Rising war
721 Words
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Chapter 10: Rising War
By Monday morning, the atmosphere on campus had changed.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t obvious.
But it was heavy.
Like the calm before a storm.
Aisha felt it the moment she stepped through the gate.
The whispers weren’t playful anymore.
They were calculated.
Strategic.
People weren’t just talking — they were watching.
And across the courtyard, Vanessa stood with her usual circle, eyes locked directly on Aisha.
Not angry.
Not emotional.
Cold.
That was worse.
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Inside the main building, a notice had been posted on the academic board.
Scholarship Review List.
Aisha’s heart skipped.
Her name was on it.
Review?
Her grades were excellent. Her attendance was perfect. She had done nothing wrong.
Students began murmuring.
“Isn’t she the one in the rumor?”
“Maybe the school found out.”
“That’s embarrassing.”
Her fingers trembled slightly as she read the notice again.
All listed students were required to attend a “financial conduct review.”
Financial conduct?
Her stomach dropped.
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Across campus, Zayn’s phone buzzed.
A picture of the notice.
Sent anonymously.
He read it once.
Then twice.
His jaw hardened.
This wasn’t random.
Scholarship reviews didn’t just appear mid-semester.
Someone had pulled strings.
And there were only two people powerful enough to do that.
Vanessa.
Or his father.
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Meanwhile, Vanessa stood near the fountain, perfectly composed.
One of her friends leaned closer.
“That was fast.”
Vanessa smiled faintly.
“I don’t fight emotionally,” she replied calmly. “I fight intelligently.”
“But what if Zayn finds out?”
“He won’t,” she said. “And even if he suspects… he can’t prove it.”
She turned her gaze toward Aisha across the yard.
“You don’t attack the person,” Vanessa whispered. “You attack their stability.”
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Later that afternoon, Aisha sat alone in an empty classroom.
The scholarship review letter lay on the desk in front of her.
Her mind was racing.
If they removed her funding—
Her mother’s medication.
Rent.
Food.
Everything would collapse.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
Again.
This time, a message.
“Some people don’t belong where they climb.”
Her chest tightened.
This wasn’t coincidence anymore.
This was pressure.
Calculated pressure.
⸻
That evening, Zayn didn’t go home.
He went somewhere else.
A private office downtown.
A place connected to his father’s company.
He walked in without announcing himself.
“Who authorized a scholarship review on Aisha Bello?” he asked coldly.
The administrator froze.
“I—I don’t know what you mean.”
Zayn placed his phone on the desk.
The screenshot of the notice displayed clearly.
Silence.
Then—
“It came from higher influence,” the man admitted quietly.
“Name.”
The man hesitated.
Zayn leaned closer.
“Name.”
“…It was requested through a board connection. Linked to the Williams family.”
Vanessa.
Zayn exhaled slowly.
So it begins.
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Back at Surulere, Aisha sat beside her mother, pretending to be fine.
But inside, fear was growing.
She had fought hard to enter this world.
Now it was pushing her out.
What she didn’t know—
Was that across the city, someone had just declared war for her.
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Zayn stepped outside the office building and called Vanessa.
She answered calmly.
“I was wondering when you’d call.”
“End it,” he said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“End. It.”
Her tone shifted slightly.
“You’re choosing her over legacy?”
“I’m choosing fairness.”
Vanessa laughed softly.
“No, Zayn. You’re choosing weakness.”
His voice dropped.
“You touched her future.”
“And?”
“And now this stops being personal.”
Silence hung between them.
“You don’t scare me,” Vanessa said quietly.
“I’m not trying to,” he replied.
That was the most dangerous part.
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The war had officially risen beyond gossip.
It had entered influence.
Power.
Money.
Reputation.
And neither side was stepping back.
Across the city, two powerful families were beginning to shift.
And in the middle of it all—
Was one girl who had no idea how high the storm was about to climb.
The battle lines had been drawn.
And this was only the beginning.
- Writer
