Chapter 5

I had specifically talked to Dad about attending the opening ceremony today. No longer content to be scapegoated, I vowed to expose Tanner’s lies.

I didn’t want Tanner taking the credit for Dad’s charity work.

Finley picked up Tanner’s bag from the ground. “Tanner, you must be super happy! I’m sure Mr. Rosenbloom wanted to surprise you!”

The classroom erupted in excitement. “Is that true? Mr. Rosenbloom rarely shows up for events like these.”

“That’s because his son isn’t around. Look-things are different half a year after Tanner enrolled in our school!”

No one but the principal knew that my dad had sponsored the new academic building. For some unexplained reason, the secret became public after Tanner transferred to my school in the second semester of freshman year.

Our schoolmates joked that Tanner was the “building fairy,” which explained why the teachers showered him with more attention than they cared for the average student.

Thinking back, Tanner had circled with me in the first few days when he transferred to our school. He was good-looking, and I slowly fell for him because Maisie kept claiming he treated me special, and that she envied me for attracting the attention of such a heartthrob.

I appeared to have fallen into Tanner and Maisie’s trap in my past life. I had allowed Tanner to take advantage of my family.

Back in the present, our classmates taunted me, “Someone else changed her last name to associate herself with the prestigious Rosenbloom family. Mr. Rosenbloom will expose her later!”

Tanner’s face paled. The classmates gleefully pushed him out of the classroom. “Come on! Let’s go meet Mr. Rosenbloom together!”

Tanner’s body stiffened amid the crowd. “I… I just met my dad this morning. You guys go ahead!”

“Hahaha! We didn’t think too much because we were so excited! You’re right. No one wants to see their dad at school!” Finley remarked, much to Tanner’s relief.

I shot Tanner an airy glance while thinking, “Is he trying to get out of this? Hah, dream on! I’ll call him out.”

Maisie’s friends shared the same idea as me for different reasons. They protested, “If you don’t clear the air, Pearl Rosenbloom will only benefit from it! She’ll keep associating herself with the Rosenblooms at school!”

Maisie gently explained, “I’ll talk Pearl out of her fantasies. Don’t worry.”

In my past life, Maisie was the person who advised me against calling out Tanner’s lies, as he would only detest me more if he lost his status in school. I fell for her words and cautiously protected his ego, only to allow Tanner and Maisie to take advantage of his fake title of the Rosenbloom heir.

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud gasp. Someone had spotted the necklace on Maisie’s neck. “Woah, Maisie, are you wearing a Cartier necklace? It’s so sparkly!”

She blushed. “It’s a gift from Tanner.”

Her friend started to cheer and tease her. Sandy Wellington, who was envious of Maisie, commented, “This necklace must have cost 20 thousand dollars! Tanner Rosenbloom is very generous indeed!”

Finley chimed in, “Of course! Tanner’s filthy rich!”

Everyone around nodded in agreement.

Juniper Bartley joined them in groveling to Tanner and Maisie. “I’m so jealous of you, Maisie! What do I have to do to bag a guy like Tanner?”

“You don’t stand a chance. A guy like Tanner has high standards. Some girls really need to know their place. Just look at that face of yours. You shouldn’t compare yourself to the prettiest girl in school!” With that, Sandy shot me a loaded look.

I knew she was secretly taking a jab at me for having a crush on Tanner, but I wouldn’t fall for a guy like Tanner unless I had a trashy taste.

Maisie caressed the necklace with a clouded expression. “To be honest, I liked the Bulgari necklace he gifted me better. That necklace was worth 60 thousand

dollars.”

A 60-thousand-dollar Bulgari necklace? I perked up after I realized it was the same necklace I owned that went missing. No wonder that necklace Maisie wore yesterday looked so familiar. I started suspecting her of stealing my necklace.

Maisie added, “Too bad I lost it yesterday. What a shame!”

Fuck that bitch! She even borrowed the same excuse!

Upon hearing that, Sandy grew anxious. “Gosh, Maisie, how could you be so chill after losing a Bulgari necklace? Think carefully. Where did you lose it, and who was around you at that time?”

Juniper chortled. “You country bumpkin! Maisie isn’t as ignorant as you! 60-thousand dollars is nothing to Tanner! I’m sure they don’t care about the missing necklace.”

Maisie shot Juniper an agreeing look. “Juniper’s right. I’m not bothered about the price of the lost necklace, but the loss weighs on me because that necklace is a gift from Tanner. Losing it feels like losing part of our relationship.

“Guys, can you all help me to look for that necklace? I lost it in the classroom. If I recall correctly, Pearl had just returned from buying lunch at that time. My necklace went missing after that.”

Chapter 6