"I've given your bracelet back. What more do you want?"

"Sure, you returned my bracelet," Anastasia replied with a cold smirk. "But you think that's it? What did you all say earlier? Loser kneels and barks like a dog- don't tell me you plan to weasel out of it now?"

Maggie chimed in, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "No way, seriously? You're not thinking of backing out, are you?"

Juliet, ever the calm one, added, "You were the one who suggested this bet. Plenty of people heard it."

Shirley stood frozen, her face a stormy shade of gray.

She'd only made that bet to humiliate Anastasia. Honestly, that had been her whole reason for starting this stupid contest in the first place.

When Anastasia had insisted the punishment would go both ways, Shirley had agreed without a second thought she was so sure Anastasia would lose, she hadn't even considered the alternative.

But against all odds, Anastasia had won.

Now what? Was she really supposed to kneel to Anastasia and bark like a dog in front of everyone?

No. Way. In. Hell.

She glared at Anastasia, voice trembling with misplaced fury. "Do you have any idea who I am? Anastasia, don't push your luck!"

Maggie, never one to back down, shot right back, "Have you no shame? Weren't you the one who suggested this humiliating bet? If Anastasia had lost, you'd have made her crawl on the floor and bark, no question. So now that you've lost, you want to bully your way out of it?"

"Yeah, if you can't take the heat, don't make the bet," someone else piped up. "Losing and refusing to own up-what do you call that?"

Shirley's cheeks flushed an ugly red, the crowd's judgment ringing in her ears.

Anastasia spoke up then, her tone lazy and laced with mockery. "Oh, I know exactly who you are. You've said it enough—the darling of the Riverton West family, right? So what? Is that supposed to get you out of kneeling and barking for me?"

Shirley stared at her, stunned. She couldn't believe Anastasia knew her background and still dared to talk to her like this.

She opened her mouth to retort, but Anastasia was already glancing at her watch, impatience written across her face. It was almost time to head home, and the last thing she wanted was to keep her husband waiting.

Her pretty face went cold. "Enough stalling. Kneel."

The authority in her voice actually made Shirley flinch.

Maggie leaned in to Juliet and whispered, "That's what they call queen energy, right?"

Juliet nodded, her eyes shining in admiration as she watched Anastasia. "Hurry up and kneel! If you don't, you're not leaving," Maggie called out. Instantly, Anastasia's classmates-and a handful of students from other departments-formed a tight circle around them, blocking any escape.

A chant started, low at first, then gathering strength: "Kneel, kneel, kneel!"

With nowhere to run, Shirley's defiance flickered. She shot Anastasia a venomous look. "Anastasia, you'll regret this!"

Anastasia didn't even blink. "The only thing I'd regret is letting you off the hook today."

You ever hear how backing down just makes you angrier? No way she was letting that happen.

In the end, Shirley and Penelope had no choice but to grit their teeth and sink to their knees.

Meanwhile, Shirley's entourage, seeing Anastasia didn't care about them, breathed a collective sigh of relief and quietly edged away, trying to make themselves invisible.

"Well? What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Anastasia looked down at the pair on the floor, impatience creeping into her voice.

Penelope's eyes shimmered with tears of humiliation as she forced herself to let out a barely audible, "Woof."