Locked by the Campus Queen, Heiress in Disguise

Serena's POV

I watched in horror as Nadine lifted her heel, a ten-centimeter "sky-high," and aimed it straight at Buttercup. The twisted glee on her face sent a chill down my spine. I knew exactly what she was about to do, and at that moment, it felt like everything around me was falling apart.

"Don’t! Buttercup!" I screamed, my voice trembling with desperation.

But the words barely left my mouth before the heel came crashing down, aiming to stomp the life out of my cat.

Nadine's grin twisted into something more vicious. "You bitch, once I’m done with the pests, I’ll deal with the big one."

Without wasting another second, she slipped off her heels. Before I could even blink, she slapped me hard across the face. The sound of her hand meeting my cheek rang in my ears as she counted off each strike, her voice dripping with venom.

"One... two... three..." she taunted, her laughter echoing in my skull. "Look at her! Her face is so swollen, she looks like a pig's head."

Then, with a cruel, smug smile, she added, 'How about we give you another round of punches, just for good measure?"

Her minions jumped in, eager to join the fun, slapping me harder with each blow.

My lips grew so swollen I couldn’t even feel them anymore. My teeth felt loose, slipping from my gums, as blood mixed with the bitter taste of my pain.

My head spun, my world tilted sideways, and the high-pitched ringing in my ears drowned out everything else. Every inch of me was on fire, but somehow, I forced myself to speak, struggling to get the words out between pained gasps.

"I’m the Grandmatriarch, and you’re treating me like this? The Prescotts won’t let you leave here alive," I managed to whisper, barely audible through my swollen lips.

Nadine threw her head back, laughing maniacally. "Hah! Just because your last name’s Prescott, you think you’re some big deal? Well, guess what? I’m the true heir of the Prescotts now! I’ll tear you apart, you little rat!"

When I thought I couldn’t sink any lower, a voice rang out, cutting through the madness.

"Who’s making all this noise?"

Everything froze.

I turned my head, my eyes filled with a flicker of hope, and saw the Prescotts' butler, Atticus Jones, step into the room. He walked in with the easy confidence of someone used to wealth and power, dignified and unyielding in his bearing.

Right then, a sliver of hope sparked in my chest.

"Atticus, it’s me, Serena," I said, almost pleading.

Unsure, Nadine's minions hesitated and let me go.

"Could she be really the Grandmatriarch of the Prescotts?" one of them muttered, doubt creeping into their voice.

Atticus sized me up, then sneered without missing a beat. "Where did this filthy beggar come from? I don’t know her."

He shot a glance at Nadine's friends, dismissing me immediately. "You didn’t think this through, did you? Madam Prescott, the Grandmatriarch, is what? Eighty, ninety years old? And now this girl, she’s just a kid, claims to be the great-grandmother of the Prescotts. You actually believe her?"

My heart sank, crashing down on me like a ton of bricks. I had desperately hoped this would be my way out, but now that sliver of hope vanished, and I felt the weight of defeat sink in.

Nadine, sensing her chance, acted fast. She covered her mouth with mock surprise and affectionately linked her arm with Atticus.

"See? My dad's smart," she purred, her voice dripping with sugary sweetness.

That’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks. Nadine wasn’t just this bold, arrogant brat. It was all borrowed power. She had Atticus in her pocket.

Nadine wasn’t the one calling the shots. He was.

A searing anger bubbled up inside me. I locked eyes with Atticus, fury boiling in my veins, and barely held back from spitting in his face.

"How could you let a stranger onto the Prescotts' property without permission from me? You’ve got some nerve, Atticus!" I sneered.

Before I could get another word out, Nadine slapped me again, hard, knocking out a couple more teeth.

"I am the lady of the Prescotts," she sneered. "If I want to come in, I’ll come in. No one’s stopping me." She paused, her lips curling into a cold smile. "Shut your filthy mouth," she said, her voice sharp as ice.

Without warning, several of her minions held me down while Nadine grabbed a roll of tape and sealed my mouth shut, wrapping it tightly until it was hard to breathe.

But that wasn’t all.

Nadine’s eyes caught sight of my phone, which had slipped from my grasp and landed on the floor. She picked it up without hesitation, unlocked it effortlessly with my fingerprint, and began scrolling through my photos.

Her eyes narrowed in fury as she scrolled through, her expression darkening with every swipe.

"How dare you secretly edit your photos with Francis!" she barked in disbelief. "I don’t even have intimate photos like that with him! Are you that desperate for a man?"

Her fingers scurried, and then her eyes froze on something else. "Oh, and here’s a family photo of the Prescotts. You had the nerve to include yourself right in the middle, pretending to be some high-society lady! How many other disgusting things have you been editing behind everyone’s back? I’m gonna make you regret it, you pathetic slut!"

With their eyes gleaming with amusement, Nadine's minions whispered and snickered among themselves. I could feel their gaze burning into me, as though I were nothing more than prey.

Without another word, they lunged at me, ripping my clothes off my body.

I struggled, but it was useless.

My clothes were shredded like paper, leaving me exposed and vulnerable. Standing by the door, Atticus puffed out smoke rings like he was watching some petty little show.

He didn’t even flinch.

Then, they hoisted me into the air, holding me upside down like a rag doll.

My body was helpless against their strength, and I was nothing but a powerless, broken thing in their hands.

"Help! Help me..."