Return Of The Fallen Billionaire Heiress.

Chapter Two

The Truth Behind the Mask

​Vionna’s POV

​I stood there in the dimly lit hallway with the cake box clutched so tightly that the cardboard began to buckle under my fingers, and I couldn't understand why Julian was home when he told me he was going to a noisy sports bar with his teammates. The sound of a glass clinking against a bottle came from just behind the door, followed by the deep, familiar rumble of Julian’s laugh that usually made me feel safe, but now it sent a strange shiver of dread down my spine.

​"I’m telling you, the look on her face when the Dean showed her those files was the best birthday present I could have asked for," Julian said, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat because he sounded so proud of himself.

​"You really played the long game with this one, man, because I honestly thought you were actually falling for that scholarship girl," a male voice replied, and I recognized it as Mark, one of Julian’s closest friends from the varsity team.

​"Are you kidding me? I had to stomach her 'poverty stories' for an entire year just to get close enough to her laptop, and it was worth every second of boredom just to see her lose everything today," Julian laughed, and I felt like someone had doused me in ice water as I leaned my forehead against the cool wood of the door.

​"But why go through all that trouble just for a scholarship student who didn't even have any money to give you?" Mark asked, and I heard the sound of footsteps pacing the room before Julian spoke again.

​"It wasn't about the money, it was about what she did to Rhea at that freshman gala when she had the nerve to slap her in front of everyone, and I swore that night that I would make her pay for it ninety-nine times over," Julian hissed, his voice dropping into a low, venomous tone that I had never heard before.

​I turned around to stumble back toward the elevator, but I was so blinded by the betrayal that I walked straight into a solid wall of silk and expensive perfume, and I looked up to see Rhea and Marissa standing there with matching smirks on their faces.

​"Well, well, if it isn't the little spy eavesdropping at the door because she just can't accept that her Prince Charming is actually my knight in shining armor," Rhea said, reaching out to shove my shoulder so hard that I stumbled back against Julian's door, my head hitting the wood with a dull thud.

​"Did you hear enough, Vionna, or do you need us to invite you inside so Julian can tell you to your face how much he loathes the very sight of you?" Marissa added, and she reached out to snatch the cake box from my hands before I could react.

​"Give that back, Marissa, I bought that with the last bit of money I had," I whispered, my voice breaking as I reached for the box, but she just laughed and held it high above her head.

​"Why would Julian want a cheap cake from a girl who doesn't even have a roof over her head anymore, because he’s currently inside drinking champagne that costs more than your life," Rhea sneered, and she took the box from Marissa and simply let it drop to the floor, where she crushed it under her heel.

​"You think leaking the photos was the only thing he did for me?" Rhea asked, stepping closer and grabbing a handful of my hair, jerking my head back until I cried out in pain. "Remember last winter when those guys cornered you in the library alley and you barely got away? Julian was the one who paid them to be there, and he only 'saved' you at the last second so he could play the hero and get your cloud passwords."

​"No, he wouldn't do that, he told me he heard my screams from the parking lot," I gasped, feeling a warm trickle of blood run down my temple where my skin had grazed the door frame, but Rhea just laughed harder.

​"He was the one who tipped off the campus thugs every time you were alone, and even that time you 'tripped' down the stairs and sprained your wrist, it was because he greased the steps while you were in class," Marissa added, and she suddenly shoved me toward the floor, causing my knees to slam into the hard tile.

​"He hates you, Vionna, and he’s been laughing at every injury and every tear you've shed for the last twelve months," Rhea hissed, and she reached down to grab my jaw, her nails digging into my skin until I felt them break the surface. "You're a nobody now, and by the time I'm done with you, you'll wish those photos were the only thing he ever released."

​"Please, just stop," I whimpered, feeling the blood from my forehead beginning to sting my eyes, but Rhea just gave my head one final shove against the floor.

​"Get out of this building before I call security and tell them that a local vagrant is trying to break into my fiancé's apartment," Rhea commanded, and I looked at the mess on the floor and then back at the door where Julian was still laughing with his friends, completely unaware that I was bleeding just inches away from him.

​I didn't say another word as I scrambled to my feet, my body aching and my vision blurred by a mix of rain, blood, and tears, and I ran for the exit while their mocking laughter echoed through the hallway. I burst out into the night air, the cold wind biting at my wounds, and I walked aimlessly through the dark streets with my heart shredded into pieces, wondering how the man I loved could have been the monster behind every tragedy in my life.