Reborn as the Villainess

Meanwhile, Janet had her phone on speaker at home. After hanging up, she looked at Roselyn with bright eyes and excitement in her voice. "Mom, Gloria said she's gonna help us. Does this mean we won't go bankrupt?"

Roselyn frowned, worry still etching her features. Having seen all kinds of people in her life, she couldn't shake the feeling that her daughter's seemingly sweet friend wasn't as innocent as she appeared.

If someone truly wanted to help a friend, their first instinct would be to ask about the situation, to be concerned, or at least to show some emotional reaction. But this girl named Gloria...She was way too calm-almost unrealistically calm. "Honey, call her back. Ask if she knows about our company being targeted. Don't make it too obvious, and just try to gauge the situation," Roselyn urged.

Janet pouted, a bit reluctant. "Mom, Gloria and I are tight. If she said she's gonna help, she will. I trust her."

Just then, Janet's phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number-a voice message. She almost deleted it directly, but Roselyn stopped her. "Play it. Let's hear what it says."

Janet grumbled, "It is probably just a prank." But seeing her mom's serious expression, she hit play anyway.

Suddenly, the quiet living room was filled with clear voices.

"Eleanor, I didn't know Janet posted your old grades in the forum and humiliated you. I only found that out afterward. I never imagined her jealousy would drive her to hurt you like that. If I had known earlier, I would've stopped her, I swear."

"The whole bet thing wasn't even my idea-it was Janet who got carried away. We're not even close, just classmates, really. I never thought she'd drag me into it and cause all this tension between us. She's so malicious. Please, don't be mad at me. because of someone like her, okay?

"Come on! Who said I'm friends with her?

"Eleanor, maybe you don't know this since you're new, but Hall Group is nothing compared to our company. She only sticks. around me for personal reasons. And, you know, we're classmates, and I couldn't exactly avoid her."

It was unmistakably Gloria's voice. The voice message was short, but each sentence was crystal clear, with no static at all.

Janet was completely dumbfounded, and her face went pale as a ghost. She murmured in her mind, 'What did I just hear? Gloria said I was close to her for personal reasons. And she never sees me as a friend. And she passed the buck all to me.'

Janet shook her head in disbelief, her hands trembling as she turned off the audio. She grabbed her phone, ready to call Gloria again. "No way, Gloria wouldn't say stuff like that. We're best friends. There's gotta be some mix-up-l need to get to the bottom of this." This time, the call connected quickly, and Gloria's cheerful and bright voice came through. "Hey, Janet, what's up again?"

"Gloria, you..." The words stuck in Janet's throat, so she sidestepped a bit. "Did you go see Eleanor yet? Did she say anything?"

Gloria paused for a moment and remembered her promise. She had been so caught up in her good mood that she had completely forgotten Jenet's request. "Uh... I'll go see her later. You know there's just too much homework with exams coming up. I wanna finish that first." "My family's practically gone bust because of you, and you can't even be bothered to care? Gloria, are you still my best friend Janet couldn't believe how casually Gloria was brushing her off, and her voice turned sharp.

Gloria bristled at the accusation, and her earlier cheer evaporated in an instant. She'd always looked down on Janet, and never truly considered her a friend. After all, she was a Vanderbilt-set to inherit a legacy and stand at the top of the pyramid. How could someone like Janet, a nobody from an ordinary family, even compare? They weren't even on the same

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level.

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Gloria couldn't help but let some sarcasm slip into her voice. "Janet, how can you say that? It really hurts my feelings. I will help you, but the UAT is right around the corner. We need to focus on our studies, don't we? How about this-once the UAT is over, I'll talk to Eleanor and my brother to see what can be done, okay?"Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Janet's chest heaved as she struggled to stay calm. "That's not even a plan. The UAT is over a month away, and we can't wait that long, you know?"

Gloria couldn't care less about Janet's panic. If anything, she felt a twinge of irritation. "Honestly, Janet, being this pushy makes me uncomfortable. If you're gonna be like this, maybe I can't help you after all." With that, Gloria hung up the phone.

Hall Group was already bankrupt and Janet'was just a means to an end for Gloria. She didn't fear burning bridges. After all, she always had plenty of ass-kissers lining up behind her.

Meanwhile, Janet, furious after the call, threw her phone on the ground with a crash, shattering the screen. She buried her face in her hands, crumpled onto the sofa, and burst out wailing. "How could she do this to me? I thought she was my best friend. I did so much for her, and she says stuff like that...

Roselyn gently ran her fingers through Janet's hair to offer some comfort. "There, there, sweetheart. Sometimes, it can be a blessing to see who a person really is. It shows you're growing up."

"But, Mom, what do I do now? If Gloria won't help us, are we really doomed?" Janet's voice trembled with desperation.

Roselyn squinted at the shattered phone on the floor and then spoke in a soft tone, "Take it easy. There's still another way."

*****

The next morning, Eleanor strolled into the classroom with a few big yawns. When she was an actress in her previous life, she was either shooting night scenes or rushing to events, rarely getting a chance to rest. Now, as an ordinary person, she still found herself too busy with the UAT to catch a break.

She thought she could catch a snooze in the car, but Gloria kept speaking to her and annoyed her. She really wanted to ask Gloria where she got all that energy.

And then there was Felix, sitting in the back seat with a poker face. Whenever she wasn't looking, he'd stare at her like she was some criminal. The moment she glanced over, he'd turn his head away, all aloof and standoffish.

Anyway, it was a tough ride. If only she had listened to Andrew and hired a driver instead; at least that would've saved her from feeling so awkward on the way to school.

As soon as Liam spotted Eleanor, he rushed over with a wide smile. "Boss, you finally made it."

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