designer brands, and I already checked with the hotel management."

"Not one of them is yours!"

I lifted my head and looked at her, baffled.

"I never said I was driving here today."

Either Austin came for me himself, or he sent a driver.

"No way!"

Muriel narrowed her eyes and looked at me, cold as ice. "Daniela, having a vain classmate like you is a genuine embarrassment."

"Since you didn't drive here, then drink all of this down."

"Otherwise, don't even think about walking out that door today!"

I let out a cold scoff and turned to leave, but the door was kicked shut in my face.

Tony's hand clamped around my wrist.

"Daniela, don't push your luck. You'd rather do this the hard way?"

"Be a good girl and drink every last drop."

"Even if you pass out, it doesn't matter."

Tony suddenly smiled, his greasy hand sliding back and forth through my hair.

"I'll take care of you. I'll see you home myself."

"Get your filthy hands off me!"

I said it coldly, but he only got worse, so the next second I drove my knee straight into his groin.

Tony let out a shriek of pain.

"Daniela! You little bitch!"

Muriel's face turned vicious in an instant, and she called on the classmates around her to grab me.

"I'd like to see who dares lay a finger on me."

Maybe it was the edge in my eyes. The old classmates froze where they stood, glancing at one another, none of them willing to come closer.

"Muriel, why don't we just let it go?"

"If she's cornered, what if Daniela turns on us and drags us down with her?"

"Absolutely not!"

Muriel shot them a cold glance.

"So you're all chickening out now?"

"Don't forget the deal we made before this reunion. Whoever gets Daniela drunk walks away with fifty thousand in cash."

"If you're all cowards, then get lost, quick."

Muriel pushed up her sleeve and moved slowly toward me.

"I'll do it myself."

As she came at me with the glass in hand, I glanced up at my watch.

Figuring the timing was about right, I spoke with a cold smile.

"Muriel, instead of standing here throwing your weight around, mocking me, cooking up your little schemes to get me drunk—"

"—you'd be better off asking your husband."

"That CEO husband you're so proud of? Right about now he's probably got a real mess on his hands, running himself ragged trying to fix it."

"Don't you dare threaten me, cursing me like that!"

Muriel didn't believe a word of it and glared at me savagely.

"My husband is the general manager of Sheridan Group. Who would dare touch him?"

The words were barely out when Muriel's phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and grinned smugly as she looked around at the classmates beside her.

"It's my husband. He said he'd come pick me up. He must already be here!"

"Daniela, weren't you just cursing that my husband's in trouble?"

"I'll have him come right up and slap that smug look off your face!"

I said nothing, watching coldly as Muriel took the call and cooed a sweet little "honey."

But it wasn't long before her expression changed all at once.

The moment he answered, her face went white.

"What did you say? How... how could you be bankrupt?"