CHAPTER 10
1439 Words
I stormed out of the principal’s office, my mood already dark and boiling. The echo of my own words buzzed in my ears — the principal’s fear, Krystal’s trembling silence, that thick tension choking the air between us. Everything about that room had been irritating, suffocating, insulting.
I was still covered in the mess Krystal dumped on me, every stain on my shirt a reminder of the useless system in this school.
I headed toward the nurse’s office and saw Jason stepping out, a white bandage wrapped neatly around his head.
“Are you okay?” I asked, walking up to him.
He gave me a small smile. “I’m good. But I don’t think you are. You still haven’t cleaned up and judging by your face… I guess the principal meeting wasn’t exactly pleasant.”
I scoffed. “Pleasant? Jason, that b***h practically controls the principal. The whole school bends for her.”
Jason sighed as we began walking back toward class. “It’s normal here. Everyone turns a blind eye to whatever Krystal does. Her father owns half the school board. Her mother throws money around. The rest of us—especially scholarship students—have to endure it.”
“Well…” I muttered, “…it’s a good thing I’m here then.”
Jason looked at me. “That’s exactly what scares Krystal. You’re changing the balance here. You’re helping people she stepped on for years. She feels threatened.”
I chuckled. “She shouldn’t feel threatened so soon. If she gets scared too early… the game won’t be fun.”
We reached the classroom door.
“You go ahead,” I said. “I need to wash this off.”
---
I took almost fifteen minutes cleaning up in the restroom before heading back. But when I opened the classroom door, I froze.
Standing right in front of the whiteboard, hands in his pockets, wearing that signature, irritating smirk, was Andrew Cuomo.
“What are you doing here?” I asked coldly.
He raised a brow. “I came to visit my fiancée in school. Is that a crime? Or am I not allowed to check on you now?”
“What happened to making appointments first? Not just showing up whenever you want?”
“Well,” he said, stepping closer, “if you had agreed to meet me during the weekend, I wouldn’t have needed to do this.”
Before I could reply, he turned toward the class.
“Attention everyone!” he announced loudly.
The room immediately fell silent.
“I, Andrew Cuomo, am here to formally invite you all to my engagement ceremony with your classmate—” He pointed directly at me. “—Miss Michella Caden. The engagement is this week, at my residence. We would love to have you all there.”
Gasps filled the room.
I clenched my fists so tightly my knuckles turned white.
Andrew leaned close to my ear, voice low and mocking.
“I shall take my leave now,” he whispered.
A trail of goosebumps ran down my arms as he brushed past me and left the classroom like he owned it.
“I swear I want to tear him apart…” I murmured under my breath.
But then I heard another voice.
“Congratulations. Looks like your parents finally succeeded in selling you off.”
I turned to see Krystal standing a few feet away, arms folded, lips curled in mocking satisfaction.
“There’s already been too much drama between us today,” I said. “Haven’t you had enough?”
“You’re an eyesore,” she hissed. “And I won’t stop until I throw you out of this school.”
“Oh?” I tilted my head. “I can see that the blow I gave you earlier didn’t teach you anything. Should I give you more?”
Her face twisted in anger, but I didn’t give her the satisfaction of a reply.
I turned and walked away.
---
Meanwhile, across the city, the Laurent Mansion was in chaos.
A housekeeper stood nervously outside Krystal’s room as the girl smashed items inside, screaming curses and kicking furniture.
Her mother rushed down the hallway. “What is going on?” she demanded.
“Ma’am… she’s been throwing things and yelling ever since she came home…”
“Move!” Krystal’s mother barked, pushing the maid aside.
She knocked on the door.
“Darling? It’s Mum. What’s wrong? Open the door and talk to me.”
The noises inside went silent.
Slow footsteps approached.
The door opened, revealing Krystal — hair messy, makeup ruined, breathing shaky.
“Mum…” she whispered before collapsing into her arms.
“Yes, it’s Mum,” her mother soothed. “Tell me, who did this to you? What happened?”
Krystal sniffled dramatically. “There’s someone in school… someone who keeps infuriating me… and the principal is refusing to do anything…”
Her mother’s expression hardened. “That sly fox! I gave her that job so she would protect you! And she allows someone to hurt you?”
Before she could continue ranting, a thunderous voice boomed from downstairs—
“KRYSTAL!”
Krystal froze. The fear in her eyes was immediate.
“Mum… why is Dad shouting my name like that? Did… did I do something wrong again?”
“Get yourself together,” her mother snapped quietly. “Let’s go.”
Together, they descended the luxurious marble staircase to the living room.
Mr. Laurent stood by the fireplace, face red with fury, fists clenched. His presence filled the room like a stormcloud ready to tear everything apart.
“Do you want to bring the house down?” his wife demanded. “Why are you shouting her name like she’s deaf?”
“It wouldn’t be surprising if she is deaf,” he muttered coldly. “Because she clearly hears nothing I tell her.”
He turned sharply toward Krystal.
And the look he gave her could cut steel.
“Tell us what she did,” his wife said. “You’re staring at her like you want to skin her alive.”
“What did she do?” he repeated, voice trembling with rage. “What did your useless daughter not do?”
He stepped closer, and Krystal instinctively stepped back.
“I gave you one assignment,” he growled. “Just one.
I told you a girl named Michella Caden was joining your school.
I told you to get close to her.
I told you to befriend her.”
Krystal blinked, confused. “Dad… how was I supposed to know—”
“SHUT UP!”
She flinched violently.
Her father’s voice dropped into a chilling whisper.
“The Caden family… Krystal… is not someone we can afford to offend. Their company is larger than our entire empire combined. They have political allies, government ties, international reach. And now, everyone… EVERYONE knows that girl is marrying Andrew Cuomo.”
Krystal gasped, eyes widening. “What?”
Her father pressed on.
“And what did you do, Krystal? Did you become her friend? Did you treat her kindly?”
Silence.
“NO!” he roared. “You insulted her on her FIRST day! You dumped food on her. You threatened the principal. You made a spectacle of yourself like the ill-mannered brat you are!”
His voice rose with every sentence, the veins in his neck bulging.
“You couldn’t do one thing right. ONE. Now, the principal herself called me. Do you know what she said?” He mocked a whiny voice. “‘Sir, we’re having problems with Miss Laurent… Sir, she’s causing chaos with the new student… Sir, I can’t control her…’”
He spat the words out like they disgusted him.
“Useless!” he snapped. “You’ve embarrassed this family. You’ve put us at risk. You’ve turned the one person we NEEDED on our side into an enemy!”
He stepped even closer, face inches from hers.
“How much more useless will you prove to be?”
Krystal’s lips trembled. For the first time all day, she had no comeback. No smirk. No insults.
Just fear.
Pure, humiliating fear.
Her mother placed a protective hand on her shoulder, but even she didn’t dare speak. Not now.
Mr. Laurent’s eyes darkened.
“We are finished if that girl decides to retaliate. Do you understand me?”
Krystal nodded quickly, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Her father leaned back, breathing hard, then said the final blow—
“Fix it. Or I swear you will regret ever calling yourself my daughter.”
- Writer
