“Look at the campus princess.”
“Why do you look like a drowned rat?”
A burst of laughter erupted around the pool.
“Some people really don’t know their place.”
“Seriously. Just because she’s pretty doesn’t mean she belongs in our world.”
The girl standing in the middle of the pool said nothing.
The water came up to her waist.
Her dress was soaked through, heavy against her skin, and strands of wet hair clung to her cheeks.
She slowly lifted her head.
On the edge of the pool stood a young woman in a custom-made designer dress. She held a crystal glass between two perfectly manicured fingers, swirling the champagne inside as if she were watching some kind of entertainment.
Her expression was full of contempt.
Around her stood several young men and women dressed in expensive designer clothes. Watches worth more than most people’s cars. Jewelry that caught the light every time they moved.
They were laughing at her.
Behind them stood a magnificent three-story mansion.
Floor-to-ceiling glass walls reflected the warm lights from inside, making the entire house glow against the darkness of the night.
Music drifted through the open doors.
A long table beside the pool was covered with expensive food, champagne, and half-empty wine glasses.
It looked like a party straight out of a movie.
The girl in the pool stared at everything in silence.
Then she blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Something was wrong.
No.
Not wrong.
Impossible.
She lowered her eyes and looked at her hands.
Her fingers were trembling slightly.
A few seconds later, countless memories suddenly rushed through her mind.
She stood completely still.
Then—
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
She remembered.
Last night.
She had stayed up until nearly three in the morning reading a novel.
A ridiculous, addictive, over-the-top billionaire romance.
And she had finished the entire thing.
Now she was inside it.
More precisely—
she had become one of the characters in it.
And not the heroine.
Not the villain.
Not even an important supporting character.
She had become the heroine’s biggest obstacle.
The disposable ex-girlfriend.
The one readers hated.
The one everyone knew would die.
She closed her eyes.
The memories became clearer.
The heroine of the novel—Victoria Sterling—had been born into the most powerful family in the city.
The kind of family whose name could open doors that money alone couldn’t.
Victoria was beautiful, intelligent, confident, and terrifyingly capable.
She had been raised to inherit an empire.
And then there was the male lead.
Adrian Cole.
A wealthy heir in his own right.
Handsome.
Brilliant.
Ambitious.
Even before graduating from college, he had already helped his family’s company make several major investments.
Before meeting Victoria, however, he had a girlfriend.
A beautiful girl from a poor family.
A girl who was shallow.
Materialistic.
And obsessed with marrying into wealth.
That girl was—
Elena Hayes.
According to the original story, she had spent years clinging to Adrian.
She constantly demanded his attention, interfered with his studies, and caused trouble for his career.
Then Victoria appeared.
The difference between the two women was almost laughably obvious.
One was beautiful but empty.
The other was beautiful, intelligent, and born into unimaginable wealth.
They could discuss business.
Investments.
Politics.
Art.
The future of their families.
Adrian had never had trouble finding attractive women.
But Victoria was different.
She could stand beside him.
She could challenge him.
She could understand him.
And before long, he fell for her.
He dumped his old girlfriend.
Then came the part that made the original heroine’s fate even more miserable.
The obsessed followers of Victoria found the discarded ex-girlfriend.
They blamed her for everything.
They dragged her away.
They tortured her.
They broke her legs.
And finally—
they threw her into a river.
She died without anyone caring.
Even Victoria’s reaction was disturbingly calm.
She had merely sighed and said:
“If beauty is all you have, then you’ve already lost.”
After that, Victoria and Adrian became one of the most celebrated couples in the city.
Their wedding made the front page.
Two powerful families joined together.
Two brilliant heirs.
A perfect match.
Readers loved them.
They praised Victoria for being beautiful, clever, and ruthless when necessary.
And they laughed at the pathetic ex-girlfriend.
One particularly popular comment had said:
She’s pretty, but pretty girls like her never survive in stories like this.
Elena opened her eyes.
“……”
Transmigrating into a novel was bad enough.
But of all the characters she could have become, she had to end up as the one who was doomed from the start.
Elena lowered her head and looked at the surface of the water.
Her reflection stared back at her.
For a moment, she forgot about the people around her.
It was a face so exquisite it almost took her breath away.
Her features were delicate and perfectly balanced, with clear, luminous skin that looked almost flawless even under the dim pool lights. Her eyes were bright and expressive, framed by long, naturally curved lashes. Her nose was straight and refined, while her lips were soft and naturally full.
Even drenched and standing waist-deep in a swimming pool, with her hair clinging messily to her face, she still looked breathtaking.
No wonder the original Elena had been so confident about her beauty.
Unfortunately, in this story, beauty alone was never enough.
“Elena, you planning on getting out?”
“What, you waiting for someone?”
“Adrian, maybe?”
A young man standing beside the pool let out a mocking laugh.
“You seriously think he’s coming down here to save you?”
“He’s upstairs with Victoria, going over some hedge fund model. They’re in the study.”
He glanced toward the house and smirked.
“So, yeah. I wouldn’t hold your breath.”
Just moments ago, Victoria had claimed that she had some important materials to show Adrian.
She had taken him upstairs along with two other members of their elective course group.
That left Elena alone by the pool.
Victoria’s followers and another heiress, Charlotte Whitmore, had then shoved Elena into the water.
According to the original story, Elena should have been humiliated and furious.
She would climb out of the pool, then immediately hide in the first-floor bathroom, staying there until the party ended.
Only after Adrian received her message would he finally come downstairs and take her away.
But that was only the beginning of her nightmare.
Over the next few months, she would be constantly excluded, humiliated, and tormented.
And eventually—
she would die.