"That crazy little brat, what the hell is wrong with her?"
The moment Rowena stepped out of the cafe, her true colors flared. She lit a cigarette and spent the entire walk cursing Mina out.
But she wasn't completely oblivious. Even without solid proof, she could smell that something was off.
After calculating her next move, Rowena pulled out her phone to make a call. Just as she did, she caught a glimpse of a reflection in a store window. Her eyes narrowed. She quickly shoved her phone back into her pocket and deliberately turned down a quiet, empty alleyway.
Stopping deep in the shadows, Rowena tilted her chin up and blew a plume of smoke. "You can come out now."
A moment later, a figure stepped out from the corner. It was Vivienne.
Rowena looked her up and down. "You've been tailing me since I left the cafe. What exactly is your business?"
Since she knew the girl was connected to the powerful Ravenshire family, she forced herself to maintain a sliver of basic respect.
Vivienne crossed her arms, perfectly mirroring Rowena's condescending gaze. "What's your relationship with Mina?"
Unsure of Vivienne's true motives, Rowena answered with a question of her own. "You followed me for blocks just to ask me that? Honestly, what does it have to do with you?"
"It has everything to do with me." Vivienne put on a masterclass of arrogant, rich-girl entitlement. "The Blackthornes are a prestigious family. Why would they ever let Mina associate with someone like you? Do you two share some kind of dirty little secret?"
Rowena bristled with anger. "Someone like me? What am I?"
Vivienne raised a perfectly manicured hand, extending a single finger to point at her. "A low-life."
"..." Rowena closed her eyes. The aristocratic cruelty she had failed to extract from Mina was being delivered flawlessly by Vivienne.
Vivienne tapped her chin with one finger. "Spit it out. What's the dirty secret?"
Rowena had it figured out. This Ravenshire girl wasn't just vicious; she was drowning in princess syndrome. To avoid exposing her own mission, it was best to just ignore her entirely.
"I'll give you a million dollars."
Was she out of her mind?
Suspicion immediately kicked in. Rowena took a defensive step back. "What exactly did Mina do to you? You're willing to blow five million dollars just to ruin her day?"
This felt entirely like a trap full of gaping holes.
Vivienne rolled her eyes in absolute disgust. "A low-life will always be a low-life. Is five million supposed to be a lot of money? Buying my own happiness is worth every penny."
Rowena's eyes darted back and forth. She wanted to run, but she couldn't bear to walk away from that kind of fortune.
"However..." Vivienne paused. "You do bring up a good point about return on investment. If five million only makes Mina miserable for a day, it's a waste of money. A million is plenty for that. But if you can give me something that completely destroys her reputation and makes her the laughingstock of Stormhollow's elite, I'll happily throw in another five million. I don't lack money. I lack entertainment."
Another five million? That meant ten million dollars!
If she had ten million dollars, she would never have to live like a dog begging for scraps ever again!

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