Chapter 110

Carmen had just stepped into the classroom when she was instantly drowned in a flood of prying stares and hushed whispers.

“Did you hear?” someone asked.

Another said, “Everyone’s heard about it by now, alright? She cheated in the state competition and got Alec kicked out of the Painting Association. As for that Rithol Art School incident, like she didn’t know someone swapped her project. She probably just hired a ghostwriter.

“And that’s not all. She probably just got back from the new principal’s office. Those bullies who got someone killed were expelled, and word is, she was pulling the strings behind the scenes too.

“Appearances can be so deceiving! She always acted like such a sweet and generous person; who would’ve thought she’d turn out like this?

“The Wilson family is really unlucky, favoring this worthless trash over their own flesh and blood.

“Man, Aubree is totally killing it these days!”

One foot in the classroom, the other rooted outside, Carmen stood frozen, her fingers digging into the straps of her backpack until her knuckles turned white. Head slightly bowed, her eyes blazed with barely contained fury.

She thought, ‘Aubree is becoming more and more of a threat. Last night, Dad and Daxton even made me promise, in front of the whole family, that I’d find an opportunity to apologize to her! How humiliating is that?

‘Why should I apologize to Aubree? I didn’t do anything wrong!

‘Not only that, but Mom actually had my custom-designed gown altered for Aubree! How dare she? That dress was mine!’

Carmen seethed as the gossip swirled around her. She thought, ‘It’s all Aubree’s fault! Why couldn’t she have just stayed missing after being abducted? Why did she have to come back and steal my family, my identity?’

Lizzie Kim snapped, “That’s enough! Don’t act like you all haven’t taken favors from Carmen before!”

Someone retorted, “Everyone knows you’re Carmen’s biggest suck-up.”

Lizzie’s face flushed crimson with anger. Unable to argue with so many people, she rushed up to Carmen, grabbed her, and pulled her toward the classroom. “Don’t mind them, Carmen,” she said urgently, “They’re just jealous of your family’s status and the fact that you’re with Alvin.”

Another person scoffed, “Hilarious! Didn’t you see how annoyed Alvin was with her last time?”

Carmen finally snapped. She shook off Lizzie’s hand, stepped forward, and delivered a stinging slap across the speaker’s face. “Since when do you get to judge my life?” she spat, her voice trembling with rage.

The girl who got slapped was just as hot-tempered and instantly swung back to return the blow, but a quick-thinking classmate grabbed her arm. “Let it go, let it go,” the classmate urged, “She’s got the whole Wilson family behind her. Hit her today, and you’ll be the one paying for it tomorrow.”

The girl said, “What a joke! Mark my words, you’ll never measure up to Aubree, not in this lifetime!”

‘Aubree, why is it always her?’ Carmen seethed inwardly, her frustration reaching a breaking point.

Carmen was deaf to Lizzie’s words of comfort. The farce only came to a temporary halt when the teacher entered with teaching materials.

Carmen barely registered a word of the lesson. Her mind was still seething with resentment.

She thought, ‘Make me apologize to Aubree? Fine then, I’ll go apologize to her!’

A calculating gleam flickered in Carmen’s eyes.

The first class was followed by an extended break. Seniors could use the time freely, but nearly everyone stayed in the classroom, buried in their textbooks.

The bell had just rung when someone called from the classroom door, “Aubree, someone’s here to see you.”

Aubree was led to the stairwell. When she saw who had come for her, she smirked. “Well, well, fancy seeing you come to me for once.”

“Sis, don’t be like this,” Carmen said, reaching out to her. Aubree immediately took a wary half-step back, putting distance between them.

“So, trying that ‘you pushed me down the stairs’ trick again?” Aubree crossed her arms, her eyes full of mockery. Carmen slowly withdrew her hand, her voice soft and pleading. “Sis, you’ve got me all wrong. I just wanted to apologize. Everything that happened was my fault. Please forgive me.”

She tilted her face up, putting on the most pitiful, doe-eyed look imaginable.

“Do you really think that’s possible?” Aubree rolled her eyes. She guessed Ronald must have sent Carmen.

“I don’t think that’s possible either.” Carmen suddenly smirked, her tone doing a complete 180 from just a moment ago.

Before Aubree could react, Carmen suddenly raised her hand and delivered a stinging slap to her own face. The sharp crack echoed unnervingly through the stairwell. “Sis,” she said in a trembling voice, “I just wanted to apologize to you.”