As they settled into the big kitchen table, Selena noticed that her two guests' clothes matched. Lucian was also wearing a button-up shirt and black pants. She had a feeling that he did it on purpose to match his outfit with Grace. She felt out of place with her white hoodie.
"Was it hard to find my place?" she asked Grace.
"Not at all, Lucian was kind enough to give me a ride," she replied.
"Is that so?"
Feeling Selena's heated gaze, Grace realized she had misspoken.
Selena calmly opened her books and said, "Let's start."
She cursed herself inside, she was so stupid. If she had sent her chauffeur to get Grace, this situation would've never happened. Next time, she has to think of everything; the male lead was too sly.
Opening her books, she sat between the main characters, there was no way that she would let them sit next to each other. She pointed towards the mountain of desserts carefully placed on an elegant tiered tray and said to her guests, "Help yourselves, the chef prepared them for you."
Grace looked at the desserts hesitantly and took one out of politeness. She chose a strawberry cupcake and bit into the fresh bakery. Her green eyes sparkled in amazement. It was the best dessert she had ever eaten. She wished she could let her parents taste it.
For two straight hours, Grace attentively taught Selena the different materials they learned in class. They also completed some exercises for Selena to absorb the material better. Grace was a very good teacher, she would explain patiently and highlight the important material that might be in the exams. As a student who got into a private and pricy school with a full scholarship, she must have worked hard. It's not as if she had private tutors, which other rich kids have.
Lucian yawned as the hours passed. He thought that Selena would use this chance to create some drama, but unexpectedly, she was studying hard.
Seeing that Lucian wasn't doing anything, Selena thought that it was her chance to chase him away.
"Lucian, if you are tired, you can go home. I'll be fine with Grace's tutoring," she said in a sweet voice.
Worried that she would bully Grace once he was gone, he replied, "I'm fine, continue with the tutoring."
Grace sighed in relief, she didn't want to be alone with Selena.
As the sky turned dark, it was time for the guests to return home.
"Let my chauffeur send you home, it's dark outside," Selena said to Grace.
Grace hesitated and then nodded thankfully.
A maid gifted a ribboned box to Grace.
"These are the remaining desserts. Take them home," Selena ordered.
"But-" Grace started, but seeing her cold eyes, she quickly shut up.
"Why don't I get any?" Lucian asked smilingly.
"I'm sure the ones you have at home are much better," Selena replied patiently. A nerve was threatening to pop out of her forehead. He didn't even tutor her today. Why did he even come in the first place?
After making sure that Grace didn't end up taking Lucian's car, she returned to her room and continued with her studying. If she wanted to have Max as her helper, she had to score well during the midterm.
A month quickly passed, and it was finally the day of the midterm. Luckily, there weren't any missions that would hinder her study time. She confidently walked into the classroom and revised in her head. Lucian and Grace thought that she would give up during their tutoring sessions, but unexpectedly, Selena was improving each time they met.
After completing the exams for each subject, Selena packed her things and left the class confidently. It was a feeling that she had missed. She was slowly but surely on the road to achieving her dream of having higher education.
After a week, the results for the midterm exam finally came out. Selena searched her name anxiously on the big board standing outside the school. All the grades of the students were visible for everyone to see.
"Lucian ranked first again!" a group of girls squealed in unison.
Selena quickly scanned the board and finally found her name. Proud of her grades, she quickly gave a call to her mother.
"Mom! I got an average of 80% for my midterm exam! Don't forget to help the Carter family!"
Honestly, Mme. Gray didn't expect her daughter to keep the part of the deal. She thought that it was just something she said on a whim. Even if she didn't have good grades, she still would've helped her.
"Great job, Selena! Of course, I will keep my promise. You must've studied hard. Is everything alright at school?" Mme. Gray asked.
"Yes, Mom. I'm just feeling tired after all that studying, but it was worth it."
"Your dad and I are proud of you. When you have time, come home to visit us."
"Of course, Mom. Bye, I have to return to class now."
As she ended her call, a familiar voice said behind her, "So you only studied hard to help to Carter family?"
Selena turned towards Lucian and smiled nervously. "Of course not! I need to study hard so I can get into the same university as you."
Lucian suddenly remembered the scene in the back alley. Wasn't the spiky-haired boy from the Carter family?
"You are not planning to do something bad, are you?" he asked suspiciously.
"Of course not! I wouldn't dare to," she quickly replied.
In fact, she was planning to get Max on her side so that she would have an extra helper to protect Grace from Lucian and all the people who might harm her. Why was she feeling guilty then? It must be because she is the villainess.
Lucian left, still suspicious of the villainess' plans. As he left, the girls in the crowd stole glances at the handsome figure.
"How is the scholarship student always in second place? She doesn't even have good tutors like us," some people raised their suspicions.
Grace's existence in the school was sticking out like a sore thumb. Her unmatched beauty attracted a lot of jealous girls and lusting boys. Other than her beauty, she was also intelligent and was always praised by the teachers. It was a big hit on the pride of the rich kids who had better resources than Grace. They had the best tutors to teach them, but they still couldn't beat Grace, who studied by herself.
Spotting the pink-haired girl in the crowd, she slightly tapped her shoulders. Shocked to see Selena, Grace put on a polite smile. She believed that during their one month of tutoring, Selena had changed for the better.
"I know we aren't on good terms, but thank you for your tutoring this past month. This exam was important to me," Selena said.
Surprised by her "thank you", Grace smiled and said, "It was a pleasure. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me."
'My sister is such an angel!' Selena thought. She could use that as an excuse to grow closer to her sister, and it would be beneficial for her grades, too.
Suddenly, the system window popped up in front of her with an alarming sound.
[Warning!
The system detected that you haven't bullied the female lead for the past month. As a punishment, we send you a mission.
Mission: Bully the female lead at least once a week.
*Failure to do so will lead to other punishments.]
Selena sighed tiredly. She forgot that the main role of the villainess was to make the female lead's life miserable since she was busy with schoolwork.
[Ding!
*Reminder to be at the location of the 3rd scene.
Location: Lotus Private High School
Time: tomorrow during physical education class]