Chapter 15
“What?” Júlia was stunned.
Simon, who had been chatting with Heston, looked equally taken aback.
“She didn’t want to stay home, so I let her leave, Heston replied
Julia’s face went pale.
The family tutors exchanged uneasy glances, and one of them said, “Um, Mr. Heston Murphy, we’re done eating. We’ll head
out for a bit.
“Sure, just let the serv**nt know if you need anything. Heston nodded with a kind smile.
The four of them, including Simon, stood up and left the dining room.
“Julia, Cassie thinks you didn’t do anything wrong and she has no reason to hide. This just gives those waiting for the Murphy family to fail a show to watch, Heston explained gently
I know, but it feels… Why didn’t she say anything to me?” Julia fell silent for a moment, frustration flickering at the corners of her mouth.”
She shouted in her mind, ‘Da**n it! Wasn’t Cassie too scared to even go to school after being bullied? Why would she decide
now? Has she lost her mind! If she’s not at the estate, whats the point of bringing Simon here?”
To
“She’s probably worried about you, Anne added, though she didn’t know why Cassie hadn’t told Julia.
‘Did she forget? Or was she scared Julia wouldn’t let her go? Anne felt heavy-hearted. Cassie seemed hard to read lately, “Don’t worry, Julia. Larry is with Cassie, Anne said as Julia’s expression darkened. Thinking Julia was just concerned about Cassie, she gently squeezed her hand. “Cassie wants to be brave for you. You need to be strong and move past this.”
“Okay. Julia nodded slowly, looking down. ‘Being brave for me? Nonsense! Cassie isn’t that kind of person. Something’s definitely off. It’s like she knows something and keeps dodging my plans.
When Julia got back to her room, her phone was full of missed calls-all from Simon. She felt annoyed and had no intention of calling him back.
But Simon showed up at her door under the excuse of having a class. After closing the door, he asked in a low voice, “What’s going on? Didn’t you say Cassie would be home with you?”
“Why are you yelling at me? How should I know what’s wrong with her?” Julia snapped back.
“What do we do now?” Simon pressed, trying to keep his temperin check.
I know Cassie. She’s scared of those mean girls and their cruel jokes Julia shot a venomous glare and sneered, “Just wait. She won’t last a day. She’ll be back in tears by afternoon.”
Thanks to Julia’s scheming, Cassie, once a proud princess, had become incredibly insecure as a teenager. Those arrogant rich girls never took her seriously. Pranks and bullying were just everyday annoyances for her.
Most of those girls came from families not as wealthy as the Murphy family, and their parents had to be polite and respectful to the Murpliys. So, bullying the future heiress was a twisted source of entertainment for those spoiled kids.
With Julia fueling the draina, Cassie hadn’t had it easy over the years. To avoid worrying her family, she swallowed her problems. This built tension and frequent clashes with Heston after she started dating Simon.
But now, Cassie was no longer the same girl.
Today, Cassie wore an exquisite couture dress, adorned with sparkling jewelry. The heavy makeup Julia usually piled on he was nowhere to be seen, and her long curly hair flowed down her shoulders. A pearl hairpin pinned just above her left ear added a touch of elegance.
Cassie was already beautiful, and even without makeup, she looked stunning. In the past, her shyness and the messy makeu had hidden her natural charm.
Larry pulled up to the school entrance and opened the car door for Cassie with great respect. As she stepped out, it felt like time stopped-everyone’s eyes were fixed on her.
“Ms. Murphy, I’m always here if you need anything. Larry said, handing her bag to her.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
Thanks, Larry, Cassie replied with a warm smile.
Larry nodded in return. Cassie ignored the stares and walked into school confidently.
Is that Cassie?”
Looks like it is her. Who else would show up at school like that?”
“Wait, is she always this gorgeous? I don’t remember her like this!
A group of well-dressed socialites, flaunting designer labels, looked visibly annoyed.
They had been at Cassie’s birthday party just two days earlier, and while they had been momentarily captivated by her beauty, they had often bullied her and never took her seriously.
Now, witnessing the admiration Cassie was receiving made them furious.
“How dare she show up here after all that drama at her house? How shameless!” one girl blurted out.
The crowd snapped back to focus at that comment
“Oh right, Julia’s mess is still the buzz around town. What was Cassie thinking, coming back here?”
This cannot stand; added Jennie Gaiman, the ringleader of the girls bullying Cassie and from a wealthy family. “With Julia in such a tough spot, she just came to school dressed like a princess, acting like everything’s fine? So disrespectful! Jennie sneered. “We need to show her she can’t just flaunt herself here.”
“Jennie’s right!” The girls echoed with snarky laughter.
The crowd started to gather, eager to watch the drama unfold as Jennie and her group trailed behind Ca**te into the classroom.
Cassie walked into the classroom and immediately noticed her desk-it was stacked high with trash. The other students looked at her, a smirk playing on their faces.
Casie didn’t blame them too much. In school, peer pressure ran deep. When most were picking on someone, even the who might want to help often ended up going with the crowd. It was easy to make a decision between joining them or becoming the target.
those
Cassie made her way to her desk expressionlessly.
Just then, Jennie appeared. “Hey, Ms. Murphy.”
Cassie turned to her. “Did you guys do this to my desk?”
What’s going on?’ Jennie was stunned. Cassie, the so-called heiress who had never had the guts to speak to them, was now standing her ground and looking her straight in the eye.
Jennie felt her pride take a hit. Taking a step closer, she replied with a sneer, “Yeah, I did it. What’s wrong with putting trash on a trashy desk?”
Cassie looked at Jennie without flinching Jennie, however, felt a shiver race down her spine under Cassie’s intense gaze.
“What are you staring at Jennie raised her voice nervously and reached to grab Cassie’s hair. But before she could touch. Cassie, her own hair was grabbed instead.
Then, to everyone’s shock. Cassie yanked Jennie’s hair and shoved her face right into the trash pile.
“Ah” gasps echoed through the room.
Tve given you too much respect, huh?” Cassie held jennie down calmly, yet her voice was icy cold. “Your family made 60% of its revenue last year from deals with Murphy Group. What gives you the nerve to keep pushing my buttons?”
“Cassie, are you out of your mind?” one of Jennie’s friends yelled in disbelief.
Cassie shot them a cold glare. “Not your turn yet. Be quiet.
The group of girls stood there, completely baffled. What does this have to do with us?”
Cassie, you’ll pay for this!” Jennie, recovering from the shock, screamed in anger. But under Cassie’s holding, she was utterly defenseless.
“What can you do?” Cassie taunted with a smirk. “Jennie, what do you think would happen if I called your parents and told them what you’ve done to me?”
Jennie immediately went quiet. The crowd around them started to squirm.
They knew Murphy Group was not to be trifled with. So, when Jennie just led the bullying against Cassie, they had stayed silent. But as it became clear there were no real consequences for picking on Cassie, that fear vanished.
Now, though, Cassie was bringing everyone back to reality. She was the only heiress of Murphy Group, the shining star of the Murphy family.
“And isn’t your family’s contract with Murphy Group ending next month?” Cassie added, her smile pretty but cold. It sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
“What on earth are you going to do?” Jennie said, panic creeping into her voice. She had always been tough, but she knew just how important Murphy Group’s contract was for her family business
“You have fifteen minutes to fix this, Cassie let of Jennie and walked over to sit in Julia’s spot, her face expressionless.