When She Stops Playing Nice

Chapter 3

“Gina, your dorm at school has gone up in flames, Michael stated as they drove.

Gina’s eyes narrowed a bit. “Alright, I’ll head back and check it out” Exiting the car, she made her way on foot.

Her phone vibrated with a text from an unknown number. [Where the hell have you vanished to? Get your ass back to

home, now!].

Gina scoffed and blocked the number. Really? Changing numbers to harass me? What the fuck are they thinking?” she thought.

She had made up her mind to sever ties with the Miller family and wasn’t about to let them pull her back in.

When the Millers first found her, Gina was on a mountain, gathering medicinal herbs, covered in dirt and sweat.

They mistook her for someone foraging for wild vegetables, their eyes laden with barely concealed disdain.

the

They were momentarily surprised to hear Gina had aced her college entrance exam and secured a spot at Trowell University. However, they quickly diminished her achievement, thinking she was nothing more than a bookworm, lacking grace and talents of Olivia, who had been shoehorned into Trowell’s art program through connections and hefty sums.

Gina rarely stayed with the Miller family. They rationalized it by saying living in the dorm was more convenient, saving her the trouble of commuting. Meanwhile, they bent over backward driving Olivia, a fellow Trowell student, around.

But Gina seldom spent her time at school. To her, college was meaningless; she only needed an innocuous front. Yet, this became Olivia’s ammunition to slander her, accusing Gina of being a dropout, always skipping class, and goofing off God knows where.

Regardless of how much Gina tried to set the record straight, the Miller family wouldn’t have a bar of it.

spared no venom in her ridicule. “Look at you. What could you possibly achieve? You

“Grew up in the sticks, eh? First time laying eyes on a computer? Why aimlessly pick computer

shows you the door. We can’t afford that kind

student, paying her way through college, they

despite the fortunes spent, failing to grasp even the basics after a year, was

should’ve seen

walk later, a BMW rolled to a slow stop beside Gina, the window

headed back to school. Blocking her path here was spot on. She has even blocked all our numbers and ignored my texts. She is asking

he demanded, voice dripping with menace. “Come home and kneel,

him a look reserved for lunatics. “Are

Tue, 21 May

Chapter 3

dreaming? Are you ignoring me? Get back

still talking crap?”

‘Did she hit her head? Used to be as quiet as a mouse,

out of the car, blocking

disappear? One word to the principal from us,

if you could, Gina thought, her inner voice

deserve an apology?” Gina asked, voice cold and

ungrateful brat,” James fumed. “Forging Dad’s signature, creating a fake will. That alone deserves more than a mere punishment, and yet you dare to

call. I don’t even have the keys, let alone access

“Who knows what you did to steal it.”

my brothers will never suspect their darling sister, Olivia,’

necessary, Gina turned to

shouted, determined to drag Gina

thinking of Liam still in