I wanted to drive home but realized that Kristoff still had my bag.
Left with no choice, I hurried to catch up with the three of them.
As I passed through a grove of trees, I overheard Kristoff’s impatient voice.
“Sandy, how much longer do we have to keep pretending? I really can’t stand it anymore. Who knows if Amelia, who’s been messing around so much, has some kind of disease?”
“And Amelia is so pathetically stupid. She can’t even tell the difference between antiques and fakes. No wonder she could be sweet-talked by some old guy into bed. How can someone like her possibly be worthy of being the Johnson family’s mistress? Sandy, only you deserve the real heirloom bracelet,” Henry added.
Sandy, with an innocent and pitiful look, glanced at them both. “It's true Amelia has done a lot of bad things. But she’s been kind to me. How can I just abandon her? If you two don’t do as I say, I’ll never speak to you again!”
At her words, the two supposedly proud and aloof young masters immediately panicked and began apologizing to Sandy.
They practically groveled, eager to trample on me if it meant putting her on a pedestal.
Over a decade of friendship and shared memories meant nothing compared to Sandy’s few manipulative words.
Holding back tears, I turned and walked away into the endless night, my heart heavy with exhaustion.
By the time I reached home, my sprained ankle had swollen so badly it was unrecognizable.
My grandmother, filled with concern, brought out cooling ointment to massage my injury.
To ease her worries, I shared the good news about my university acceptance.
Her face lit up with surprise and joy. “My baby is so accomplished! Grandma is getting old, and the future of the Nicolas family rests on your shoulders.”
I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes.
“After all these years, the Nicolas family finally has something to celebrate. Grandma will throw a big banquet for you—a proper celebration!” she beamed.
Her joyful expression was the same as when she sent me off to get married in my previous life.
Back then, she believed I had found happiness and was filled with hope, only to pass away at my wedding from the shock of Henry’s betrayal.
This time, I vowed to change everything. Neither I nor my grandmother would suffer again.
Since my grandmother was elderly, I took charge of planning every detail of the banquet.
When my two childhood friends heard about it, they showed up uninvited to “help” and even brought my favorite strawberry cake to apologize.
“Amelia, you’ve been ignoring our messages. Are you still upset about that day?” Henry sighed.
“We didn’t mean to blame you. We were just worried you’d go down the wrong path. For people like us, reputation is everything,” Kristoff said.
I didn’t forgive them, but I allowed them to stay and help.
In our past lives, they owed me far too much. I didn’t need closure; I just wanted to part ways completely in this life.
After my parents passed, the once-prosperous Nicolas family fell into decline, leaving us vulnerable to scorn and bullying.
Now, my success was proof to the world that the Nicolas family had a future and was no longer to be trifled with.
Because of this, my grandmother took the banquet very seriously, attending to every detail.
On the day of the banquet, prominent figures from all over gathered to celebrate.
Sandy, dressed in a custom-made gown, entered with my childhood friends by her side.
Her eyes burned with envy as she took in the grand venue.
“Amelia’s life is truly charmed,” she muttered. "But so what if you’re born into wealth and excel academically? I’ll make sure you live the rest of your life wishing you were dead.”
As she finished speaking, the large screens in the banquet hall suddenly lit up with photos of me.
One after another, they displayed explicit images of me in bed with different men.
“Isn’t that the eldest miss of the Nicolas family? Wow, she really gets around. I guess the rumors were true—children without proper parents really don’t turn out well.”
“No wonder people said Amelia slept her way through university. It all makes sense now.”
