Billionaire Villainess (Unedited)

Judgement (Edited 8/31/24)

Arthur watched with a mixture of discomfort and disbelief as Judith hastily devoured her spaghetti carbonara. He cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to the head of the table.

Judith quickly swallowed her food and looked up at the man she was supposed to call her father.

"Judith, with the new school year starting in a week, I expect you to change your habits," he said sternly, his gaze unwavering.

"What habits... daddy?" Judith cringed inwardly as she forced out the last word. The original Judith had always called him that, but to her, this man was no father. Her real father on Earth had been a terrible person, as had her mother. Why was she still stuck dealing with awful parents after transmigrating?

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Arthur replied, his eyes narrowing.

Damien, her older brother, scoffed loudly. "Let me spell it out for you so Father doesn't have to waste his time," he said, his tone dripping with disdain. Arthur gave him a nod of approval.

"Listen, foolish sister, Father wants you to start taking your studies seriously and stop being a nuisance to Gabriel," Damien told Judith harshly.

"But I'm his fiancée!" Judith protested in a high-pitched voice, cringing internally at how fake it sounded. God, I have to act like a total airhead.

"That may be true," Damien sneered, "but your extreme clinginess is making us all look bad!"

"We just want you to tone down your affections for him, dear," Elana added gently, though her words were laced with underlying criticism. "Too much will only drive him away."

What interest? Judith thought with a scowl. That guy was never interested in me to begin with.

Verona remained silent, her head bowed, but Judith noticed how tightly she was gripping her fork, her knuckles white. It was as if Verona wanted to stab something—or someone.

"Geez, you're all making such a big deal out of this," Judith said, continuing her act. "You know Gabriel loves me." Just keep acting, Judith, even if you want to throw up.

Damien rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure," he said sarcastically. Being a year older, Damien knew his best friend far better than his delusional sister did.

"What's most important right now are your studies," Arthur reiterated, his cold gaze locking onto Judith. "You need to improve your grades. The Vandersons will not tolerate a fiancée who tarnishes their reputation."

Judith felt a nervous sweat forming as his words sank in. "If I find your scores unsatisfactory by the end of the year..." Arthur let the sentence hang ominously.

Judith's body tensed, anticipating the worst.

"I will disown you," Arthur declared with finality.

What?! Disown me? Did I forget that part of the novel? Judith's mind raced, trying to recall the details of the story she had barely paid attention to. And what's with Verona? Why does she look like she's ready to stab someone? Did I miss something?

In truth, Judith didn't remember much of the novel she had read. It hadn't seemed important at the time, but now she regretted not paying more attention.

But first...Judith thought bitterly, screw this old man.

She let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine! I'll try harder to get my grades up, even though I think it's stupid. We have money, so why does it matter?" She slammed her hands on the table, feigning indifference to his threats.

"Judith, I'm being serious," Arthur said sternly, clearly unimpressed by her lack of respect.

"Not surprising, Father. Your words go in one ear and out the other with her," Damien added, crossing his arms and glaring at Judith with judgment in his eyes. To him, she would never change her ways, never be able to surpass Verona, his most favored sister.

Keep making that face, and you'll get premature wrinkles,Judith thought, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

She had had enough. Rising abruptly from her chair, she decided she couldn't stomach another moment of this conversation—or the meal.

"Judith, sit back down! Dinner isn't over yet!" Elana exclaimed, her voice tinged with disapproval.

"Sister! Where are you going? Please calm down, there's no need to be angry!" Verona finally spoke, her wide, innocent eyes pleading with Judith to stay.

Wow, so innocent... the kind of girl men would fall over themselves to protect and fight for, Judith thought, her expression betraying nothing.

With a calm, expressionless face, she replied, "I'm going to my room."

"Watch your tone with Verona!" Damien suddenly shouted, his anger flaring up.

What the hell?! I'm just telling her I'm going to my room! What's his problem?

Judith had reached her breaking point.

"WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I'M JUST TELLING HER I'M GOING TO MY ROOM BECAUSE I'M NOT HUNGRY ANYMORE! WHAT PART OF THAT DID YOUR LUMP OF SH*T YOU CALL A BRAIN FAIL TO UNDERSTAND? GO GET YOUR EARS CHECKED, YOU NIMROD!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the entire dining room and beyond.

The servants—who had been silently standing by the walls—looked as if they had just witnessed an explosion, their mouths hanging open in shock.

Arthur, Elana, and Verona stared at her, their faces frozen in disbelief.

Damien's expression was one of utter shock, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open as if he had just been slapped.

Judith grabbed a glass of wine, downed it in one gulp, and slammed the glass back onto the table. "I'll be excusing myself," she said coldly before turning on her heel and leaving the dining room without a second glance.

She knew she had messed up—again.