Before I even had time to look into Zachary and Serena, I received a call from my advisor.

"Sophia, you’re the one behind that post on the campus forum, aren’t you? This incident has caused serious damage to the college’s reputation. The administration has decided to issue you a major demerit and it will be announced to the entire student body."

"If this happens again, you're getting expelled. You better watch yourself!"

Before I could respond, the advisor hung up.

I suppressed my rising anger and dialed a number.

The advisor was a distant relative of Serena’s and the two of them were thick as thieves. They've been giving me a hard time for ages.

My dad had always told me to stay low-key and endure when possible.

But this time? No way.

"Look into Serena for me."

I couldn't shake the feeling that the car Serena gave Zachary looked a bit too familiar.

Recently, Zachary and Serena have been showing off their relationship all over campus. Serena’s been swapping designer bags daily, always followed by a crowd of suck-ups.

"Well, if it isn't our little mistress, Sophia. What’s wrong? Did your sugar daddy dump you?"

I had carefully avoided the lunch rush to grab something to eat, but just my luck—I ran into Serena and Zachary.

Serena, acting like a spoiled brat, poked at my food with my spoon.

"Just veggies? Sophia, even without your sugar daddy, you could always ask me for help. Since we’re classmates, I wouldn’t mind treating you to a nice steak at a Western restaurant."

I put my chopsticks down, suddenly losing my appetite.

What a waste of the meal I just got.

"Serena, aren’t you the so-called rich heiress? What are you doing slumming it in this cafeteria? Ran out of allowance?"

Serena’s expression changed, clearly irritated.

"Sophia, I’m just trying something different for once. Unlike you, I wasn’t born a pig destined to eat slop."

I smiled calmly.

"Well, if you can handle it, then go ahead—enjoy all the slop you want. Just make sure you don’t choke on it."

Serena's face turned pale with anger and she stomped her foot, glaring at me.

"Sophia, what do you mean by that?"

Seeing his girlfriend upset, Zachary immediately pulled her into his arms, trying to comfort her.

"Sophia, don’t push it. You’ve already been hit with a major demerit. Keep going like this and it won’t end well for you."

I shot Zachary a cold glance, a mocking smile on my lips.

"Showing concern for your ex in front of your current girlfriend? Aren’t you worried your rich princess might get mad?"

Sure enough, Serena's face darkened at my remark.

"Zachary, are you still hung up on her?"

Zachary's face went pale and he hurriedly tried to explain.

I had no interest in watching their little drama unfold, so I turned and walked away.

With rumors still swirling and too many people whispering about me on campus, I decided to move back home for a while.

Just as I finished packing, I heard the click of heels approaching. I turned around to see Serena standing there, arms crossed, looking smug.

"Sophia, what’s this? Found yourself another sugar daddy and getting ready to be someone’s side piece again?"

One of my roommates chimed in.

"I knew something was up when she came back to pack her stuff. Guess she’s lined up her next sugar daddy already. She’s not even worried about catching something."

I waved my hand dismissively.

"I was wondering where that sour smell was coming from in the dorm. Turns out it's you guys. Here, I’ve got a bottle of perfume—spray some so you don’t stink up the place."

Serena slammed her Hermès bag down, glaring at me.

"Sophia, don’t push your luck."

"Let me tell you something—we're about to get engaged. The engagement party will be at the most luxurious place in the city, the Grand Prestige Hotel."

"Don’t be too jealous. People like you will never be part of my world," Serena said, pulling out her phone and opening her photo gallery.

She showed me a picture of her and Zachary standing in front of a luxurious villa, posing closely together. Next to them was a woman dressed in elegant, high-society fashion.

Seeing Serena’s smug expression, I couldn’t help but laugh coldly inside.

"Oh? And why are you showing me this? Are you planning to invite Zachary's ex to witness your engagement party?"

The other roommates looked eagerly at Serena.

"Serena, we’ve never been in a high-society engagement party before! Take us with you—we’d love to see what it's like!"

Serena tossed her wavy hair with an exaggerated sigh, acting as if she were doing them a favor.

"Fine, I’ll take you bumpkins along to get a taste of the high life."

As soon as I left the dorm, I called my mom, who was on vacation abroad.

The villa in Serena’s photo was none other than my family’s ancestral home.

"Who’s looking after our old house right now?" I asked.

There was some noise on the other end before my mom finally replied, "I think Sebastian arranged for someone to take care of it. You should ask him about it."

"Why are you suddenly asking about the old house? Oh, guess who I ran into here in the U.S.? Your old friend, Ethan! Remember him? That boy has really grown up to be quite the catch."

From her tone, I immediately caught on to what she was hinting at and quickly hung up the phone.

On the day of the engagement party, Serena was already waiting at the hotel entrance, standing there like a proud peacock the moment she saw me and my roommates.

"I’m doing you all a favor by letting you come to my engagement party. Don’t touch anything inside—the stuff here is expensive. Even if you worked your whole lives, you wouldn’t be able to pay for it if you broke something."

I crossed my arms and looked at Serena mockingly.

"Aren’t you supposed to be some rich heiress? If something breaks, can’t you afford to cover it?"

A flicker of unease crossed Serena’s face, but she quickly lifted her chin.

"Of course, I can! I’m just warning you."

As soon as we entered the lobby, the hotel manager spotted me, his eyes lighting up. He immediately started heading my way, but I quickly waved him off.

The manager paused, then seemed to catch on, nodding respectfully before greeting us.

"Do you have a reservation?"

Serena, in her 10-centimeter heels, looked down at him with her nose in the air.

"Obviously, we do. We booked the luxury suite 001."

The hotel manager glanced at me, waiting for a reaction. When I gave none, he promptly led Serena upstairs.

This hotel’s suites are exclusive, especially room 001—it’s reserved for my family only. No one else was ever allowed to book it.

Looks like Serena’s not as simple as I thought.

As soon as the door to the suite opened, we were greeted by a woman dressed in luxurious mink fur, clearly trying to project an air of wealth. But it was obvious the coat didn’t quite fit her properly.

“Daughter, you’re finally here. Zachary’s been waiting for ages. And you wasted so much time waiting for those broke classmates of yours?” Serena’s mom didn’t bother hiding the disdain in her voice as she glanced at us.

Zachary emerged from another room, his expression shifting when he saw me, but he quickly pulled Serena close, acting all affectionate.

“You’re here, Serena. My parents are on their way and we’ve prepared the bride price. Our family may not be as wealthy as yours, but we won’t shortchange you. Two million in cash, plus a custom jewelry set.”

Serena couldn’t hide the excitement in her eyes and my other roommates gasped in awe.

"So, this is what it's like to be rich?" one whispered.

Serena turned to me with a smug look.

“Sophia, don’t get too envious. This is something you could never even dream of having.”

I let out a cold laugh.

"I’m not envious. After all, whether something really belongs to you isn’t always so certain."

Serena’s face darkened and she glared at me.

"Sophia, what do you mean by that? I invited you today as a favor, or else someone as lowly as you would never set foot in a place like this!"

"Oh, really?" I said, my tone sharpening as I was about to retort, but suddenly a cold male voice interrupted from behind me.

I turned to see the hotel manager, bowing respectfully, leading a man toward us.

Serena’s expression changed instantly and she gasped in shock.

"Mr. Fletcher!"

If you made a mistake, you had to pay for the price.