Revenge Queen: Dear Ex, Don't Be Surprised by My Identity

"Don’t be too jealous. People like you will never be part of my world," Serena said, pulling out her phone and opening her photo gallery.

She showed me a picture of her and Zachary standing in front of a luxurious villa, posing closely together. Next to them was a woman dressed in elegant, high-society fashion.

Seeing Serena’s smug expression, I couldn’t help but laugh coldly inside.

"Oh? And why are you showing me this? Are you planning to invite Zachary's ex to witness your engagement party?"

The other roommates looked eagerly at Serena.

"Serena, we’ve never been in a high-society engagement party before! Take us with you—we’d love to see what it's like!"

Serena tossed her wavy hair with an exaggerated sigh, acting as if she were doing them a favor.

"Fine, I’ll take you bumpkins along to get a taste of the high life."

As soon as I left the dorm, I called my mom, who was on vacation abroad.

The villa in Serena’s photo was none other than my family’s ancestral home.

"Who’s looking after our old house right now?" I asked.

There was some noise on the other end before my mom finally replied, "I think Sebastian arranged for someone to take care of it. You should ask him about it."

"Why are you suddenly asking about the old house? Oh, guess who I ran into here in the U.S.? Your old friend, Ethan! Remember him? That boy has really grown up to be quite the catch."

From her tone, I immediately caught on to what she was hinting at and quickly hung up the phone.

On the day of the engagement party, Serena was already waiting at the hotel entrance, standing there like a proud peacock the moment she saw me and my roommates.

"I’m doing you all a favor by letting you come to my engagement party. Don’t touch anything inside—the stuff here is expensive. Even if you worked your whole lives, you wouldn’t be able to pay for it if you broke something."

I crossed my arms and looked at Serena mockingly.

"Aren’t you supposed to be some rich heiress? If something breaks, can’t you afford to cover it?"

A flicker of unease crossed Serena’s face, but she quickly lifted her chin.

"Of course, I can! I’m just warning you."

As soon as we entered the lobby, the hotel manager spotted me, his eyes lighting up. He immediately started heading my way, but I quickly waved him off.

The manager paused, then seemed to catch on, nodding respectfully before greeting us.

"Do you have a reservation?"

Serena, in her 10-centimeter heels, looked down at him with her nose in the air.

"Obviously, we do. We booked the luxury suite 001."

The hotel manager glanced at me, waiting for a reaction. When I gave none, he promptly led Serena upstairs.

This hotel’s suites are exclusive, especially room 001—it’s reserved for my family only. No one else was ever allowed to book it.

Looks like Serena’s not as simple as I thought.

As soon as the door to the suite opened, we were greeted by a woman dressed in luxurious mink fur, clearly trying to project an air of wealth. But it was obvious the coat didn’t quite fit her properly.

“Daughter, you’re finally here. Zachary’s been waiting for ages. And you wasted so much time waiting for those broke classmates of yours?” Serena’s mom didn’t bother hiding the disdain in her voice as she glanced at us.

Zachary emerged from another room, his expression shifting when he saw me, but he quickly pulled Serena close, acting all affectionate.

“You’re here, Serena. My parents are on their way and we’ve prepared the bride price. Our family may not be as wealthy as yours, but we won’t shortchange you. Two million in cash, plus a custom jewelry set.”

Serena couldn’t hide the excitement in her eyes and my other roommates gasped in awe.

"So, this is what it's like to be rich?" one whispered.

Serena turned to me with a smug look.

“Sophia, don’t get too envious. This is something you could never even dream of having.”

I let out a cold laugh.

"I’m not envious. After all, whether something really belongs to you isn’t always so certain."

Serena’s face darkened and she glared at me.

"Sophia, what do you mean by that? I invited you today as a favor, or else someone as lowly as you would never set foot in a place like this!"

"Oh, really?" I said, my tone sharpening as I was about to retort, but suddenly a cold male voice interrupted from behind me.

I turned to see the hotel manager, bowing respectfully, leading a man toward us.

Serena’s expression changed instantly and she gasped in shock.

"Mr. Fletcher!"

If you made a mistake, you had to pay for the price.