Chapter 32

With a crowd circling around, the chubby girl clutched Molly's arm, shaking it aggressively.

Molly's face instantly darkened.

Ugh,what an idiot.

She seriously wanted to slap the girl off to the side right then.

Colder than ice, Molly's eyes narrowed, but just as quickly, she looked up with tearful, pitiful eyes like a helpless puppy.

"Megan, all these years of sisterhood, don't you care at all?" she sobbed, her voice soft and heartbreaking.

Nice move-like Megan had just dumped a lifelong sister without batting an eye.

Classic Molly. Manipulation queen.

Rachel snorted. "Oh really? And who's the one blabbing around campus about how Megan's kept by some old dude?"

He stepped forward, gaze sharp."What exactly are you trying to do, huh?"

Molly stammered, her voice breaking."1..I never said that. That wasn't me."

"Tch.Sure, maybe not word-for-word. But girl, you sure dropped enough hints to steer people in that direction. And now you're just trying to wipe your hands clean? Seriously?"

As his words bit like knives, the chubby girl jumped in. "And this has what to do with you,exactly?"

Rachel stood firm, arms crossed. "Everything, actually. You called my brother an old dude. That's not okay."

The girl rolled her eyes and tilted her double chin up. "And who the heck is your brother? Don't tell me 'your brother' is just your lame code for a sugar daddy too."

The onlookers burst out laughing.

"Ha," Megan finally let out à cold laugh.

She stepped up, mocking smile curling on her lips. "Your ugly just makes Molly look better. And your dumb helps her seem smart. That's probably the only reason she ever tolerated you."

"Liar!" the girl fired back, face red.

Megan just sighed, clicking her tongue. "If she really saw you as a friend, then why didn't she tell you who I'm actually with? Or maybe...

She lifted her left hand, showing off the ring on her ring finger."Maybe it's because... I'm not being 'kept'but married?"

"Married to who?" The question slipped from the girl's mouth-same question everyone around was thinking.

Suddenly,silence.

Then Rachel smirked and lifted his chin. "Let me introduce myself. Rachel Reid. And my brother? Also a Reid."

Everyone collectively gasped. That"old dude" just might be Tristan?!

Still clinging to hope, the girl snapped, "There are tons of Reids out there. Don't try to scare me by dropping Tristan Reid's name!"

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Megan's face glowed with a faint smile. "Wow, sounds like in your head, you already paired me up with him.Gotta say, not boad. You've got a decent eye."

"Let me make this clear-I'm Megan. And my man? Tristan Reid."

Dead silence.

The only sound was the loud gulp of the chubby girl swallowing hard.

It was over. She was toast. Megan tilted her head and gave her a slight smile. "Being chubby can be cute. But inheriting the mindless bits too? Not so much. Don't let all that extra fat clog your brain-you can't even tell a two-faced backstabber when she's right next to you."

With that, she grabbed Rachel's hand and started wvalking out.

Instinctively, the crowd parted, giving them a wide path.

The chubby girl turned on Molly, furious. "Wow, so that's the kind of schemer you are? You let us believe Megan was some sugar baby when she's literally married to Trisan freakin' Reid? You used us like pawns!"

She fumed, nearly shouting. "And news flash-you're not even the real heiress to the Shaw family. Just a wannabe trying to fake it till you make it. Ugh! How did we not see through your act before?"

Yeah...totally blind. Aftersaying that, she dragged her friend and stormed off.

All around, classmates were shooting Molly looks full of contempt and disdain.

Guess no one expected the harmless little bunny from last year to end up being a manipulative drama queen.

Whispers and sarcastic comments filled the air as Molly clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth in frustration.

She stomped her foot angrily. "That witch! I swear I'll ruin her!"

At 4:30 in the afternoon, two sleek, low-key Bentleys pulled up outside the side gate of Meridian University.

Megan and Rachel each got into one of the cars.

The engines roared to life, and the Bentleys drove off in different directions.

Inside one of them, Tristan was holding the steering wheel with one hand and interlocking fingers with Megan with the other.

"Had a good day?" She leaned into his solid arm, eyes sparkling. "Yeah, super happy."

"Me too."

Megan blinked at him playfully. "Closed a big deal? Stock shot up? Or maybe."

Tristan's lips were curved into a faint smile from the moment she got in. "Because you announced to everyone that I'm your man."

She didn't expect him to be that easy to satisfy. It made her heart ache a little.

Looking up at his sharp-featured profile, she said softly, "Babe, what do you feel like eating tonight? I'll cook for you."

"As long as it's you who's cooking, I'll eat anything."

She just gazed at him quietly, feeling sweet all over.

Back at Dreamscape Manor.

Tristan opened the car door and helped her out gently.

They walked into the villa, nestled close to each other.

Zeta Prime stood at the door, letting out a snarky robotic laugh.

"Welcome home,Master and Goddess. Zeta Prime is 99.7% excited!"

"Alert: Scanners detect a highly suspicious item in the Goddess's bag. Shall I initiate containment

Megan's heart skipped a beat. It was talking about the bugging device, mini camera, and high-voltage stun tool in her bag.

This bucket of bolts didn't know how to shut up but sure knew how to snitch.

Smiling brightly, Megan replied, "Zeta Prime sure is one capable bot."

Its eyes flashed. "Tone analysis complete: 87% probability of sarcasm detected.Translation-Zeta Prime is being called a dumbass." Megan was amused by the robot's answer.

Tristan gave Zeta Prime a cold glance. "The lawn out front needs trimming."

Zeta Prime's optics rotated.

"Apologies. Lawn care is not in my job description. My primary functions include boosting morale, offering flirty praise, and identifying peak moments for...romantic escalation."

Megan took a deep breath. "Should we shut it down?"

Tristan's gaze darkened, voice cold. "Do it."

Zeta Prime zipped its mouth shut in a second, did a full-body spin, and bolted backward toward the east wing of the first fioor.

Tristan wrapped his arm around Megan's slim waist as they headed upstairs. "Meg, what's really in your bag? I'm kinda curious now."

Megan pressed her lips together, cheeks blazing red. "It's nothing serious. Zeta's just talking nonsense."

"Really?" Tristan's grip on her waist tightened slightly. "Zeta's record with detecting danger has never been off before."