Chapter 4

Step one: get my stolen stuff back.

I went straight to Professor Ford, throwing down photos and receipts on his desk.

The Cartier necklace Vivian bragged about every day, the Chopard watch on her wrist, and the empty jars of La Prairie skin cream stacked on her vanity.

Every single item belonged to me.

"Professor, these items are worth over $30,000 in total. Vivian has been 'borrowing' them for almost a year and refuses to return them."

"Should I call the police and file a grand larceny report, or would you prefer to contact her parents directly?"

Professor Ford’s face turned several shades of pale.

When Vivian was summoned to the office, she still had her nose in the air.

She dragged a heavy plastic bag behind her and tossed it at my feet with a loud clatter.

The necklace was scratched and dull—clearly a cheap replica, not my original.

The watch was real, but she obviously hadn't cared for it; the leather strap was heavily worn, severely tanking its value.

And the luxury skincare jars were practically scraped clean.

"There! Take it back! We’re classmates, is it really that serious?" She rolled her eyes, acting like I was the dramatic one. "You seriously don't know the first thing about being a team player!"

"I don't touch trash that other people have ruined," I said coldly, pushing the bag away.

"Either you pay me the full $30,000 value, or you can explain it to a judge."

Vivian's face drained of color instantly.

I knew her family's financial situation. Forget $30,000—they couldn't even scrape together $2,000 without selling their house.

She shot a panicked look at Harry, who had just burst into the office.

"Chloe! Don't push it!" Harry yelled, looking incredibly righteous. "Vivian just used a few of your things! What's the big deal?"

"Can't you just be the bigger person? Do you have to ruin her life? Apologize to Vivian right now!"

Where did this clown get the nerve? I almost laughed out loud.

"Did you pocket the cash from the real necklace I bought, Harry?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or did you plan this theft together? Because let's be real, Vivian doesn't have the brains to pull this off alone."

Vivian probably didn't even know what luxury brands were before she met me!

Harry panicked, quickly cutting me off.

"Chloe, shut up! I... I'm just standing up for what's right."

"We're all classmates. There's no need to make things this ugly."

Even now, he was still trying to play both sides.

Even if I adopted a dog, at least it would be loyal!

I looked at the two of them—one completely lost, the other shifting his eyes guiltily.

I felt a sudden wave of pity for my past self. How did I let myself get played by these two absolute idiots?

What a joke!

I stood up, done wasting my breath.

"That's why I brought Professor Ford in as a witness instead of calling the cops directly. I was trying to spare you guys."

"But let me make this clear: the total value is $30,000. I don't take cash. Wire it directly to my bank account!"

Hearing this, Vivian completely lost her mind.

"Chloe! You're robbing me! A stupid necklace is not worth $30,000! You're insane!"

I slapped the original purchase receipts onto the desk one by one.

"I get that you don't understand luxury brands, Vivian. But I have the receipts. Feel free to take them to the store to verify."

Vivian looked at Professor Ford, begging him to intervene.

But Professor Ford just rubbed his temples and said with a sigh, "Chloe is right. If you don't believe her, we can involve the police. The amount is too high for the university to handle internally."

Vivian’s face went entirely white.

Harry didn't dare say a word. He was completely stunned.

I didn't expect to get the money today anyway. I had to give them some time to sweat and scramble, after all.

Professor Ford, terrified of a scandal reflecting badly on the department, promised me he would make sure they paid me back.

But I knew Vivian's revenge would be fast and dirty.

She had never planned on playing nice.

But the trap wasn't fully set yet. I couldn't let them off the hook too easily...