Against fate : rebirth of the stubborn heiress

The morning sun was supposed to be gentle—but not today. Today, it felt harsh, as though it was shining specifically to illuminate the mess brewing on campus.

Ping. Ping. Ping. Notifications lit up every student's phone.

> "Have you seen the forum?!"

"Summer Bellani STOLE the lead role from Marina! Like... outright bullied her into quitting."

"Money really does buy everything."

"How disgusting. Poor Marina."

Click. Click. Dozens of eyes raised as a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled up to the campus gate.

The door opened.

Out stepped Summer.

A soft breeze caught her hair, making the chestnut waves flutter against her flawless face. Her oversized white sweater hung off one shoulder, paired with a plaid skirt and knee-high boots. Effortlessly expensive. Effortlessly stunning.

Rosa hurried out behind her, as always, arms full of shopping bags from their quick mall detour before class.

"Young miss, don't forget. You've got that afternoon briefing with the finance club, and Liam reminded me to make sure you check in on your stock holdings. Also..."

She paused.

Summer noticed the shift in Rosa's tone immediately. "Hm? What?"

"Young Miss... they're staring more than usual," Rosa murmured.

Summer yawned lightly, adjusting her sunglasses. "Haters? Fans? Hard to tell sometimes." Her lips tugged into a lazy smile. "Either way... let them enjoy the view."

---

The whispers grew thicker as she stepped onto the walkway.

"She's shameless. Walking around like nothing happened."

"Marina cried all night... And this is how Summer shows up?"

"Tch. Privilege. Must be nice being born with money and zero conscience."

Ping. Another post went viral.

> "A classmate just confirmed that Summer threatened the director. She said if Marina didn't step down, she'd make sure Marina never performed again."

The comments blew up instantly.

> "Trash behavior."

"Is this the true face of the Bellani family?"

"Someone should humble her."

Summer scrolled through it casually, unbothered. "Ugh... they could at least photoshop me better in these memes."

Rosa huffed. "Young Miss, you should sue half the campus."

"Nah. Let's let it ferment a bit. Sometimes the fun is in the build-up."

---

Meanwhile, not far away, Marina was sitting pretty beneath the cherry blossom trees, dressed pitifully in soft pastels. Her makeup was light today—just enough to highlight the faint red around her eyes, the result of carefully applied eyeshadow.

Around her, classmates flocked like flies.

"Are you okay, Marina?"

"We're all on your side. What Summer did was awful."

"Don't worry. The professors will surely take action."

Marina sniffled, wiping the corner of her eye. "Thank you... I just... I worked so hard for that audition..."

Just then, a shadow fell over them.

Silence. Everyone turned.

Summer stood there, lazily leaning against the tree trunk, lips curled into a faint smile.

"Well, well. Didn't realize there was a support group meeting scheduled today," she said, pulling her sunglasses down slightly to meet Marina's gaze. "Marina, darling... crying under cherry blossoms? Very on brand. Poetic, even."

"You—" Marina shot to her feet, startled.

"What?" Summer tilted her head innocently. "I just came to confirm something. Were you actually... qualified for that role, or were you just... you know... hoping no one would notice?"

The crowd gasped.

Marina's face turned beet red. "Y-You... You—"

Summer chuckled, flicking a stray hair from her shoulder. "Relax. Don't strain yourself searching for words. You'll need your voice for your next pity parade."

Rosa couldn't hold back her laughter this time.

Summer turned her back, offering a lazy wave as she walked off. "See you in class... lead actress." Her voice dripped with deliberate irony.

The crowd exchanged glances—some shifting uncomfortably, some frowning. A seed of doubt, small but growing, began to sprout.

---

From the parking lot, Ciara sat in her car, gripping her phone so tight her nails dug into her palms.

"She's... mocking her... even now?" Ciara's voice shook with disbelief.

> [Ding. New Side Task: Fuel the Fire – Create fake witness testimonies against Summer. Reward: Black Lotus Aura Lv.1]

"Perfect..." Ciara whispered. Her fingers flew across the screen, uploading a supposed "voice message" from a fake witness.

> "I overheard Summer threatening the director outside the auditorium... She said 'Marina doesn't deserve the stage.'"

Within seconds, the forum exploded.

> "OMG someone actually heard her!!"

"Disgusting."

"This is why rich people think they can get away with anything."

" imagine being so rich and still so insecure".

---

Inside his sleek office downtown, Travis Bellani leaned back in his chair, scanning lines of code on multiple monitors. His eyes were cold, devoid of emotion.

> Forum Server – Breach: 70% Complete

Anonymous User IDs: 45 Traced.

Fabricated Posts Detected: 22.

Travis tapped his earpiece. "Davis."

"Yo." Davis's voice was lazy but sharp.

"Little star's trending. Marina's behind 60% of the uploads. Ciara seeded the initial post."

Davis's tone shifted. "Let it cook for now. Little star's having fun."

"Mm." Travis's lips curved, the closest thing he ever had to a smile. "I've prepared the bullet for her. When she's ready to fire."

---

Summer reached the steps of the lecture hall, checking her nails as the whispers grew louder.

"She's walking in like she owns the place..."

"No shame at all."

"She'll get exposed eventually."

Sliding her sunglasses off, she tossed her hair over one shoulder. "Tch... It's exhausting being the main character every day," she muttered under her breath.

Rosa giggled behind her. "Queen behavior, Young Miss."

Summer smirked. "Obviously."

Hand on the door, she pushed it open—