The Mean Girl Married a Billionaire and Snubbed Me. Little Did She Know, I’m the Matriarch of His Family. Chapter 2

When I got back to the dorm from the library, my roommates immediately surrounded me, telling me not to let Chloe get to me.

There were six of us in the suite. Chloe had moved out at the beginning of the semester, leaving just the five of us: Harper, Mia, Zoe, Lily, and me.

They used to be close to Chloe, but after a few incidents, they saw right through her manipulative tactics.

When Harper first started dating her boyfriend, she treated the dorm to dinner. We all agreed not to add her boyfriend on social media out of respect, except Chloe. Chloe added his Snapchat.

It started with her "innocently" sharing funny stories about Harper, then evolved into her calling him late at night, constantly dropping hints that Harper didn't actually love him that much.

When Harper and her boyfriend eventually broke up, Chloe acted incredibly supportive, which made Harper deeply grateful. It wasn't until Harper's ex accidentally revealed that Chloe had been badmouthing her that the truth came out.

That was when everyone saw the real Chloe.

She used her fragile, innocent act to manipulate people's sympathies and gain their trust.

"I'm not mad. I don't have the time to be as bored as her, using a marriage just to flex on other people," I said, choosing my words carefully. "It's just stupid."

Speak of the devil.

Chloe walked in, a smirk playing on her lips. She looked thrilled, probably thinking her little stunt had genuinely upset me.

I didn't bother explaining. There was no point.

The other girls ignored her, turning back to their own desks.

Noticing the cold reception, Chloe placed several designer gift bags on the center table. "Mia, Zoe, my fiancé just got back from a business trip to Paris and brought these gifts. See if you like them. If there aren't enough, I can have my driver bring more."

Harper was in the middle of a video game and snapped, "What, you think we've never seen imported goods before? You think we can't afford anything?"

Chloe immediately played defense, saying she didn't mean it like that. She just felt that these items were very expensive, and as "besties," she wanted to share them.

"I just think friends should share," Chloe said, looking down. "But if you don't want them because you hate me, that's fine. I... I understand."

She looked like she was about to cry.

Her acting wasn't quite up to par today—all thunder, no rain.

But if we didn't take the stuff, she'd probably make enough noise to draw the whole floor into our room to see us "bullying" her.

I casually reached out and grabbed one of the boxes. "If it's for everyone, then there's one for me, right? Perfect. I'll flip it on Poshmark. Should cover my groceries for the week."

"It's hard to find a sucker giving away free money these days. Why say no?"

Chloe looked shocked, but seemed pleased that her ultimate goal of showing off was achieved.

Zoe put away her laundry and grabbed a box too. "Yeah, free stuff is free stuff. Thanks, Chloe. We really wouldn't be able to afford this otherwise."

The other girls laughed and took the remaining boxes, turning to me. "Hazel, what's that app you use? Help us sell these too! We'll buy you boba with the profits."

Chloe: "..."

Ignoring our attitude, Chloe pivoted to her real announcement: "I'll be moving back into the dorm starting tomorrow until the wedding. I hope we can all get along for these next few days."

None of us wanted her back. We knew exactly why she was doing it—if she didn't stay in the dorm, how else could she make sure the entire student body saw the fleet of luxury cars picking her up?

Honestly, the girl knew how to put on a show.

She brought back a ton of extra gifts, handing them out to girls in other dorms whether she knew them or not. Naturally, this won her a ton of envious admirers. Upperclassmen even started coming by our room to network with her, asking if she could hook them up with jobs at Sterling Enterprises.

Our dorm usually had a great study environment, but for three days straight, it was packed like a crowded fish market. We couldn't even breathe.

Zoe tried to reason with Chloe, but Chloe just gave her signature helpless look. "I don't want this either! But they're our classmates. How can I say no? Just because I'm marrying the CEO of Sterling Enterprises doesn't mean I should act like a snob. That would hurt their feelings."

Zoe was so mad she chugged an entire bottle of orange juice in one go.

"How about we talk to the RA? This is ruining our lives," Harper sighed heavily. "I can't even take a nap in here anymore. And Lily is a total introvert—she's having panic attacks seeing a dozen strangers in our room every day."

"I'll go talk to her," Mia volunteered.

Less than a minute later, Mia returned, frowning at her phone. "The RA said we just need to endure it. The university is apparently trying to secure a partnership with Sterling Enterprises right now. She told us to 'be understanding roommates' and avoid causing unnecessary drama."

"Blatant favoritism."

"At least it's only a few more days. Once she's married, there's no way the Sterling family will let her live in a crusty college dorm."

I had just finished a brutal practice test for my Advanced French exam. I took a sip of water. "Not necessarily. Who knows if something will go wrong at the wedding? She might be forced to keep living here."

Harper laughed and called me a jinx, though she admitted she was torn on whether she wanted Chloe's wedding to go smoothly or not.

Then she paused. "Hazel, your last name is Sterling too. Are you secretly related to Liam Sterling? Don't tell me you're actually a secret heiress."

I waved my hand dismissively. "I don't know Liam Sterling."

Harper groaned. "Ugh! I was hoping you were a secret billionaire who would take us on luxury vacations so we could flex on Chloe. Wait, did she not invite you because she hates us, or does she just hate you?"

Chloe returned to the dorm surrounded by her new entourage. We immediately stopped talking and dispersed, either going for a walk or hanging out in other rooms.

I put my noise-canceling headphones on and started another practice test, trying to block out the endless fawning over Chloe.

This was just obstacle training, I told myself.

I absolutely had to pass my Advanced French exam this time!