BEYOND HIS REIGN

Jealousy Knows No Peace

Angela and Jayden walked slowly around the university campus.

The afternoon breeze blew gently as students moved from one place to another. Some were chatting, while others hurried to their next lecture.

Jayden glanced at Angela and smiled.

"You are such an intelligent student," he said.

Angela looked at him with a confused expression.

"How?" she asked. "Is it because I answered the lecturer's questions? Is that why you called me intelligent?"

Jayden laughed softly.

"Of course. You answered every single question the lecturer asked without hesitation. That was impressive."

Angela smiled shyly.

"Actually, it's because I read my books."

Jayden folded his arms and pretended to be offended.

"So, are you saying I don't read my books?"

Angela quickly waved her hands.

"No... no, I didn't mean it that way."

"But what?" Jayden asked with a smile.

Angela looked away.

"Never mind."

Jayden chuckled.

"I understand."

For a few seconds, both of them walked quietly.

Then Jayden broke the silence.

"I know you were frightened when Mark yelled at you."

Angela stopped walking.

"Mark?" she asked. "Who is Mark?"

Jayden sighed.

"Mark is the guy who shouted at you in class earlier."

"Oh..."

"He is the biggest bully in this university. Almost everyone is afraid of him."

Angela frowned.

"Why?"

"Because his father is a senior police officer. Most students believe that if they offend Mark, his father can make life difficult for them."

Angela remained quiet.

After a moment, she finally spoke.

"Well... that's his business."

Jayden smiled.

"I like that answer."

"I just want to study peacefully," Angela continued. "I don't want any problems with anyone."

"And that's exactly why you should be careful," Jayden replied.

Angela nodded.

"I'll just mind my own business."

"That's a good idea."

They continued walking.

After a few minutes, Jayden suddenly smiled.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"I'll show you the university library. Since you're now our class representative, you should know your way around."

Angela immediately shook her head.

"Please... please... and please."

Jayden laughed.

"What?"

"I'm still your classmate. I don't need any special treatment because I'm the class representative."

Jayden smiled.

"Alright. You're still our classmate."

As they were talking, they saw one of their classmates walking toward them.

It was Mary.

Jayden waved.

"Mary!"

Mary turned around.

"Oh, hi, Jayden."

"Please, could you show us where the university library is?"

Mary smiled warmly.

"Sure. Come with me."

The three of them began walking together.

As they walked, Mary pointed at different buildings.

"That's the administrative block."

"Over there is the auditorium."

"And that building beside it is the ICT centre."

Angela looked around with admiration.

"The campus is so beautiful."

Mary smiled.

"You haven't seen everything yet."

After walking for several minutes, they finally arrived at the university library.

Angela stopped walking immediately.

Her eyes widened.

"Wow..."

She looked up at the massive building.

"It is so beautiful."

Mary laughed.

"This is one of the biggest buildings on campus."

Angela slowly entered the library.

Rows upon rows of books stretched across the large hall.

Students sat quietly reading.

Some were typing on laptops.

Others searched through shelves filled with books.

Angela smiled brightly.

"Oh my word..."

"The library is so amazing."

Jayden watched her smile.

For a brief moment, he couldn't help smiling too.

"You really love books, don't you?"

Angela nodded happily.

"I do."

"I could stay here all day."

Mary laughed.

"I believe you."

The three of them continued looking around the library.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, Mark and Bella were sitting together in the school garden.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Mark was unusually quiet, lost in his thoughts.

Bella noticed his silence and looked at him.

"Mark," she called softly.

"Hmm?"

Mark finally answered without looking at her.

After a brief pause, he spoke.

"Who is that girl?"

Bella looked at him with a confused expression.

"Which girl?"

"The new girl in our class."

Bella's heart skipped for a moment, but she forced herself to remain calm.

"Oh... her?"

Mark nodded.

"Yes."

"What is her name?"

Bella smiled faintly.

"Her name is Angela."

Mark repeated the name quietly.

"Angela..."

Bella looked at him carefully.

"So... why are you asking about her?"

Mark leaned back on the bench.

"I don't know."

"There was something different about her."

Bella remained silent.

Mark continued.

"When I shouted at her today..."

"She wasn't even scared."

"She simply apologized."

"I've never seen someone react like that before."

Bella forced a smile, although deep inside, jealousy had already begun to grow.

"It's probably because she's new," Bella said.

"She doesn't know how things work around here."

Mark sighed.

"Maybe."

He stood up.

"Please... can I be alone for a while?"

Bella looked at him for a few seconds before nodding.

"Okay."

"I'll leave you alone."

She watched Mark walk away until he disappeared from sight.

The smile on her face slowly faded.

Her expression became cold.

Immediately, she brought out her phone and dialed Stella's number.

After a few seconds, Stella answered.

"Hello, Bella."

"Stella, I want you, Maria, and Michelle to meet me at the basketball court immediately."

"Okay. We're coming."

A few minutes later, the three girls arrived.

"Hi, Bella," they greeted.

Bella folded her arms.

"I need to talk to all of you."

The girls exchanged curious looks.

Bella lowered her voice.

"I want you girls to find out everything about Angela."

Michelle frowned.

"Everything?"

Bella nodded.

"Yes."

"I want to know where she lives."

"I want to know who her parents are."

"I want to know everything about her."

Maria looked surprised.

"But... why?"

Bella sighed deeply.

"Didn't you notice the way Mark was looking at her today?"

The three girls remained quiet.

"I saw everything," Bella continued.

"The moment Mark saw Angela's face, something changed."

"He kept looking at her throughout the lecture."

"He was even asking me about her just now."

Maria sighed quietly.

"I knew something like this would happen."

Bella immediately turned toward her.

"What did you say?"

Maria became frightened.

"N-Nothing."

"I didn't say anything."

Bella stared at her.

"You'd better not be hiding anything from me."

Maria lowered her head.

"I'm sorry."

Bella took a deep breath.

"I won't allow anyone to take Mark away from me."

"I've already planned our dinner date for tonight."

"And I won't let Angela ruin everything."

Her voice became colder.

"If Angela ever crosses my line..."

"I'll deal with her."

The three girls nodded.

Bella continued,

"After school today, follow her."

"Find out where she lives."

"Take pictures if necessary."

"I want every detail."

The three girls answered together,

"Yes, Bella."

"We'll do it."

Bella smiled slightly.

"Good."

"You can go now."

The three girls left immediately, while Bella remained standing alone.

She looked toward the direction Mark had gone and whispered to herself,

"Angela... don't even think of taking what's mine."