Chapter 39

Wealth was never part of Elissa's background-she had grown up with very little.

Everything she now possessed came from taking over Daisy's rightful home.

As her friends slowly distanced themselves and classmates stared with scornful eyes, a wave of lightheadedness washed over Elissa, and she nearly lost her balance.

Tears spilling down her cheeks, Elissa scoffed,"That's not how it happened!" Her vision blurred as she tried to defend herself, looking the very picture of heartbreak. "We didn't steal the house, and besides, Daisy's parents have been gone for ages. Whatever my parents own now, they built from scratch. Joyce, you've even visited my dad's company, haven't you?"

For a brief moment, Joyce hesitated, then offered a silent nod.

With streaks of tears running down her face,Elissa continued, "Okay, it's true-the house doesn't belong to us. I only claimed it out of loyalty to my parents. When we were younger,my family had less, and Daisy's parents always looked down on us. After they passed, my mom welcomed Daisy and Arabella as if they were her own-sometimes she cared more for them than for me. But all she got in return was their contempt, even violence. Honestly, I let my anger get the better of me and said things l shouldn't have. One little lie turned into a mess l couldn't control. I'm truly sorry for misleading everyone."

As her words trailed off, Elissa buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking with sobs.

From where she stood, Arabella couldn't help but think Elissa had missed her calling-one speech, and she had nearly swept the whole

crowd back onto her side. Sympathy flickered in Joyce's eyes. "I'm sorry, Elissa. I guess | didn't understand the whole story."

Joyce turned, facing the others. "You're wrong about Elissa. When Daisy arrived at school with a bad reputation, everyone avoided her-everyone except Elissa, who went out of her way to welcome her and encouraged us to do the same.There's no way she's the villain here."

A rush of frustration took hold of Joyce as she realized she had almost been taken in by Daisy as well.

The students looked uncertain, their doubt creeping back in.

"If Elissa's telling the truth, maybe her actions are understandable after all."

"That's right! I remember Elissa sticking up for Daisy back in the day. When Joyce was giving her a hard time, Elissa always stepped in. She's always struck me as a qenuinely good person."

Someone chimed in from the back, "I honestly don't know what to believe anymore, but I still feel like Elissa has a kind heart. Even if that house really belonged to Daisy, I'd take Elissa's side."

Thanks to her careful reputation-building, Elissa had most of the student body in her corner-for now.

Arabella unlocked her phone, intent on taking action, but something on the screen made her pause and arch an eyebrow.

A notification announced, "The school forum has just banned anonymous posting. From now on,every comment and post will display the user's real name."

Timing couldn't have been better for her.

For Arabella, this update was perfect.

Whispers swept through the crowd as more and more students saw the update. A handful went pale, eyes darting nervously to their own

devices.

Still wiping at her tears, Elissa caught a glimpse of Joyce's phone and went rigid. Panic spread across her features as realization hit, draining all color from her face. She frantically searched her bag for her own phone, sweat breaking out on her brow.

"Hold on... you mean Elissa wrote all those nasty posts?" Stepping forward, Kaitlyn began to recite. "'Be wary, Daisy might steal from you.'Daisy is such trash-she's harassing boys again. 'There goes Daisy, bullying Elissa once more. Why can't that girl just disappear already?"

Those messages had been the spark that destroyed Daisy's reputation.

No one had ever suspected who was hiding behind the anonymous account, but those words had been enough to poison everyone against Daisy.

Now, with the new policy in place, the name attached to every message was unmistakable-Elissa.

A cold mood settled over the group as every student began tapping into Elissa's profile, eyes wide with shock and anger.

Nearly every post was either a vicious jab at Daisy or an over-the-top compliment to Elissa herself.

"Seriously, could Daisy be any more revolting?I've caught her leaving hotels with guys more than once. Careful, everyone-you don't want to catch whatever she's spreading."

Another entry read, "Daisy is the worst. Can she just disappear already?"

Bragging posts dotted the thread too. "Look at this unedited shot of Elissa-no filterneeded,she's naturally stunning."

And those were just the beginning.

A heavy silence fell as the crowd scrolled-first shock, then a rush of guilt washed through them.

Realization dawned with horror. Elissa had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes?

All that sweetness had been a mask-Elissa was nothing but a master manipulator, hiding a snake's heart.

A wave of disgust swept through the grouIp;more than one person felt their stomach twist with nausea.

"You're unbelievable, Elissa-how could you stoop so low?" The words rang out as someone hurled a textbook at her, catching her directly in the face. "I actually believed you. I must've been out of my mind!"