Chapter 132 Aliceâs amusement bordered on contempt when her older brother, Ethan (), called. Last lifetime, heâd used this tacticâthreats and financial sanctions to control her. Now that sheâd escaped the Windham familyâs clutches, did he really think she cared about a business school spor?
âAlice, if you come crawling back and apologize, Iâll get you into the business school. You can get the same elite education as Chloet Her voice was ice. âMr. Ethan Windham, have you forgotten that I got into Harvard on my own meritâ, unlike certain people who scored zero on the SATs?â
âAlice! You dare address me by my first name?! You have no respect!â Ethanâs fury was palpable.âFine. Looks like you havenât learned your lesson. Everything I was going to give you, Iâll give to Chloe. Just wait and see how you regret this.â
âI wonât regret a thing.â
Alice hung up. Those soâcalled resources had gone to Chloe in her past life anyway. She didnât need them.
Back in the dorm, she checked the class group chat; everyone was gossiping about her clash with the business school elite.
Chloe and Chloe were just entering. The air thickened with awkwardness.
Chloeâs voice was laced with resentment. This is just great, rooming with âherâ. Couldnât she just apologize? Is that so hard?â
Alice abruptly pulled out her chair, the screech echoing in the tense silence. Chloe jumped âIâm not wrong! Those rich kids? Are they someone a broke college student like her can mess. with?â
Chloe tried to mediate.âWeâre all classmates, roommates. Letâs not make things worse.â
Chloe scoffed.âMax said if we get too close to Alice, sheâll get us too.â Chloe grabbed her toiletries and stomped off to the bathroom.
Once alone, Alice organized her textbooks. Sheâd studied computer science in her past life, too; these introductory Courses were a breeze.
The next day, on her way to class, Alice felt eyes on her, heard whispers. She ignored them; sheâd faced worse isolation because of Chloe before. But as she approached the classroom, something felt off.
She glanced up at the slightly ajar door. She kicked it open.
A bucket of water cascaded down.
Alice, agile and quick, dodged it. But the students inside werenât so lucky. Screams erupted as the icy water soaked their clothes.
âUgh, itâs all over my outfit!â
âMy dress! Itâs limited edition!â
Alice strolled into the classroom, a sardonic smile playing on her lips as she saw Max and Chloe looking utterly disheveled. How childish. This was Chloeâs doing, Î Î doubt.
Max bristled âHey, country bumpkin, you soaked our clothes! Youâre paying for this!â
Chapter 10 âIf youâre broke, you can work it off!â
Aliceâs gaze hardened.âIâm not paying. Sue me.â She wasnât scared of these petty games. Sheâd been a pampered heiress;
these tactics were transparent.
Max stamped her foot.âFine, you just wait!â Her perfect day had been ruined, and now she was soaked to the bone. This was infuriating.
Chloe, ignoring the mess, dragged Max away.âMax, I never thought Alice would notice the bucket.â
Max slapped Chloe.âItâs your stupid idea! Look at us!â She spat, âYouâre just as dumb as that country bumpkin!â
Chloe covered her face, her eyes welling. Max stormed off, leaving Chloe alone, humiliated. She would get revenge a thousandfold once sheâd established herself.
âOh, being someoneâs lapdog doesnât seem. to be working out so well, does it?â Alice stood by the door, arms crossed, a mocking glint in her eyes. She watched Chloe, cowed and humiliated.
Chloe, noticing Aliceâs amusement, seethed. âYou got lucky this time!â
âOh, Iâll always get lucky. You, on the other hand... who knows?â
1 you.
Youâll be âMy brother will pave my way. Iâll have a better life than you, marry better than with that poor doctor forever, a commoner.â
Chloe needed to put Alice down to feel better about herself.
Alice, watching the âwhite lotusâ squirm, felt a surge of satisfaction. Chloeâs attempts to ingratiat herself with the elite clearly werenât going smoothly.
The classroom was cleaned quickly. When Alice returned, she found her usual seat taken. She even felt some other students deliberately avoiding her. She chose a seat in the front row, far from anyone.
After class, she saw various clubs recruiting. She found the Harvard University esports club, knowing the national team scouts there. She wanted to join the national team, but didnât want to sign with a commercial team yet; that limited freedom. The university team was different. She filled out an application. Despite Chloeâs antics, Alice wouldnât let her derail her goals. At lunch, she discovered her belongings had been rummaged through. Nothing was missing. Chloe emerged from the bathroom, her eyes shifty.
Aliceâs voice was cold. âYou went through my things?â
âYouâre delusional! Whatâs there to steal? One of my bags costs more than your yearly living expenses!â Chloe denied it, but her guilt was obvious.
Alice sat down, placing the esports club flyer on the table.
Chloe whispered, âAlice, be careful. The business school kids are plotting against you.â âI know. Thanks.â
Alice opened the gaming forum, responding to questions about gameplay strategy. She many asking if sheâd join the âBubble team (ERRA). What was going on? The manager of the team had followed her account. There was a misunderstanding. Then came a text from her sixth older brother, Luke (P), his tone accusatory:âAlice, joining Bubble Chapter 132 the Bubble team? Did you even think about how I feel?â