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!"

Scott's expression changed, and he said impatiently, "I'm doing all this for you! If it weren't for me, would you have ever gotten first place?"

Tessa's eyes were red as she shouted back, "But did I ever ask you to sacrifice yourself?"

Scott fell silent, then let out a long sigh. "Can you stop? There's only one week left. This whole farce is almost over."

As for me, I didn't feel hurt at all. After all, Scott and I were just using each other.

Pretending to be a bad student got me months of close, romantic interaction with the school's heartthrob. It was totally worth it!

The mock exams came as scheduled. In both rounds, I kept my scores steady at three or four hundred. It wasn't enough even for a normal university, let alone MIT or Harvard.

On the day of the SAT, we were all assigned to different exam halls.

Before going in, Scott tried to comfort me. "It's okay. Even if you do badly, you still have me."

I smiled and nodded, then turned and walked into the exam room—a place that could change my whole fate.

When it was all over, I knew.

Now, I could finally leave that storage closet for good. Never again must I put up with my dad's or brother's fists.

I could finally live my own life.

While waiting for the results, I sold off every single gift the Walkers had ever given me on secondhand shopping websites. My account balance was enough to cover four years of tuition.

The day the results came, the Walkers threw a huge party. They invited our whole class to the villa to check our results together.

This was all Tessa's idea.

She wanted to defeat the rival who had always overshadowed her in front of everyone, and watch me get thrown out and humiliated. The homeroom teacher, principal, and even media outlets were all there.

After all, our school was the best in the city. Our class was also the one most likely to produce a top scorer, so every reporter wanted first-hand coverage.

Everyone started checking their scores one by one. My classmates' results were better than expected.

Tessa, full of confidence, entered her candidate number in front of the camera. The page refreshed, and her score finally popped up.

She beamed. "1535! I got 1535! That's good enough for MIT or Harvard!"

Tessa showed off her score on camera, and Jane was dancing with joy.

"That's our female lead! Barely made the cutoff for MIT and Harvard, and now she's heading for some messy love triangle on campus."

"Can't wait to see what happens next!"

While everyone praised her, Tessa suddenly turned her eyes on me. "Lucia, why haven't you checked your results yet? You've always been first in our grade, right?"

The comments exploded again.

"Our former top student is such a lovesick mess, I bet even 800 is out of her reach!"

"Come on, check your results! This is the part where the tables turn! This is the best part! That's what she gets for always trying to steal our female lead's lover!"

Seeing me hesitate, Scott came over and grabbed my hand, trying to comfort me. "Don't worry. You still have me."

I smiled, pulled my hand back, and entered my candidate number.

The screen refreshed.

The smile on Tessa's face froze. She stared in disbelief, then exploded into screams.

"No way! This can't be happening!"