Mask Off at the Christmas Party

"Right about now."

I checked the time. It was exactly noon.

The acquisition news and the related scandals broke and shot to the top of the trending list almost immediately.

"Brianna, what do you even do? How do you know all this?" Sebastian leaned over, eager for drama.

"Because I'm the boss of Radiant Group."

My voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to make the entire room go still.

Everyone stared at me like they couldn't process what they'd just heard.

When I first entered the working world, I ran into setbacks everywhere, but compared to what I went through in high school, it felt easier.

I didn't have money, and I didn't have a good degree. As long as something wasn't illegal, I did it.

While people my age were traveling and buying stylish outfits, I was doing kitchen prep in restaurants, washing dishes, and peeling potatoes.

Back then, I wasn't thinking about getting rich. I just wanted to eat.

One day, when I was looking for another part-time job, I met a woman. She said I was tall, slim, and had the right look to be a model. She didn't know it was because I'd been hungry for too long.

With her help, I became a model and made a lot of money.

In the end, I chose to start from scratch and work behind the scenes instead, because the hardest part of modeling was that I couldn't eat much, and I couldn't stand that.

After I had money, I founded a company and became my own boss.

From that point on, I spent what I earned to make up for everything I'd been denied. I bought expensive skincare, expensive clothes, and I didn't hold back when it came to food, drinks, or going out.

After I paid in full for a house and a car and opened a store while I was still young, I stopped caring about looking polished. I dressed however I wanted, and I leaned into a casual, messy style.

My assistant used to joke that if I disappeared into a crowd, I'd look like someone scraping by on a tiny paycheck. I kept it that way on purpose.

"Brianna, what is this?"

Vexana was the first to jump up and accuse me.

"You made it, and you didn't think to help any of us, but you're going after Melissa's family business. And you're smearing her with bullying accusations. What kind of person does that?

"Melissa was always kind. She saw how timid you were and tried to be your friend. Zachary even helped you with math. You should be thanking them, not turning around and slandering them."

Rebecca let out a small laugh, her tone contemptuous, while Sebastian kept eating his chicken without a care for his image.

"You disgust me."

I set my wine down and stood up.

"Vexana, are you pretending you don't remember, or do you really think nobody does?" I asked.

"When I hurt myself in that storage room at school, you weren't just standing around. You helped. And just to be clear, I didn't go after their company. Her dad begged for my help. Besides, aren't you involved with Mr. Cooper? If you're that close to him, you should already know how this happened."

Vexana truly lived up to her name. She was a vixen.

Melissa probably never would've imagined that the lackey who always kept her head down around her was aiming to become her stepmother.

The moment it sank in, Melissa's expression changed. She stopped acting upset and stared at Vexana, as if she wanted to tear her apart.

"And you, Rebecca," I continued. "I should thank you, too. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it to where I am today."

"What are you talking about?"

"In sophomore year, we went to the same summer math tutoring class. You skipped a lot and missed important material.

"When I scored well after we went back to school, you didn't like that the teacher praised me, so you told Melissa I only did well because I spent the whole summer hanging around Zachary, and you accused me of cheating.

"That's what got everything started, and you stayed on the side, acting innocent while I took the hit."

Back then, when their little clique decided on a story, nothing I said could clear my name.