The Villainess and Her Billionaire Simp

The exact day after the Montgomery family's golden boy left the country for school, I was outed as a fake heiress and kicked out onto the streets overnight. I had spent over a decade bullying him, riding purely on the fact that we grew up together. Later, at the real heiress's birthday gala, Wesley returned from abroad and delivered a public confession that moved the entire crowd to tears.

Until the very next second.

"Who the hell are you? Where is Sloane?"

Thanks for asking. I was busy selling cheap street dogs at the downtown night market.

Chapter 1

He stood there in a bespoke tailored vest and fine wire-rimmed glasses. The pampered Montgomery heir was flawless from head to toe, every single strand of hair perfectly in place. He looked completely, utterly absurd standing in the middle of a street fair.

"Sloane?" His eyes locked onto me, practically vibrating with disbelief.

I glanced up, my pulse staying perfectly flat. "Oh, hey. You're back."

I looked back down, expertly flipping a street dog on the grill. No time to catch up. "A little slammed right now. Give me a sec."

His brow furrowed instantly, and his voice went up a notch. "Sloane!"

I didn't bother looking up again. "Three bucks for one, five for two. How many do you want?"

Dead silence. Then, a strained exhale. "Two."

"Coming right up."

Two minutes later, the heir to the Montgomery empire was crouching behind my greasy food cart, eating a cheap hot dog. The guy had been fed with silver spoons his whole life. He took one bite of the mystery meat, and his face immediately scrunched up in distress. Then he caught my eye and forced himself to swallow it down.

He looked so incredibly pathetic.

I demolished my own hot dog in three bites, ready to turn around and get back to the grill.

"Sloane," he called my name again.

I stopped and looked at him. "What?"

His gaze was dead serious. "I went to your house. You weren't there."

"Oh, yeah. Didn't get a chance to tell you. I don't live with the Sinclairs anymore." I paused, thinking it over. "Did you see Madison?"

"Yeah."

"Is she pretty?"

Wesley frowned. His old-money upbringing physically prevented him from trash-talking a girl's looks, his mouth twisting in a tight line. "She's alright. Not as pretty as you, though."

I nodded. "Okay, well, listen to me. She's the real Sinclair heiress. She's the one who should have grown up with you.

She's had a rough life, and she finally made it back to her family. You need to treat her right."

At least don't make an enemy out of her because of me. That way things won't end the way they did before. I turned around to leave.

I couldn't move.

I let out a heavy sigh. "What is it now, Montgomery?"

"You said if I came back, you'd be my girlfriend." Wesley gripped my arm, blinking as his eyes instantly went red-rimmed and shiny, looking exactly like a kicked puppy. "Does that still count?"

The memory finally clicked into place. Back then, Wesley had refused to get on his flight, so I'd promised him a few things just to coax him onto the plane. We'd been attached at the hip since childhood, and I used that to boss him around for over ten years. The untouchable prince of the Montgomery family, sitting at the absolute peak of the high-society pyramid, was completely at my beck and call.

Back then, I fully considered Wesley Montgomery to be mine. But now, as a fake heiress selling cheap street dogs, could I still afford to play his master?

Chapter 2

Who could have predicted that in just two short years, the gap between us would turn into an unbridgeable chasm? Then again, this was the exact ending I had anticipated.

"It doesn't count anymore." I reached out and peeled his fingers off my arm, one by one, catching the glossy, devastated look in his eyes before forcing my gaze to the pavement. "Wesley, we aren't in the same world anymore."

So, this time, you have to be okay.

From the day Madison returned to the Sinclair estate, I became obsessed with destroying her. Riding on my status as the Montgomery heir's childhood sweetheart, I threw every obstacle I could think of in her path. It ended with me completely isolated, dragged kicking and screaming into a psychiatric ward by the very family that had raised me.

Madison, meanwhile, went from an innocent wallflower to the undisputed darling of the Sinclair family. She even initiated the broken engagement with Wesley, turning around in a brutal slap to his face and marrying his ruthless, highly capable uncle, Marcus. She gave him triplets and became the untouchable queen of the Montgomery empire.

Madison and I were the perfect foils in a twisted melodrama. I fell from grace while she ascended, as if we were just playing out a pre-written script. Through it all, Wesley was the only one who stood firmly by my side.

He defied his own arranged marriage for me, publicly warring with his elders and treating his actual fiance with ice-cold indifference. Because of that, he was stripped of his inheritance, going from the golden boy to the Montgomery family's ultimate outcast.

On the day I was locked away, he died in a horrific car crash trying to save me. My chest still tightens against my ribs whenever the memory flashes; he was supposed to have a perfect, carefree life. If only he hadn't gotten tangled up with me.

So, when I woke up in the past, I didn't hesitate to force Wesley onto that plane to study abroad. And on the day my fake identity was exposed, I didn't drop to my knees and beg the Sinclairs to let me stay. I took the severance check, packed my bags, and walked out the door.

This time around, I refused to let Wesley see me hit rock bottom. I wanted to remain a flawless memory in his mind. I wanted to stay the bright, arrogant Sloane he grew up with.

Tonight, my shift was at an exclusive, high-end private club. I smoothed down the stiff fabric of my uniform and stepped out of the locker room. Back when I was the Sinclair heiress, I used to drop thousands in bottle service here with my old trust-fund crowd.

Walking the floor with a serving tray was a brand new experience. My manager shoved a bucket of iced champagne into my hands and pointed me toward the VIP lounge.

I pushed the heavy mahogany doors open. The very first person I saw was Madison.

Just like in my past life, she sat at the dead center of the room, wearing a pristine white dress and basking in the absolute devotion of everyone around her. According to the timeline, she had fully adapted to her new high-society reality. Her pure, kind-hearted persona had won over the entire Sinclair family, cementing her status as their precious little princess.

The people lounging on the velvet sofas beside her were all painfully familiar faces. They were my former friends.

A faint crease formed between my brows as I ducked my head and walked in. I just wanted to drop off the liquor and vanish, as I had much more important things to worry about tonight.

I turned to leave.

"Sloane?"

The guy who spoke was holding the karaoke mic. The amplified sound cut through the music, and the entire VIP lounge fell into a dead, suffocating silence. Every single pair of eyes snapped toward me.

"It really is you!" He let out a sharp, mocking laugh, like he had just stumbled upon the night's best entertainment. "When did our untouchable Sinclair heiress end up looking so tragic?"

Chapter 3

Laughter erupted across the VIP lounge the second the words left his mouth.

"See? A fake is always a fake."

"God, this is hilarious. Look at her now."

Derek leaned in close to Madison, practically salivating as he sucked up to her. "See, Maddie? I told you Sloane could never hold a candle to you. Wesley is just putting on an act because they grew up together."

"Don't worry. Give it time, and he'll fall right into your lap."

Madison threw a timid glance in my direction, her voice painfully fragile. "But I really think Wesley likes her more."

A wave of crystal-clear realization washed over me. This was a setup. At Madison's birthday gala two days ago, Wesley had delivered that grand confession, only to realize he had the wrong girl. It turned Madison into the absolute laughingstock of the local elite.

Now, this pack of trust-fund lackeys was throwing me to the wolves just to earn some brownie points with the new Sinclair princess. How utterly, pathetically childish.

I scoffed inwardly, letting my gaze drift past the jeering faces until it landed on one specific girl. Brooke. My former best friend.

In my past life, the Lancaster family went utterly bankrupt right before my fake identity was exposed. They liquidated every asset they owned just to clear their debts and fled the city. When my scandal broke, the Sinclairs kept me, but they slashed my allowance in half.

Even then, I wired fifty percent of whatever I had left straight to Brooke. I carried her family through their darkest, most desperate hours because she was the only real friend I had.

In this life, her family's company scored a massive, unexpected venture capital injection. They didn't just survive; they thrived. Over the past two years, the Lancaster empire exploded, their net worth now rivaling the Sinclairs.

Yet, the second our eyes met, she flinched. She shrank back into the plush cushions, a flash of undeniable guilt crossing her face, and kept her mouth firmly shut.

The hollow ache of disappointment settled heavily in my chest, and my throat went tight. I parted my lips, wanting to ask her why.

The syllable died on my tongue.

"Sloane, are you okay?" Madison stepped forward, playing the part of the designated peacemaker perfectly. "I'm so sorry. They don't mean to make fun of you."

Normally, this was my cue to look properly humiliated, drop the tray of champagne, and storm out of the room.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Derek sneered, utterly thrilled with his own power trip. "Is this how this club trains its bottle girls? Get over here and pour my drink."

"If you do a good job, maybe I'll toss you a couple thousand in tips. Life outside the Sinclair mansion must be pretty tough, huh, Sloane?"

When I met him with absolute, stony silence, his eyes dragged up and down my uniform. "Actually, I'm in the market for someone to keep my bed warm. You've got a pretty face. The body's definitely doing it for me."

"Why don't you come work for me instead"

The rest of the lounge settled in, watching the trainwreck unfold with pure entertainment.

Madison's brow furrowed, and she opened her mouth to speak.

Bang.

Someone kicked the heavy mahogany door wide open.

Wesley Montgomery stepped into the room. His face was carved from absolute ice. He crossed the floor in three lethal strides and stopped dead in front of Derek, his gaze a physical threat.

"Who exactly," Wesley asked, his voice a low, lethal hum, "did you say has a pretty face?"

The entire VIP lounge plunged into a suffocating, terrified silence. Even I felt a jolt of shock.

Wesley hated loud clubs. Unless I dragged him along, he never stepped foot in places like thisso why was the untouchable heir standing here now, looking ready to kill for a fake heiress?

Chapter 4

"Wes Wesley" Derek stammered, completely blindsided by the Montgomery heir materializing out of thin air as his knees practically buckled. "I I was just joking."

In front of Wesley, he didn't dare breathe wrong.

"Oh?" Wesley tilted his head, his face a blank, terrifying mask. "Who gave you the balls to joke about her?"

Someone stepped in to defuse the tension. It was another trust-fund kid who used to be tight with Wesley. "Come on, Wes. We all know you and Sloane go way back."

"But she's not one of us anymore. We all grew up together, man. Why ruin the vibe over her"

Wesley cut him off cold. "You know we all grew up together, right?" He glared at the guy before his lethal gaze swept across the room, taking in every single guilty, shifting face in the VIP lounge. "What exactly did she do wrong?"

"Did she ask to be switched at birth? Did she ever do a single thing to screw any of you over?"

"I treated her like a damn princess, and this is how you trash her?" He scowled in absolute disgust. "Are you all completely out of your fucking minds?"

Honestly, it wasn't just Wesley. Even after living two lifetimes, I couldn't wrap my head around it either. Why did the kids I grew up with instantly throw me to the wolves the second my bloodline was questioned? Why did the best friend who promised we'd be sisters for life refuse to say a single word in my defense when I hit rock bottom?

It was like this world operated on a hard-coded script. Over a decade of loyalty and love evaporated the moment my fake identity was exposed.

From start to finish, Wesley was the only one who stood firmly by my side. And that was exactly why I couldn't let him get dragged back into my mess.

But Wesley Montgomery was like a husky off its leash. Utterly, hopelessly uncontrollable. His outburst stunned the entire lounge into absolute silence.

The next second, the terrifying, unapproachable alpha heir turned to look at me, and his terrifying aura vanished instantly. "Don't be scared. I wasn't yelling at you. I know swearing is bad."

"It's a toxic character flaw. Don't copy me."

From the corner of my eye, I saw the rest of the room giving me deeply complicated looks. My lips twitched, and I grabbed Wesley's sleeve, dragging him straight out of the lounge.

"Hey, I wasn't done talking! How could they treat you like"

"Shut up."

I didn't stop until we hit the emergency stairwell, finally turning to look at him. "Why are you here?"

"I came to find you," he said, blinking with absolute innocence.

"I already told you. We aren't in the same world anymore. You don't need to follow me around"

"Sloane." He cut me off, his eyes locking onto mine, dead serious. "So, for the past two years while I was gone is this the kind of life you've been living?"

The words lodged in my throat. I fell silent.

"Sloane, I regret it. I never should have gotten on that plane." His gaze overflowed with such raw, unfiltered heartache that it triggered a violent flashback to my past life.

Back then, he had looked at me with those exact same eyes. His voice had been a low, broken whisper. "Sloane, my heart breaks for you."

If there was anyone in this world who would love me completely, recklessly, and without a single condition It could only be Wesley Montgomery.

I took a slow, deep breath. "Wesley, just give me a little more time."

I will fight my way back to your side. I am waiting for someone to show up.

Chapter 5

According to the timeline of my past life, he was supposed to be here tonight negotiating a business deal. Someone would slip something into his drink.

In his drugged haze, he would accidentally stumble into Madison, who was drinking alone because her fianc had ignored her. They would have a one-night stand, followed by the utterly ridiculous, trope-heavy plotline where she gives birth to his secret triplets and gets pampered like an untouchable queen.

Relying on my memories, I staked out the emergency stairwell. It didn't take long for that painfully familiar silhouette to appear.

But before I could make a move, Wesley spoke up from right behind me. "Uncle Marcus?"

I opened my mouth to silently warn him that this man was his ultimate rival who was going to steal his inheritance and not to underestimate him.

"So you came here today just to wait for my uncle?" Wesley stared at me in absolute shock. A second later, pure, unadulterated jealousy practically spilled out of his eyes. "What does he have that I don't?"

My expression went completely deadpan.

Wesley kept spiraling, his voice dripping with vinegar. "Okay, fine. I admit Marcus is aging well. He's got that whole silver-fox thing going on."

"But he's in his thirties! Do you have a thing for older guys now? Seriously, what's wrong with me? My uncle is ancient! Look at me instead!"

I reached out and clamped my hand hard over his rambling mouth. "Shut up, or I will actually end you."

Wesley blinked pathetically and nodded against my palm. By the time I wrangled him, Marcus had staggered closer, and even Wesley could tell something was severely wrong.

"Why is his face so red? He's walking weird. Is he hammered?" Wesley asked.

"No. He was drugged." I didn't bother hiding the truth. "Someone spiked his drink."

"What!" Wesley went full shocked-puppy. "Should we help him?"

"Obviously." A faint smirk touched my lips. "Go get him, tiger."

I had been worried about how I was going to physically restrain a grown man like Marcus all by myself, but having Wesley here made things infinitely easier. Given his orders, Wesley charged in without hesitation.

In my past life, a heavily drugged Marcus had clung to his last shred of sanity to escape that VIP lounge, only to collide with a drunk Madison. That was the spark that set the whole disaster in motion. This time, we intercepted him halfway.

Wesley hauled him into a vacant hotel room. Denied an outlet for the drug, Marcus's eyes turned a terrifying, bloodshot red, and he started thrashing violently. Wesley dragged him straight into the bathroom, cranked the shower to freezing, filled the tub, and tossed him into the ice-cold water.

"Uncle Marc, I'm doing this for your own good," Wesley said, his tone incredibly earnest. "You understand, right?"

Marcus answered through violently chattering teeth. "Wesley, don't you dare"

Before he could finish his threat, Wesley shoved his head straight under the freezing water. "Just cool off, Uncle Marc."

Marcus choked on a lungful of water and breached the surface, his face twisted in absolute murderous rage. "You little bastard, I'll"

Wesley shoved his head back under the water. "Yeah, you're definitely still out of it." He shook his head in profound disappointment, then turned to look at me. "I've got this handled."

"Don't worry. It's getting late. Isn't your shift over? Go home and get some rest."

I was utterly speechless. Marcus looked completely miserable, but thinking back to everything he did in my past life, I couldn't muster a single ounce of sympathy for the man.

I turned around and walked out of the suite. I pushed open the exit doors, the biting winter wind hitting my face and instantly clearing the fog from my brain. I thought for a moment, then pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

Chapter 6

"It's me." I paused for a second. "Tell the board we are holding a shareholder meeting next week."

The person on the other end was caught off guard. "What happened? Why so sudden?"

"Nothing. I am just a little let down." I pressed my lips into a tight line. "Find someone to blow the whistle on Brooke's dad for embezzling corporate funds. I am stripping him of his VP position at the meeting."

In my past life, the Lancaster family went bankrupt precisely because of his embezzlement.

"You have stayed completely off the radar lately. Are you actually going to show up?" the person asked.

"Yes," I said quietly. "I will be there."

So, given a second chance, even with her family's fortune perfectly intact, she was exactly like the rest of them.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and hung up the phone. I lifted my gaze and looked at the woman standing on my front porch. "Can I help you?"

Madison stood there in her signature pristine white dress, beaming at me. She met my eyes and delicately tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Then, she closed the distance in two strides, dropped to her knees, and slid across the porch, locking her arms around my legs in one perfectly fluid motion.

"Save me, villainess bestie!" she wailed.

"I really, really do not want to marry that old man and pop out secret triplets! This entire world is just one massive, toxic billionaire romance novel." That was the bomb Madison, who had apparently transmigrated straight into this story, dropped on me