Betrayed Heiress Teaches Them a Lesson Chapter 2

When did I realize things were weird?

Girls from the neighboring dorms would pass me in the hallway and pretend I was invisible instead of smiling like they used to.

During lectures, everyone sat a solid three seats away from me, except for Brooke and Roxy.

I thought I was just being paranoid. After all, I grew up in gated estates with security so tight I barely ever saw my own neighbors. I did not have a great radar for being socially iced out.

Until one night, Brooke finally snapped.

I had just stepped out of the shower, toweling my damp hair, when Brooke pushed the door open and sat on the edge of my bed with a bizarre expression.

"Jena, have you seen this?"

"Seen what?"

She hesitated, then pulled out her phone and opened a massive group chat.

I scrolled up. A girl named Ashley had fired off three consecutive texts.

"Do you guys know that Jena girl from class four? She brought literal bodyguards on the first day. She really thinks she is a princess."

"She gave her roommates La Mer, but the catch is they have to be her maids. Five hundred to clean, a thousand to fetch packages. Is that not just humiliating people with money?"

"Melissa from the dorm next door told me. She said she felt incredibly humiliated receiving the gifts, but was too terrified to say no because she did not want to get on Jena's bad side."

Reading that, I admit, my blood pressure spiked.

There were nearly a hundred replies under Ashley's texts.

Some called me a tasteless newly-rich snob, while others called me a toxic elitist.

Someone even sent a row of candle emojis with a sarcastic comment: "Poor Melissa, having to share a room with a monster like that."

I handed the phone back to Brooke.

"Melissa started all this?"

"The texts literally name-drop her, but look at Melissa playing dumb in the chat!" Brooke was fuming.

I scrolled further down. Melissa had sent a pitiful little paragraph.

"I did not want everyone to know. I just complained to Ashley privately. Please do not attack Jena or cause her any trouble."

Brooke rolled her eyes so hard I thought they would get stuck.

"Give me a break! A private complaint that somehow spread to three different majors?"

I stayed quiet.

Brooke thought I was genuinely hurt and quickly added, "Jena, do not let it get to you. Bitches like her just cannot stand seeing other people thrive. If you want to put her in her place, I have your back!"

I shook my head.

"No need. Something this petty does not require an operation."

The next morning on my way to class, I purposely walked right past Melissa's usual row.

She was staring down at her textbook. Without a word, I dropped my bag and sat in the empty seat right next to her.

She stiffened instantly.

The girls sitting around her darted nervous glances in my direction.

I unlocked my phone, pulled up the screenshot of the group chat, and slid it directly onto her textbook.

"Care to explain?"

Melissa took one look at the screen, quickly shoved the phone back toward me, and lowered her voice to a whisper.

"I... I just felt a little uncomfortable, so I casually vented. It was just a joke."

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms.

"You gladly accepted my La Mer, the Apple tech bundle, and the Chanel lipsticks. And then you went behind my back and told the entire school I was giving you charity? That I used my money to humiliate you?"

Her eyes instantly flooded with tears. A few students nearby were already turning their heads.

Melissa suddenly covered her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling as her voice cracked into a sob.

"Jena, what did I ever do to you? Why are you hunting me down just to bully me?"

She sniffled, looking up at me with eyes full of stubborn grievance.

"You dumped all those wildly expensive things on me. I know you are filthy rich, but you know exactly what my financial situation is. How am I supposed to pay you back?"

"I am terrified to even use them. I leave them in my closet and feel sick looking at them every day. So what if I complained to Ashley? Am I not allowed to have feelings?"

I sat there in total silence, watching her put on a masterclass performance.

Melissa simply stood up, her chair legs screeching harshly against the floor.

"Yes, I am poor! So just because I took your stuff, I am supposed to fall on my knees and worship you?"

"What gives you the right to act so superior and dictate our relationship? You weaponized your money to crush my self-esteem. Am I not allowed to feel uncomfortable?"

The moment she finished her speech, the tears fell even harder.

The students around us started whispering furiously.

"Jena, back off. Just because you have money does not mean you can psychologically torture people."

My voice was deadpan.

"Melissa, are you done crying?"

Her sobbing hitched for a second.

"First. If you felt so incredibly guilty and pressured by the gifts, you can bring them all back to me tomorrow."

"Second. You claim my money turned you into a slave. Funny how you did not feel humiliated when you were cashing in."

Her mouth opened, tears still streaming down her cheeks, but no words came out.

I stood up and smoothed out my jacket.

"I saved the screenshots from the group chat. I strongly advise you to watch your step."

I cast a cold glance at the crowd of self-righteous students around us.

"I do not care if they believe your little act. But cross me again, and I will not be this polite."

After my warning, Melissa and her internet defenders stayed dead silent for two days.

But a week later, I received a phone call from my fiancé, Preston.