You Used Me

However, she never expected that Zuri, that wretched girl, would actually turn around and give what she had given her to Arthur.

She had always thought that Zuri would either eat those things or throw them away, never imagining she would give them to someone else—especially Arthur.

How could such a person exist?

"You used me!" Arthur snarled, gripping her throat tightly. "You wretched woman. Are you happy now, watching her toy with me like a monkey?"

"No, it's not like that," Saira shook her head. "Arthur, I like you. How could I ever treat you that way?"

"Like me?" Arthur sneered. "You, a bastard, think you're worthy of liking me?"

The word "bastard" deeply stung Saira.

Ever since Zuri appeared, she had often heard people talking about her like that behind her back. She pretended not to hear, but she remembered every word.

Now, hearing it from Arthur's mouth, Saira completely snapped. Her anger made her forget Aaron's repeated warnings.

"I'm not a bastard. Zuri is the bastard."

"What did you say?" Arthur looked at her in shock.

The words were out, and Saira had no more reservations. "Zuri isn't even a member of the Lin family. I am. The paternity test was wrong. She's the bastard. The person you like is an unwanted, uneducated bastard."

Arthur was completely stunned.

For Saira to say this, it had to be true.

The two thought they were having a secret conversation, unaware that their words had been overheard.

By the afternoon, the entire school was abuzz with the news.

"Have you heard? Zuri isn't the Lin family's daughter, Saira is."

"How could that be? That's nonsense."

"It's not nonsense. Someone heard Saira say it themselves."

"Saira has always been jealous of and plotting against Zuri. Could it be she's making this up again?" one student speculated.

You couldn't blame them for thinking that; Saira had pulled too many stunts before.

"That's unlikely. A lie like this would be easily exposed," someone argued.

This made sense to many, and those who were discussing it were mostly convinced.

All the students who were gossiping kept glancing at Zuri from time to time.

"If she's not the Lin family's daughter, let's see how arrogant she can be now," Shaina said gloatingly.

"So, can we finally get our revenge?" Nyla muttered quietly.

With a loud "bang," a pair of shoes landed on Nyla's desk. Nyla and Shaina looked up to see Azura, with a lollipop in her mouth, staring at them with a wicked grin.

"Revenge? Revenge for what?" Azura asked leisurely, her gaze fixed on the two of them.

It seemed they had forgotten the lesson Zuri had taught them before and were itching to stir up trouble again.

Shaina forced a smile. "We weren't talking about revenge. You must've heard wrong."

Azura's expression turned into one of sudden realization, and she nodded. "Oh, I see."

Just as Nyla was breathing a sigh of relief, Azura suddenly kicked over her desk with a hard stomp.

The loud crash instantly silenced the classroom; everyone froze in fear.

Azura pointed her finger at the students inside and outside the classroom who were watching the commotion and warned, "Listen up, all of you. Zuri is my sister. If anyone dares to bully her, I, Azura, will be the first to make them pay. If anyone dares to speak ill of her behind her back, they better wash their necks and be ready."

Shaina, Nyla, and the others were so frightened they didn't dare say another word.

They finally realized that even if Zuri wasn't the Lin family's daughter, she still had Azura as a close friend.

"I heard someone's been bullying my friend. Who was it?" Farida walked in from the door, her gaze sweeping the room before finally landing on Nyla, Shaina, and the others.

"Was it you?" Farida asked with a smile, looking at them.

Nyla and the others shook their heads in unison.

Farida then addressed everyone, "If anyone's planning on stirring up trouble behind our backs, speak up now. I'd like to see if you've got what it takes."

The classroom fell into dead silence.

Zuri looked at the two standing in the center of the room, exuding such strength, and felt a warm sensation in her heart. Her nose tingled, and she nearly teared up.

Outside the classroom, Natalie and her group, who had come to watch the drama unfold, looked thoroughly disappointed.

"I thought Farida was the type to side with whoever was in power, but she's still standing by her. I wonder what she's getting out of it," Natalie said, puzzled.

"Maybe it's about saving face, or something."

"No, I think it's because of Azura."

Regardless of what they said, their plan to watch Zuri make a fool of herself had failed.

After school, Azura and Farida flanked Zuri on either side, protecting her as they walked. Zuri noticed the two glaring at everyone around them and felt both touched and amused.

"There's really no need for this. I'm not some fragile flower," Zuri said, half-laughing, half-crying.

"We can't be too careful. You know how these people are—always ready to side with whoever's stronger. Now that you no longer have the Lin family's protection, who knows what they might do behind your back," Azura said seriously.

"Azura's right. We have to let everyone know. Even without the Lin family, you still have us. Let's see who dares to bully you," Farida said, huffing.

Zuri had no choice but to let the two of them, like bodyguards, walk her home.

"Zuri, why don't you come home with me? There's a room for you on the island."

Azura tugged at her sleeve, refusing to let go.

The driver stood quietly by the car, waiting.

"I have a place to stay."

Although Azura was good to her, she didn't want to overstep her bounds.

"You can stay at my place too."

Zuri thanked them both for their kindness.

In the end, Azura compromised and took her back to her rented apartment complex.

"You're living here?" Azura asked in shock as she looked at the old, dated complex.

Zuri didn't care about how others viewed it. "Yeah, it's cheap and close to school."

"No way, it's too unsafe. This place doesn't even have a security guard."

Zuri smiled. "Where I lived before was even more complicated than this, and look, I'm doing just fine. This is great for me."

"I have money. We can stay somewhere else." Azura pulled out her wallet and took out a card. "Here, use this."

Zuri smiled as she pushed the money back. "I have money, really!"

Azura didn't believe her.

"You really don't need to worry."

Finally, after sending Azura off, Zuri let out a long breath.

After a simple dinner, Zuri started to review her studies. Her phone buzzed with a notification.

"Zuri, we've secured the deal. They're offering three billion, a full three billion. And this is just the first round of funding. If everything goes well, there might be a second round," Evan said excitedly.

He had overachieved on this task; in fact, he was surprised they had offered so much.