09
In their hands, the officers held a gleaming commemorative plaque, which they presented to me in front of everyone.
“We are presenting this on behalf of Miss Scarlett Vance, to thank you for your courage and heroism.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the faces of all the whispering gossips in the room turned instantly awkward.
I accepted it with both hands and murmured my thanks.
The reporters swarmed forward, ecstatic. Not only had they captured the reveal of the state valedictorian, but they also had footage of the police presenting her with a commendation.
This was guaranteed to be the headline story!
Just then, a string of messages from Scarlett popped up on my phone.
[You saved me this time, so we can consider the past wiped clean. But I will never, ever give up the person who belongs to me.]
[From this day forward, I don’t want to see you anywhere near me.]
The chat was filled with applause.
Chat: Now that’s a true heiress, raised with class. Even though Luna stole everything from her in the last life, she’s not holding a grudge. She even cleared up the rumors for her!]
[Chat: Honestly, Luna’s luck is insane. For a normal person, this would be the peak, right? Being the state valedictorian is enough to brag about for a lifetime, and the heiress even had the police deliver a commendation to her!]
[Chat: Is the person above just jealous? You guys are hilarious. Luna literally saved Scarlett. This is what she *should* do. The situation was dangerous. If it wasn’t for Luna, Scarlett might have been killed! And you’re all still talking about how generous Scarlett is for not holding a grudge?]
[Chat: I can’t take it anymore. Reading this story with you brain–dead commenters is exhausting! You just can’t stand to see a poor person succeed, can you? Scarlett gave up the Harvard spot on her own. And so what if Luna approached the male lead with ulterior motives? He was still attracted to her brilliance. Is he supposed to be shackled to his childhood sweetheart forever?]
I let a small smile touch my lips.
Finally, after all this time, a few rational people had appeared in the chat.
W
Shaffer was the most exceptional and wealthiest man I could ever hope to reach. And yes, I was drawn to him because he was an extraordinary, once–in–a–lifetime catch. I knew my backg- round and connections were no match for my ambition, so my reasons for getting close to him weren’t entirely pure.
If a man could help me get what I wanted, why wouldn’t I use that?
To make myself worthy of his status, I had worked myself to the bone after joining his company, landing several major projects that finally silenced the critics.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice the increasingly strange look Shaffer was giving me from the side.
