Too Rich to Fail

My mother has a saying.
If you're willing to work hard, you'll have an endless supply of hard work.
A girl, she insisted, should be lazy. Because the lazier you are, the happier you'll be.
So, I took her advice to heart.
Even when I found out I was the villainess in a novel, I couldn't be bothered to care.
So long as I remained perfectly idle, fate couldn't keep up with me.

1
The heroine, Claire Jensen, was a scholarship student who had just transferred to our elite academy. The day she set foot on campus, the novel's main plot officially began.
Within a single day, she had a "chance" encounter with both the school's academic prodigy and its resident bad boy, making both of them fall head over heels for her. This, of course, caused an absolute firestorm on the school's online forums.
Why? Because said prodigy and bad boy were universally acknowledged as the two most handsome guys at the academy.
They also happened to be two of my potential fiancés.
My mother is obscenely wealthy. My family has been rolling in money for generations. By the time it got to me, I was a legacy heiress many times over.
As my mother puts it, "Don't go looking for trouble when there is none." Our family had reached the point where money simply made more money all by itself. As long as we had cash, there were plenty of talented people to manage it. My biggest contribution to the family legacy was to simply stay alive and spend it.
To that end, my mother had scouted several ridiculously good-looking candidates for my future husband.
Among them were the two boys Claire had just ensnared: Aidan Cross, the academic prodigy, and Jax Ryder, the school's untamable king.
While neither of them stirred any particular hormonal response in me, I could certainly appreciate their aesthetic value. It's only human to admire beautiful things.
But it was clear now that neither of them was ever meant to be mine.
In my own world, I was the flawless protagonist, born with a silver spoon, destined for a life of leisure.
In the world of the novel, I was the villainess, destined to orchestrate my own downfall. Even my family's fortune was fated to be squandered by my foolish schemes, all leading to a tragic end where the hero and heroine lived happily ever after, while I was left destitute and alone.
A classic end for a villainess, I suppose.
Realizing this only reinforced my mother’s wisdom. If I was lazy enough, I couldn't possibly stir up enough trouble to ruin my family.
Claire herself was a brilliant student; her academic prowess was the only reason she'd gotten into a school like this. The academy had waived her tuition, covered all her fees, and provided a full scholarship just to recruit her.
Her new deskmate was currently buzzing in her ear, dishing out the latest gossip. "Cassia Thorne. She's the school's official queen bee. A total heiress. Her mom is the biggest shareholder of this academy. Even those two gods you met, Aidan and Jax? They're on her list of potential fiancés."
"Wow," the deskmate sighed. "That's literally a power fantasy life."
Hearing them, I silently agreed. It was a power fantasy life.
Claire frowned for a split second before smoothing her features into a placid mask. "It is," she said calmly. "But I think a life you build through your own hard work is more meaningful. Like the satisfaction I get from my studies."
I couldn't see her micro-expressions, but she wasn't wrong. Some people have to pour 100% of their effort into chasing that 1% opportunity. If they succeed, they rise above everyone else.
But I wasn't one of them. I was the opportunity. Others vied for my favor, hoping I’d open the door to success for them.

2
That single piece of gossip was enough to tell me Claire was no simple damsel. She had her own agenda. A black lotus, not a white one. She'd come to this academy with a purpose: to find a shortcut. And in a school for the elite, there was no shortage of wealthy targets.
Aidan Cross was her first.
It seems the villainess and the heroine are always fated to clash.
Aidan was making his daily, unwavering attempt to curry favor with me when Claire "accidentally" stumbled, sending her drink flying. It splashed all over him. A perfect, even coating—not a single spot on his clothes, pants, or shoes was spared.
I was marveling at her technique when Claire’s panicked voice cut through the air. "Oh my god, I am so, so sorry! I'll pay for it, I promise…"
Is the next line 'Can I get your number'?, I wondered.
As if on cue, she said, "Scan my code, I'll transfer you the money."
My eyes widened. That was so cliché. Surely Aidan wouldn't fall for that? He couldn't, right?
Apparently, the power of the plot was absolute.
Smitten at first sight, Aidan whipped out his phone and scanned her code as if in a trance. The whole process was a blur, as if he was terrified she’d disappear if he moved too slow.
Seriously? Like he was short on cash? I didn't buy it. This was his libido doing the thinking.
Fine. He was officially off the list.
I immediately pulled out my phone and texted my mother.
Me: [Her Majesty, the Queen Mother, I trust you are well.]
Mom: [Spit it out.]
Me: [Aidan Cross is bad news. Pull our investments.]
Mom: [emoji: Thumbs-up]
I could be too lazy to deal with Claire directly, but I couldn't let a scumbag slide. Besides, tattling was a skill I had perfected since childhood.
Since Aidan was out of the running, he no longer deserved the benefits of my family's resources.
At that exact moment, the Cross family’s company received notifications that several core projects were being defunded. Key partnerships were severed with lightning speed. The Cross Corporation's stock plummeted, a sea of red that would make any investor panic.
Old Mr. Cross was so shocked he nearly had a heart attack.
A flurry of calls came to our house. My mother’s reply was breezy and devastating. "That Aidan boy… his attention seems to wander. Cassia finds it all a bit tiring. We wouldn't want to hold him back."
Once the Cross family understood the situation, they dragged Aidan home for a "discussion." The scene was reportedly spectacular, with his father chasing him around the mansion with a golf club. It was only Old Mr. Cross’s soft spot for his grandson that stopped the carnage.
When I saw Aidan a few days later, he had two black eyes. He finally looked like a real academic—the kind who gets beaten up.

3
In those few days, Claire and Aidan had become inseparable, like old friends who could talk about anything and everything. The way Aidan looked at Claire was filled with a gratitude for being "understood," a sappy "you're the only one in the world who gets me" kind of emotion.
In other words, he was in love.
From his perspective, my actions were nothing short of tyrannical, a rich girl using her family's money to tear apart true love.
Of course, Claire saw it the same way.
She confronted me, her voice ringing with righteous indignation. "Cassia Thorne, you've gone too far!"
She stood in the center of the classroom, a small crowd of gossip-mongers gathering around her.
"Just because Aidan added me as a contact, you used your family's power to crush him? To crush his entire family? You're trampling on people's dignity with money! You can't control feelings with finances! Aidan is his own person, not some toy you can chain with your wealth."
Her voice rose with passion. "I know your family is powerful, but that doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want. True happiness doesn't come from tearing others down. This just makes you look pathetic."
The room fell silent. All eyes were on me—curious, searching, with a hint of schadenfreude.
Aidan stood behind Claire, his lips pressed into a thin line, saying nothing.
I slowly lifted my gaze to meet the impassioned heroine.
"Oh," I said.
Claire was clearly not expecting such a flat, almost dismissive response. The long, scathing speech she had prepared got stuck in her throat. Her face turned beet red.
"You… you just say 'oh'?" she stammered in disbelief.
"Mmmhmm," I nodded, leaning back in my chair to find a more comfortable position. "Are you done? Does your throat hurt? Want some water?" I gestured to the cheap, well-worn plastic cup on her desk.
Claire: "..."
The other students: "..."
Aidan: "..."
"Cassia! You're humiliating me!" Claire trembled with rage.
"No, I'm not," I said, my face a mask of innocence. I even let out a small, sleepy yawn. "I'm just stating facts. Pulling the investment was a standard business decision. Aidan's behavior made the Cross Corporation a high-risk investment in my eyes. It was just a matter of cutting our losses. It's just business, you know? Perfectly normal."
I spread my hands, a gesture that said, What's the big deal?
Aidan tugged on Claire's sleeve, signaling her to stop. In his mind, if she could rally the students against me, great. But if she couldn't, pushing it further would only hurt his own interests. So he switched sides. "Claire, stop. It's my fault. I'm the one who made Cassia angry. She has every right to be mad at me."
Claire's face went pale with fury. The first man she'd set her sights on was a spineless, opportunistic coward. Here she was, a woman fighting his battles for him, and there he was, a man hiding behind her, ready to betray her the second the tide turned.
Screw him.
She spun around and slapped him. The sharp crack of the impact made everyone gasp.
Claire ran out of the room. Aidan, on instinct, chased after her.
How they made up after that was none of my business. All I knew was, the plot had definitely gone off-script.

4
After patching things up with Claire, Aidan came crawling back to me. It was then I started to wonder—weren't brainy types supposed to be simple-minded? How was this one so good at scheming?
Jax Ryder blocked his path. An ugly expression crossed Aidan's face. "Jax, what's the meaning of this?"
Jax sneered. "You know exactly what it means. You're out. Stay off my turf."
Aidan threw a punch, but Jax caught his fist mid-air. "You need to hit the gym, little man," Jax mocked.
Aidan's face turned ashen with rage, and he stormed off.
Claire watched the entire exchange, her eyes gleaming. Perhaps Jax was a better choice. He seemed to have more backbone than Aidan. And stealing him away from Cassia Thorne… what a sweet victory that would be. Besides, Aidan's family was on the decline, and he'd become stingy. Good thing she hadn't officially become his girlfriend, or she'd have lost out.
It was always better to have options.
With that thought, Claire made her move.
"Jax, do you remember me? We met on the first day of school," she said, a blush coloring her cheeks.
Jax turned, his brow furrowing when he saw her. "What do you want?"
Claire lowered her gaze, exposing the pale, slender line of her neck. "I envy Cassia for having a friend like you. I… I'd like to be your friend, too. Would that be okay?"
My jaw dropped. That was her big move? Such a clumsy, uncomfortable attempt at flirting. Was this really the heroine of this world? What kind of messed-up story was this? Couldn't they have picked a normal one?
Was Jax going to fall for it? Was the plot going to hijack his brain and make him fall stupidly in love, too?
I shot him a worried look.
To be honest, I had invested a lot of energy in Jax. I was self-aware enough to know I was at that age where a bad boy was exactly my type.
Jax looked Claire up and down. "The new transfer student?"
A spark of delight lit up Claire’s eyes. He remembered her! "Yes! My name is Claire Jensen. You remember me?"
At this, I was ready to give up. So, Jax was destined to be hers, too?
My gaze on him instantly turned hostile.
I had found Jax in an orphanage. Well, "found" wasn't quite the right word; we went through all the proper legal channels. To prevent any future claims on the family fortune, we set him up with his own legal identity. But everything he had, everything he was, I had given him.
I was young then, and I liked playing house. My mother, indulging me, took me to an orphanage to pick out a playmate. I chose Jax. And just like that, he was lifted into the upper echelons of society.
His only job was to manage my emotions. As long as I was happy, he would continue to have everything. For years, I had treated him like a character in a simulation game, investing time and money, leveling him up. He had grown more and more impressive, more and more to my liking, just waiting for me to decide to harvest my prize.
And now, someone was trying to snatch him away.

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