Scott suddenly froze. His dark eyes were fixed on me, and then he smiled.

"Sure."

From the comments scrolling across the screen, I realized I was living inside a novel.

I was what they called the "cannon fodder." Scott was the "male lead," and the real daughter of the Walker family, Tessa Walker, was the "female lead."

I curled my lips into a smile and tried asking, "Since the real heiress is back, shouldn't the fake one, Tessa, go home to her real parents? She probably misses her real parents too, right?"

As soon as I said this, Jane's face froze, and Scott's expression changed.

The comments immediately exploded.

"If the female lead goes back to that hellish family, she'll be tortured! Just thinking about it breaks my heart!"

"The female side character really thinks she matters. She just got back! Even if she's the Walkers' real daughter, she'll never get as close as the girl they raised themselves. Besides, they're just playing with her!"

"She must really hate the female lead. She must have always been jealous of her life. That's why she asked something like that."

I could see every disdainful word of theirs clearly, but I didn't care about any of it.

This time, though, they were wrong.

I didn't hate Tessa. If anything, I was grateful to her.

Especially since I was just a commoner born into a living nightmare and had never experienced love. Because of Tessa's jealousy, I got a shot at a better school and have enough food to eat. I didn't have to worry about being beaten or forced to do chores. I even got a chance to be with someone like Scott.

All of this was thanks to Tessa. She handed everything to me on a silver platter herself.

Before Jane could respond, Scott jumped in to refuse her. "There's no rush. Tessa's SAT is coming up, so it's better for her not to switch families now. It would be tough on her…"

I smiled innocently. "So, Tessa needs to take the SAT, but I don't?"

Scott was stunned for a second, then smiled as he pulled me close. "You're different."

"That's right, you're different," Jane echoed. "You're my little princess. Even if you never sit for any exams, you'll always have everything you want."

I nodded, still smiling. "Guess I'm really lucky, then."

That evening, they brought me back to the Walker residence. I had a brand-new bedroom—a room that finally belonged to me.

Growing up, my parents never cared about me just because I was a girl. My mother took out all her anger from my dad's family on me.

I never had a room of my own. I lived in a tiny storage closet my entire childhood. There were no windows, and it was damp and dark, with mold growing on the ceiling.

When my drunk father beat me black and blue and locked me inside, when my mom tried to marry me off at thirteen to a fifty-year-old man to save up for my brother's wedding…

I knew that my only way out was through school.

I didn't just work hard; I was actually talented. Other kids had to spend hours memorizing, but I just needed to read something a few times, and I would know it by heart. I could solve complicated math problems easily and even use what I learn masterfully. No questions were too hard for me.

But I also knew being too smart was a bad thing in my family.

When I managed to become the top scorer in a high school placement test, I ran home to tell my parents.

Yet, all I got was a slap.

My drunk dad, swinging a bottle, yelled at me, "What are you so happy about? Girls don't need that much schooling! I'm not wasting money sending you to high school!"

In the end, my middle school teacher came with my high school acceptance letter and scholarship, promising that high school wouldn't cost my parents a cent. Only then did my dad finally agree to let me study.

But even then, he warned me with a dark look.

"The moment you lose your scholarship, you'll drop out and get married. The younger you are, the more value you have! If I sell you off early, the wedding gift will be higher!"

Hence, I never dared to slack off.

If I wanted to keep my scholarship, I had to be at the top every year.

That was how Tessa ended up stuck as the eternal runner-up.

It was also because the little heiress had such a strong sense of pride that I got a chance to step into the world of the rich.

However, I was nothing like her. Someone like me, who had to dig myself out of the gutter, would never waste any opportunity.

I dragged my luggage into the room and closed the door behind me. I lay down on the bed, savoring a rare moment of peace.

Then, the comments popped up again, mocking me as I enjoyed the tranquility.

"What an idiot! No wonder she's just cannon fodder. She's so quick to believe whatever people say!"

"Do you think she really believes she's an heiress now? Don't tell me she'll just hand in a blank paper for the SAT later!"

"That would be perfect! Then the female lead can grab her university offer letter and kick her out. Just imagining that scene cracks me up. It's like kicking someone when they're down!"

I stared at the barrage of comments with a blank face. They all thought I was stupid, but honestly, I was grateful to Tessa's family for crafting such a beautiful "dream of wealth" for me.

I opened my suitcase. There were just a few simple clothes at the top, but underneath was crammed full of wrinkled stacks of practice papers.

"No way! Her whole suitcase is full of exercise books and practice test papers!"

"She doesn't care about studying? This side character deserves an Oscar!"

I pulled out my notebook, which was full of mistakes, and started reviewing each problem I had gotten wrong. I worked through them one by one until two in the morning.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps in the hallway. I quickly turned off the lights and lay down.

Tessa pushed open my door, glanced around the room, and asked, "Lucia, are you awake?"

I didn't answer.

When Tessa saw that I was sound asleep, she let out a cold laugh and left. She was frightened that I would actually take my studies seriously, so much so that she came over late at night just to check on me.

The SAT was coming up.

Every day, I went to and from school in Scott's car with his driver.

Whenever I focused on my lessons, reading and working on problems in class, Scott would come over and pull the pen out of my hand in annoyance.

I stared at him, confused. "What is it?"

He looked at me for a long time, then said in a low voice. "Lucia, you don't have to study so hard. You can have a good life without it. Are you studying because you don't trust me? I don't like it when you act like this. I want you to rely on me completely. That's what a good fiancée should do."

I had liked him for so many years, so of course I couldn't bring myself to refuse. "If you don't want me to study, then I won't."

He leaned in closer. For the first time ever, I felt his breath so close to me. I could even smell his unique scent.

"Don't study anymore, okay? That way, you'll have to depend on me."

My heart pounded wildly. Even in that moment, I caught the hint of disgust in his eyes.

But I didn't care.

All I cared about was my own happiness.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and made my first demand.

"You said I'm your fiancée, and that I should depend on you. Then, I want a grand confession. Scott, show me you really mean it."

The old me would never have dared ask for anything so bold from the guy I liked.

But now, if he wanted something from me, he would have to give something in return. It was only fair.

That very afternoon, Scott covered the school field with nine-thousand nine-hundred and ninety-nine roses and made a grand confession to me.

When his soft, cool lips finally, hesitantly brushed against mine, I finally understood.

They were willing to pay any price to render me completely useless.

It wasn't just Scott. Jane was the same as well.

Whenever I tried to study at home, Jane would start looking worried. That was when I would make my demands.

"Mom, can we take a set of mother-daughter photos together?"

"Mom, will you read me a bedtime story tonight?"

"Mom, can we bake a cake for my eighteenth birthday? Will you wish me a happy birthday?"

During this time, everything I had missed out on before was slowly made up for.

I started acting like a lazy little heiress. I stopped reading and studying. I threw myself into romance and love as well, soaking up all the family affection I could get.

As a result, my ranking dropped lower and lower every time I took a test.

The comments section was full of scorn.

"This is hilarious! So what if she's smart? She's completely fallen for the kid. She's hopeless!"

"Just say a few nice words, and the side character gives up on her future. No wonder she'll end up pregnant and kicked out, and then sold off by her own parents to a fifty-year-old man…"

But I didn't care at all.

I smiled as I watched how happy Tessa was to take first place for the first time. The tears in her eyes looked like she had finally proved herself.

Of course, I didn't miss the look she shot me. That smug, mocking glance as she glanced at my grades.

She was happy, and so was I.

When she was happy, I could reap rewards.

Sure enough, both Scott and Jane were in a great mood that day.

Jane bought me a limited-edition Hermes bag. Scott burst into my room, hugging me and promising to grant me a wish.

I quietly closed the door, grinning as I pushed him down onto the bed.

"My wish is… I want you."

After I said that, the comments section exploded.

"What the hell? According to the original plot, wasn't this the part where she got drugged and slept with another man that the male lead called here? She even got pregnant, right? Why is she making the first move now?"

"Holy… Is the male lead really going to do it? He's not pure anymore!"

"Seriously, isn't this story supposed to be rated for all? Why is it getting so exciting all of a sudden?"

All the noise in the room didn't escape Tessa's notice, of course.

After Scott left, she stormed into my room and glared at the faint hickey on my shoulder. Her eyes were practically shooting flames of fury.

In the end, all she did was bite out a few snide remarks.

"You really don't waste time, do you? You just turned eighteen, and you're already in such a hurry?"

I just smiled at her, completely unbothered. "Scott is my fiancé. Isn't this perfectly normal? After all, I've got so much energy these days. Can't exactly spend it all on…studying, right?"

Tessa paused for a moment, caught off guard.

She understood that she could only pick one—Scott, or being top of the class.

She shot me another fierce glare. "Well, I hope you enjoy yourself every single day until the exams!"

The next day, I secretly followed Scott and Tessa, who were acting suspiciously, all the way to an abandoned gym. Peeking through the door, I watched as Tessa threw herself into Scott's embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, anxious.

"Scott, once that hussy's results are out, dump her and come back to me, okay? I'll give myself to you, too…"

She lifted her face to kiss him, but Scott turned away. Even he didn't know why.

Tessa, who had managed to hold back in front of me all night last night, finally lost it after seeing Scott rejecting her.

"Scott, what's your problem? Don't tell me you've really fallen for that broke loser!"