Chapter 3

After dropping that warning, I dragged my suitcase and walked out of the Kendrick estate gates without looking back.

The breeze swept past as I inhaled a deep breath of freedom.

Did Chloe really think she could control me by cutting off my official funding and trying to take that measly 5% of shares? Laughable.

After leaving, I moved straight into a luxury apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

As for how I could afford it? They had no idea that besides those shares they were watching, my late mother had set up an extremely discreet trust fund for me, accessible only when I came of age or chose to activate it.

In my past life, I'd been foolish enough to keep it sealed, trying to please Father Reginald and brother Spencer.

Now, this money had become my first capital for independence and revenge.

In these few days since my rebirth, I'd settled into my new place and used my previous life's memories to quickly position myself in cryptocurrency and several stocks about to skyrocket. My assets had already multiplied several times over.

People really do need to control their own wealth and resources.

After regrouping, I returned to school. The moment I stepped through Saint Jude Academy's gates, I immediately sensed the shift in atmosphere.

Because of the locker room incident, combined with my ex-boyfriend Landon's behind-the-scenes manipulation, I'd become the school's "public enemy number one."

Walking down the hallways, everyone pointed and whispered.

"Look, that's the psycho." "I heard the Kendricks kicked her out. She's broke now, doesn't even have a credit card." "Serves her right for bullying Lacey like that."

I didn't spare their petty gossip a single glance. My current target was to intercept Lacey's biggest asset from my previous life.

In my past life, Lacey had been able to terrorize the school and perfectly fabricate evidence of me bullying her online because she held one trump card—Zoe Thorne.

Zoe was a withdrawn girl who always wore thick black-framed glasses, practically invisible at school.

But she was actually a brilliant hacker.

In my previous life, Lacey had discovered Zoe's secret and used cruel methods to bully her, forcing her to alter school surveillance footage and forge chat records.

Eventually, Zoe had been driven to drop out, even suffering a mental breakdown.

This time, I would get to Zoe before Lacey could, and make her mine.

During lunch break, I headed straight to the school's most secluded old library.

Pushing open the door, I found Lacey in the corner with several of her lackeys, surrounding Zoe. Lacey held Zoe's battered laptop high above her head.

"Zoe, I'm asking you one last time. Will you hack into the administration system and fix my attendance record?" Lacey's voice dripped with venom. "If you don't agree, I'll smash this piece of junk, then post about you stealing leftover food from the cafeteria all over the school website!"

Zoe cowered against the wall, trembling, biting her lip in silence.

"Ungrateful bitch!" Lacey's eyes flashed with cruelty as she prepared to slam the laptop to the ground.

"BANG!"

I kicked the nearby bookshelf. The thunderous sound made Lacey's hand jerk, nearly dropping the computer.

"Who—!" Lacey spun around furiously.

Seeing it was me, her expression flickered, but surrounded by her posse, she forced herself to maintain her bravado. "Blythe? What are you doing here? What, after getting kicked out, you can only find your sense of worth in garbage dumps like this?"

I walked over with a cold smile, my gaze sweeping across her lackeys. Remembering my meltdown in the locker room, they instinctively stepped back.

"Put down what you're holding." I stared at Lacey, my voice devoid of warmth.

"Why should I? This is my business. What's it to you?" Lacey bit out.

I didn't waste words. Stepping forward, I backhanded her across the face.

"SLAP!"

Lacey stumbled, the laptop flying from her hands. I caught it deftly, then kicked her hard in the shin.

"Thud"—Lacey dropped to her knees.

"You dare hit me?!" Lacey shrieked, clutching her face.

"Since when do I need a reason?" I looked down at her coldly. "Take your dogs and get out. Zoe's under my protection now. Touch a single hair on her head, and I'll make sure the other side of your face matches."

Lacey glared at me venomously, but intimidated by my aura, she ultimately scrambled away with her followers.

Only Zoe and I remained in the old library.

Zoe didn't react like a grateful rescued rabbit. Instead, she jerked backward, watching me warily:

"You... why did you help me? Don't think I'll trust you. You're just like all those rich assholes—you get off on using people."

I wasn't offended by her defensive posture. On the contrary, I appreciated her more. The most essential quality for a hacker is paranoia.

I bent down to hand her the laptop, then pulled out a checkbook from my bag, scribbled a string of numbers with my pen, tore it off, and held it out.

"One hundred thousand dollars." My tone was calm. "For one year of technical support."

Zoe glanced at the astronomical figure on the check, her pupils dilating sharply.

But she quickly clenched her teeth, refusing to take it. Instead, she shrank back further:

"Buying me off? Or setting a trap? Lacey wanted to force me into free labor. And you? What are you buying with a hundred grand? The right to throw me under the bus whenever you want?"

"Save the victim act, Zoe." I withdrew the check, holding it between my fingers and waving it before her eyes, my voice dropping slightly.

"I know your handle on the darknet hacker forums is 'Phantom.' I also know that to protect yourself, you secretly planted three backdoors in the school's administration system last month. You're a genius. You've got the tools to take them down. You just lack the confidence to fight back."

Zoe's face went deathly pale, her breathing stopping momentarily. She clutched her laptop tightly, clearly shocked that I knew her secrets.

"Relax. I'm not here for charity, and I have zero interest in setting you up." I forcibly pressed the check into her stiff fingers. "This money is for you to replace that piece of junk that overheats running even a basic decryption script. Get yourself proper top-tier equipment."

I paused, meeting her eyes directly behind those lenses:

"As for what I'm buying? I want you to watch Lacey, Spencer, and Landon's every move. They want to destroy me, and they've already driven you to the edge. Since we both want to see them burn, why not partner up and expose every dirty secret they have?"

Zoe froze. She looked at the check in her hand, then at the boots I'd used to knock Lacey down, the fear in her eyes gradually being replaced by something deeper and more burning.

"I... I can't completely trust you yet." She swallowed, her voice soft but no longer trembling.

"Smart girl." I curved my lips slightly, turning toward the door.

"Paranoia keeps you alive. You'll see my sincerity. Cash that check within 24 hours. Then use your new equipment to send me an encrypted message only you and I know about."

The sound of my boots on the old wooden floor echoed as I pushed open the library's heavy door, waving without looking back.

"We'll be in touch, Phantom."