Chapter 3

Jennifer's smile froze.

She snatched the POS machine.

"How is that possible! Is the machine broken?"

The designer's expression shifted slightly, but he maintained his politeness.

"Mrs. Musa, our equipment is checked daily. Perhaps you'd like to try a different card?"

Jennifer grew frantic, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Why would I try another card! This is an unlimited black card!"

She tapped the card again.

"Beep—Transaction failed. Insufficient funds."

This time, the machine's voice was exceptionally loud and clear.

I watched her performance.

"It seems Mr. Musa's assets aren't as substantial as you imagined."

Jennifer spun around abruptly, glaring at me fiercely.

"Shut up! This must be your doing!"

"Musa is in Dubai negotiating a multi-billion dollar project, how could he be out of money!"

She fumbled for her phone and called Musa.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off."

The mechanical female voice became the final straw that broke her.

The designer's gaze had already shifted from respectful to suspicious.

"Mrs. Musa, if there are financial difficulties, our cooperation can be put on hold for now…"

"Who says I don't have money!" Jennifer shrieked.

She would never allow herself to be humiliated in front of her rival.

She yelled downstairs, "Mom! Come up here!"

Laura, who had been swaying to the music, rushed upstairs.

"What's wrong?"

Jennifer pulled her into a corner and whispered a few words.

Laura's face changed drastically, and she waved her hands repeatedly.

"No, no, absolutely not! That's the money for your brother Gerald's house!"

Jennifer stomped her foot in exasperation.

"Mom! Think long-term! When Musa comes back, this whole villa will be mine!"

"I'll pay you back tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Under her relentless badgering, Laura gritted her teeth and pulled out a passbook.

A full two point four million dollars was transferred directly into the renovation company's account.

Watching the designer leave, satisfied with the receipt, Jennifer finally regained her composure.

She walked up to me, chin held high.

"See? That's what you call leverage."

"Tomorrow night, I'm hosting a housewarming party here, and celebrating my marriage, of course."

"I've invited all the socialites and our university classmates."

She reached out and poked my shoulder.

"You'd better behave yourself. If you dare to ruin my party, I'll cut off your allowance immediately!"

I patted the spot where she'd poked me.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to prepare a grand gift for you."

The next evening, the villa was brightly lit.

Jennifer, wearing a rented designer gown bought with the few thousand dollars Musa had left her, mingled through the crowd.

Most of the guests were our university classmates.

These people, who used to flock around me, were now all gathered around Jennifer, fawning over her.

"Jennifer, you're so low-key! I can't believe you became Mrs. Musa without a word."

"This villa must be worth hundreds of millions! I'm so jealous."

Norris, our class monitor, raised his glass, his face dripping with sycophancy.

Jennifer covered her mouth, giggling, shaking all over.

"Musa just spoils me too much. He insisted on transferring this house to my name."

As she spoke, her gaze dismissively swept towards me, sitting in the corner.

"Victoria, you don't need to be too sad."

"Even though your dad remarried, as your stepmother, I definitely won't treat you badly."

All eyes in the room instantly focused on me.

There was pity, schadenfreude, and most of all, the greedy anticipation of a good show.

Norris immediately jumped out to side with Jennifer.

"Victoria, what are you waiting for? Why aren't you coming over to toast Jennifer?"

"Exactly, it's a happy occasion, who are you sulking for?" A few other girls chimed in.

Jennifer walked up to me, holding out a glass of red wine.

"Victoria, call me 'Mom,' and this drink can be our truce."

She lowered her voice, speaking only loud enough for the two of us to hear.

"If you don't, tomorrow I'll dig up your mom's urn and throw it into the artificial lake for the fish."

My eyes instantly turned cold.

"Jennifer, do you really think that just because Musa married you, this house is your kingdom?"

Jennifer was unnerved by my glare but forced herself to maintain her aggressive demeanor.

"Isn't it? Musa is the CEO of Victoria Group!"

She pulled a document from her bag and held it high.

"Open your eyes and look! This is the prenuptial agreement Musa gave me!"

"Half of the shares under his name have all been transferred to me!"

A gasp erupted from the crowd.

I looked at the flawed agreement and finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.