In the garden downstairs, Charlotte was surrounded by the group of arrogant heirs, tearfully recounting the events from yesterday. In just a few sentences, she had firmly established the image of me as a spoiled brat.
In the end, she even took the blame upon herself. "It's my fault for not being strong enough, for not reacting fast enough. If I had, I could have stopped Miss Spencer, and I wouldn't have been thrown out of the Spencer house, embarrassing myself like this."
The man beside her lovingly wiped the tears from her face, his voice filled with sympathy. "How could it be your fault? One person can't fight against such scheming. I'll make sure to find out who this Lana really is. Just because she's the Spencer family's eldest daughter doesn't mean she can do whatever she wants. I'll help you get your justice."
Charlotte gazed at him with deep gratitude. "Thank you, Ethan."
The others exchanged knowing looks and chuckled, their smiles full of meaning.
I stood not far off, mentally marking each of them.
Charlotte was the mastermind behind the bullying.
Ethan Rubio was her loyal follower, always looking up to her and, in my past life, was the one who crushed me.
The one with the most malicious smile was Zane Rodgers, who maintained a physical relationship with Charlotte and, like her, used the dirtiest methods to get what they wanted.
A sickening image suddenly flashed in my mind, and I felt an urge to vomit.
I would cut him down, I swear!
The one with the cold demeanor was the wealthiest of the group, and the leader, Niko Greer, who often cleaned up their messes.
His efforts ensured that my death never caused a ripple. He was crucial to that.
And then there was the carefree Liam Curry, the most hypocritical of all. He had once pretended to be my savior, only to stab me in the back when it mattered most.
He was also the one who broke my leg.
These five were tightly bound together by various interests and inclinations, forming a notorious group.
Charlotte was their pet.
I scanned their faces one by one before my gaze settled on Liam.
I would start with him.
Hypocritical, selfish, arrogant.
I turned to William, who was by my side. "William, do me a favor."
"It would be my honor."
I asked William to call Charlotte over, right in front of Ethan.
As expected, he was not happy about it.
Meanwhile, Charlotte, acting as though she were receiving special attention, deliberately threw a little tantrum. "I don't want to go. You treated me like that yesterday, I'm upset."
William didn't even spare her a glance. He simply said, "If you don't want to, then forget it."
He turned to leave, but Charlotte quickly grabbed his hand, pouting. "Come on, I just want you to make me feel better after how badly I was treated yesterday."
William looked at her for a moment before calmly pulling his hand away and walking off.
Charlotte hurriedly followed, not forgetting to show off to the people around her with a smug expression.
In truth, Charlotte wasn't very clever. If I were in her position, I could take her down in an instant.
But, our positions were never equal.
My every resistance seemed laughable in the face of money, status, and power.
The smartest of the group was Niko.
He had already figured out that William was deliberately teasing Charlotte, but he didn't interfere.
If there was even the slightest crack between them, their bond wouldn't be so unbreakable.
After William led Charlotte away, I suppressed all the hate inside and approached the remaining four with a pure smile.
"Are you all friends of Charlotte?" I feigned innocence.
Ethan gave me a quick once-over and immediately guessed who I was.
"You're the one who made Charlotte look bad yesterday? You don't look like much, just a fragile thing."
I paled slightly and looked as though I was about to cry. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it."
Ethan was already annoyed, and seeing that I didn't put up a fight, he directed his anger at me.
"I don't want your apology. When she comes back, you need to apologize to her!"
I took a small step back, looking pleadingly toward Liam.
The moment our gazes met, I saw a smug smile in Liam's eyes, and then he stepped forward, shielding me behind him.
"Enough. Miss Spencer is in poor health. If you keep pushing her like this, don't blame me for not being polite."
Ethan grunted in frustration before turning and leaving.
Liam turned to me, his voice becoming gentler. "How was that? I didn't scare you, did I?"
I looked up at him, showing my gratitude. "I'm fine. Thank you. What's your name?"
"Liam."
I smiled, my eyes narrowing. "Such a nice name."
Wow, his name is quite something!
Liam smiled. "Charlotte has been spoiled. If she suffers in the future, she can always come to me. I'll help you."
I nodded with a serious expression.
"There's some good food over there. Do you want some?"
"Sure."
I walked with Liam toward the dessert table.
I could feel a gaze following me, full of scrutiny.
I knew it was Niko.
While eating sweets with Liam, I pretended to be curious and asked him a lot of questions, showing him how much I admired him. He was pleased with my attention.
Then, I naturally steered the conversation toward their group.
"You all seem so close. I've never had friends like that."
"Aren't I your friend?"
My eyes lit up. "Then can you bring me along next time?"
"Of course."
Step one, completed.
By the time the gathering ended, it was already evening.
When I returned to my room, I found William sitting in a chair, dozing, his head resting on his hand.
The servants had mentioned that William had been busy with company matters and also taking care of me, which had worn him out.
They say that when someone is on the verge of sleep, they are least defensive.
"William?" I approached him.
He didn't wake up.
I crouched in front of William and called again. "Brother."
His brows furrowed slightly as he drowsily opened his eyes. "Hmm…"
I seized the opportunity. "My rebirth… it's connected to you, isn't it?"
"How did you…"
He snapped out of his drowsiness, fully awake now.
My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly pressed, "What's going on!?"
