The Villainess's Guide to Becoming a Billionaire

I stared at the shredded stems and crushed petals littering the dirt. The blood pounded behind my eyes.

The new maid had just ripped out every single one of the exclusive Juliet roses my dad had flown in on a private jet, all to clear out space to plant some cheap cabbages.

I took a sharp breath, my jaw clenched tight enough to crack a tooth.

I was half a second from tearing her apart when lines of translucent, glowing text suddenly materialized in the air right in front of my face. [OMG she's so real!

We must protect this innocent girl at all costs!] [This rich, evil bitch doesn't even know.

If she dares to lay a finger on the female lead, the male lead will bankrupt her family's business.] My boots froze against the pavement.

Brooks, my childhood friend—and apparently the "male lead" these floating words were obsessed with—strode out of the living room.

He crossed his arms, his jaw set in a hard, rigid line. "Blair.

What are you even giving me?" I stared at the glowing threat of "bankrupt her family's business" hovering right next to his head.

My fingers dug into the velvet box holding the customordered, limitededition Patek Philippe I had waited two months for. I shoved it deep behind my back.

Pivoting on my heel, I dropped to a squat, plunged my bare hand straight into the wet mud, and scooped up a fistful of the cheap cabbage seeds she had just buried.

I marched back and slammed the dirty pile right into the center of his expensive palm. "This." I dusted off my hands. "Here's to your bright future, Brooks.

May you grow up as strong and dense as these cabbages." Chapter 1 The garden in front of me was a total disaster.

The exclusive Juliet roses lay shredded across the dirt, tossed aside like garbage. Beads of sweat dotted Ruby's nose.

She was working frantically in her standard maid uniform, ripping up the soil. The sudden glowing text stopped me dead in my tracks. [OMG she's so hilarious!

So raw and real.] [Right?! I can't wait to see what the female lead grows!] [Why does the supporting bitch get everything? A mansion, a garden, a driver, maids.

Look at her getting mad. She doesn't even know that if she dares to curse at the female lead, the male lead will bankrupt her entire family.] I blinked hard twice.

No, I wasn't hallucinating. My jaw muscles locked. The floating comments were an avalanche of support for Ruby, peppered with toxic attacks aimed straight at me.

My nails bit into my palms. My dad had spent a fortune flying in those exclusive Juliet roses from Europe as a twentiethanniversary gift for my mom.

How did that make me the villain of this floating comment section? I whipped my head around just as the butler escorted Brooks onto the patio.

Brooks was my childhood neighbor, older than me by three years. He had just graduated from college but refused to join his family's massive corporate empire like his parents wanted.

Instead, he took a job at some other firm, claiming he needed to prove himself. He stood tall in crisp casual wear, his sharp jawline set in its usual icecold rigidity. "Blair.

What exactly are you giving me? I don't have all day." The glowing warning of "bankrupt her entire family" flashed in my brain like a neon sign.

My fingers tightened around the velvet box holding the customordered, limitededition Patek Philippe I had waited two months for. I shoved it deep behind my back.

I dropped into a squat, dug my bare hand into the muddy flowerbed, and scooped up a fistful of the cabbage seeds she had just buried.

I marched back and pressed them into his hand. "I know you already have everything." I dusted off my palms. "So here's to your bright future.

May you take root in your new job and grow up as strong and dense as these seeds." Brooks finally dragged his gaze away from Ruby.

He looked down at the dirt and seeds in his hand, and an unprecedented smirk cracked his icy facade. "How thoughtful of you. I love it." My neck snapped toward Ruby.

Her pale face was flushed with exertion, glowing under the late afternoon sun. She shot a shy smile in our direction before ducking her head to keep digging in the dirt.

Brooks cradled the muddy seeds in his expensive palm like they were diamonds. A short, sharp breath escaped my nose. So this was Brooks's type. Perfect.

That just saved me five hundred thousand dollars.

As soon as Brooks's car disappeared down the driveway, I pointed at Ruby. "Thanks for the seeds," I said, keeping my tone dead flat. "Brooks has impossibly high standards.

It's rare he actually likes a gift." Ruby wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, leaving a streak of brown mud that perfectly framed her innocent, naive look. "Oh, it's nothing!" she chirped. "I just knew city people loved vibrant, living things.

Look, it took me hours to plant all this!" She pointed a dirty finger at the completely barren, ruined garden and beamed with absolute pride.

Chapter 2 "Once these all grow in, the mister and missus will have fresh vegetables whenever they want!" "But my family already eats organic vegetables, flown in fresh every single day." I blinked, my voice dead flat.

Ruby's smile froze. I didn't stop. "The Juliet roses in this garden cost ten thousand dollars a stem.

You ripped out twenty of them. "I'll give you a discount and call it an even two hundred thousand dollars.

Are you writing a check, or calling your lawyer?" The color drained from Ruby's face.

Tears pooled in her wide eyes, trembling right on the edge of her lashes. "Miss, how could you make things so difficult for me?" Her voice shook. "Is this just because Brooks… because Brooks liked my seeds?" I was literally speechless.

Her logic was so flawed I didn't even know where to start.

I read romance novels too, but are all female leads this braindead? "Blair, you really never fail to disgust me!" Brooks stormed right back onto the patio, slamming a shopping bag onto the concrete. "You're always acting so damn superior.

Does throwing your money in people's faces make you feel powerful?" The tears finally spilled over Ruby's lashes, tracking through the mud on her cheeks.

Her bottom lip quivered. "I just wanted the mister and missus to eat healthier. My grandma told me I had to work hard and be practical at this job.

Was my grandma wrong?" Notice how she conveniently skipped over the part where she shredded a fortune in imported flowers.

Brooks whipped out a black Centurion card and threw it hard at my feet.

It clattered against the pavement. "I'm sick of leeches like you who only know how to drain their parents' bank accounts.

You think having money makes you special?" "There's three hundred thousand dollars on that. Consider her debt paid.

Now get the hell out of my face!" He grabbed Ruby's wrist and turned to drag her away.

But Ruby planted her feet and stubbornly twisted out of his grip. "Brooks, I'm already so grateful you got me this summer job. I have to finish the summer.

I need to earn my tuition." Ruby scrambled over to me and bowed deeply. "Miss, please don't fire me.

I really need this job." Brooks glared at me, his fists clenched at his sides like he was half a second from lunging forward and slapping me.

I bent down, picked up the black card, and flipped it between my fingers. I flashed a bright, perfectly genuine smile. "I never said I was firing you.

In fact, I appreciate your hard work so much, I'm doubling your salary." Ruby gasped, looking back and forth between me and Brooks in shock.

The hard lines around Brooks's mouth finally relaxed. "You better mean that, Blair. If you try to make things hard for Ruby again, I won't just stand by and watch." Ha.

What was Ruby's base salary anyway? Doubling it was just adding a few extra thousand dollars a month. Pocket change to buy some peace and quiet.

Out of the corner of my eye, the floating text fired up again. [The male lead is so hot! Throwing cash around for our girl.

I want one!] [Is the supporting bitch obsessed with money? Rich kids are always so petty and calculating.

The richer they are, the cheaper they act.] [For real though, when are the leads getting together? Can we speed this plot up?] Fine. Let's speed it up.

I reached out and gently grabbed Ruby's hands. I carefully wiped the mud from her cheek and smoothed down her messy hair. "You haven't seen your grandma in half a month, have you?

You've been working so hard all afternoon." "Go get some rest. Go visit her. Take tomorrow off." Ruby lit up.

Her pale eyebrows shot up, and she flashed a sickeningly pure smile. "Brooks! You said you wanted to take pictures of the landscape around my trailer park.

Do you want to come with me tomorrow?" "Of course." The words slipped out before I could stop them. "Brooks, isn't tomorrow your first day at your new job?" Brooks shoved his hands deep into his pockets and shrugged. "The day after tomorrow works just fine." Right.

You're the male lead. Whatever you say. Chapter 3 Brooks couldn't wait to drag Ruby back to her trailer park that very night.

I stared at the Hermès Birkin sitting on my desk, right next to that black Centurion card. Not bad. A fistful of dirt and seeds for all this? That was an absolute steal.

I was definitely carrying the Birkin to the office tomorrow. Ruby and I were both sophomores. I majored in Finance; she was in Literature.

Brooks was the one who practically begged my family to take her on as a summer maid. My mom originally wanted to say no.

She said watching a girl my exact age scrubbing her floors would just make her feel guilty. But Brooks pushed, so my mom caved.

She told Ruby she could just live in the guest quarters for two months, skip the actual labor, and collect a paycheck as a sort of charity for a lowincome student.

But the second Ruby arrived, she started frantically "cleaning." She took my dad's drafted merger documents off the coffee table and used them as scrap paper to wipe the windows.

Then she thoughtfully moved a decorative ceramic bottle from the guest bathroom onto my mom's master vanity. My mom used it without looking.

Her sensitive skin broke out in hives so bad it took two weeks to clear up. My mom tried to gently tell Ruby to just relax for the summer.

But Ruby stubbornly declared she refused to take a handout. My mom just sighed, packed a bag, and flew out to Europe for a vacation the very next day.

If she knew that before her plane even landed, her entire garden of Juliet roses had been massacred, she'd probably regret leaving.

Better to just keep my mouth shut about the whole mess. I contacted the European flower supplier. They quoted me three hundred thousand dollars to restore the rose garden.

I finally let out a long breath. This summer, it was my turn to intern in the Strategic Planning department.

The second I sat down at my desk, Brenda walked in. "Blair, the reps for the account you're tracking just arrived.

Conference room in ten minutes." I spent the entire morning filling up my notepad, not even pausing for a sip of water.

The more I outlined, the sharper the strategy became in my head.

As the meeting wrapped up, Brenda glanced at me. "Blair, do you have anything to add?" I pressed my lips together for a second. "I agree with Silver Sea's assessment. "Right now, toptier AI firms are hitting a critical explosive phase.

This is the exact window to incubate nextgeneration, platformlevel smart devices.

I believe an aggressive global deployment strategy is absolutely necessary." The words flowed smoothly.

The reps from the opposing firm nodded slightly. "She's young, but she's got incredible foresight." Brenda beamed. "She's just an intern.

Only a sophomore." "Bright future ahead of her." Sure, it was standard corporate flattery, but I wasn't complaining. I had pulled three allnighters analyzing this exact account.

As I walked the reps out to the elevators, I caught their hushed conversation. "Brooks didn't even bother showing up for his first day.

We originally planned to have him sit in on this exact discussion." "He's a billionaire heir. You think he cares about a schedule? I just tried calling him again.

Still went straight to voicemail." They exchanged a look. "The CEO specifically ordered us not to give him any special treatment," one muttered.

The other just let out a bitter laugh. Brooks and Ruby didn't resurface until five days later.

A massive thunderstorm had triggered a mudslide, completely blocking the only road leading out of her trailer park. But something about their vibe was entirely off.

Ruby kept her face violently turned away from him. Brooks gripped her wrist.

His eyes were completely glued to her, his tone sickeningly gentle. "Baby, I didn't mean it like that." He paused, his jaw tightening like he was making a massive sacrifice. "It's my fault you feel insecure.

Next month is my mother's birthday dinner. I'm officially taking you home to meet her." The floating text flared to life again. [Absolute alpha energy!

A man who takes responsibility is so hot.] [Loving this pacing!] Chapter 4 [Is the supporting bitch about to start some drama?

She totally thought she was getting engaged to the male lead that day.] I zoned out for a second. The memory of last Christmas's joint family dinner flashed through my mind.

Someone had casually joked that we might as well announce our engagement at Brooks's mother's birthday party. Two birds, one stone.

Brooks hadn't met Ruby back then, so he didn't outright reject the idea. I had never held any grand romantic illusions about marriage. I wasn't desperate for money or love.

If a strategic merger between our families could push our corporate empire to the next level, why not? So I had just played along, dipping my head to fake a little shy blush.

The floating text was a great reminder. I needed to text my mom ASAP and tell her to cancel whatever custom jewelry she was commissioning for me in Europe.

I barely pulled my phone out of my pocket when Ruby violently yanked my arm. My phone slammed onto the marble patio.

The screen shattered instantly, sending the custom diamond casing scattering into the grout lines. The corner of my mouth twitched.

Before I could even open my mouth, the color drained from Ruby's face. She looked like a fragile porcelain doll about to crack under the weight of the sky falling.

She pointed a trembling finger toward the newly restored Juliet roses. "I knew it! You guys despise me deep down!" "You never liked my seeds.

Of course, how could cheap cabbages ever compare to imported roses?" "Poor people like me will never be in your world!

You didn't have to lie just to humor me!" She spat the words at me, but her wide, tearfilled eyes were locked dead onto Brooks. The air around Brooks instantly dropped ten degrees.

He didn't even try to comfort Ruby. Instead, he closed the distance between us in two long strides, his eyes burning with absolute ice. "Didn't I tell you?

If you mess with Ruby again, I won't just stand by." My boots scraped backward instinctively, but he crowded right into my personal space, cutting off my exit. "You better fix this right now, Blair.

Make her smile, or I'm going to ruin you." His sudden movement shifted his collar, revealing the dark ink etched into his collarbone.

The cursive letters read: "Duan & Song, Forever". I read it over in my head. "D&S? Dumb and Stupid?" What kind of functionally illiterate aesthetic was this?

I quickly dropped my head, biting the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted copper just to keep from bursting into laughter. My shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Brooks clearly thought he had terrified me to the point of tears. He tossed out another low warning before finally turning around to coddle Ruby. "Baby, look at me.

I promise you, I'm going to fill my entire estate's garden with your seeds. Who gives a damn about some overpriced flowers anyway?

They just attract pests." I discreetly wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of my eyes and stepped forward. "Don't cry, Ruby.

I actually moved your seeds to a much better spot." I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the east wing of the estate.

Just outside the courtyard gates was a massive plot of land.

My dad had bought it years ago to build a second Olympicsized pool but never got around to it, so it was just overgrown with weeds.

When the landscapers came to replant the roses, I knew Ruby was a walking disaster waiting to happen, so I threw some extra cash at them to clear this plot out entirely.

Ruby's tears vanished instantly. She lit up like a little kid, her eyes shining with pure innocence. "Someone actually cherishes my hard work!

I'm so happy!" She spun around and literally started running laps through the dirt patch.

I had no idea if her heavy boots were crushing the newly sprouted seedlings, and honestly, I wasn't about to ask. Brooks's gaze was superglued to Ruby.

He swallowed hard, unable to look away. I caught the glow of the floating text from the corner of my eye.

Sure enough, the screen was flooded again. [Our girl is so adorable!] [The male lead is so gorgeous!] [Loving this romantic progression! So sweet!] Tsk.

The next morning, the second I stepped out of my front door, I spotted Brooks loitering right in my driveway.

He was halfhidden under the shade of the giant oak tree, his eyes locked onto Ruby's secondfloor bedroom window with sickening devotion. What kind of new drama was this?

Chapter 5 My car was in the shop with a blown tire, so I had to call an Uber. I was already speedwalking toward the estate gates.

Brooks stood right in my path, looking like he wanted to say something but swallowing the words. I didn't have time for his drama.

I ignored him and kept walking. "Blair, stop." He blocked me, but his eyes kept darting nervously toward the guest house.

He grabbed my sleeve and yanked me forward behind a tall hedge, terrified Ruby might see us. I stumbled, my heel catching hard on the pavement. A sharp pain shot up my ankle.

I violently ripped my arm out of his grip. "What is your problem, Brooks? Spit it out." Despite his efforts, we had definitely caught Ruby's attention.

I saw her pressing her face against the secondstory window, her brow furrowed in an exaggerated, pathetic pout as she bit her bottom lip.

Brooks quickly flashed her a heart sign with his hands and mouthed, "Love you." Then he ducked his head, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Blair, lend me five hundred thousand dollars." "Excuse me?" He looked away, his jaw tight. "I ditched work at the new firm for five days.

My dad found out, blew up, and froze all my cards.

He says I need to learn to support myself." "So your first instinct to support yourself is to beg me for cash?" "I'm asking because I need to help rebuild Ruby's trailer," he snapped. "There was a massive thunderstorm a few days ago, and the roof of her family's trailer is leaking." I stared at him, genuinely wondering if he had suffered a traumatic brain injury. "It costs five hundred thousand dollars to fix a beatup trailer?

What, are you lining the ceiling with crushed diamonds?" Brooks scowled. "Don't give me that attitude.

I don't blame you for being an elitist snob who doesn't understand the real world, but don't you dare look down on trailer park residents." What was he even talking about?

Every summer since high school, I spent two weeks volunteering for my dad's corporate charity, building actual houses for lowincome communities.

I knew exactly how much construction cost. You could build a brandnew house from the ground up for a fraction of that price. Five hundred thousand for a leaky tin roof?

Some shady contractor was taking Brooks for the ride of his life. I opened my mouth to lay out the basic math for him, but he waved his hand dismissively. "Just save the lecture.

Are you giving me the money or not?" "Not a chance." I didn't even blink. Brooks ground his teeth. "I really misjudged you, Blair.

I actually thought you had a shred of basic human decency." Footsteps crunched on the gravel. Ruby hadn't been able to stand the suspense. She was running toward us.

Brooks spoke fast, his tone desperate. "I'll pay you twenty percent interest. Three months, tops." A slow smile spread across my face. "I'll lend it to you.

Zero interest. "But in exchange, you need to back off Silver Sea's bid for the new massive commercial center project. Let my team handle it." Brooks barely hesitated.

He shrugged, looking utterly bored. "Fine. It's a garbage project anyway." To an heir of his caliber, the commercial center was small change.

Because his family's empire wouldn't bother with it, he naturally assumed my current internship firm, Silver Sea, didn't care either. A heavy weight lifted off my chest.

Half my problem was solved. "Brooks?" Ruby appeared from behind the hedge, twisting her fingers together.

Her voice dripped with sour insecurity. "What are you two so happy about?" "Oh, nothing," I chirped. "Your Brooks just has a massive surprise planned for you. "Ask him all about it.

I have to go." My phone buzzed with the fourth angry notification from my Uber driver. I turned and sprinted toward the gates.

Glancing back, I saw Brooks wrap his arm tightly around Ruby's waist, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

The morning sun bathed them in a soft glow against a backdrop of blooming pink climbing roses. A sickeningly perfect romantic movie still.

The floating text in the air was practically vibrating with joy. I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead and immediately dialed Brenda. "Brenda? That megamall bid.

We've got it." "Excellent work, Blair." It was the least I could do. I was fighting for my own family's survival, after all.

My mind flashed back to the floating comment that had accidentally crossed my vision a few days ago, permanently searing itself into my brain. [The supporting bitch won't be smiling for long!

Once the male lead proves himself at Silver Sea, he's going back to take over his family's empire. His first move?] [Swallowing her family's entire company whole!

Hahaha, everything the supporting bitch owns will belong to the female lead! Can't wait!] Chapter 6