Chapter 12
1217 Words
Private Meeting with the Board
Third Person POV (centered on Hiroko)
The office was all mahogany and marble, every surface gleaming with the cold pride of old money. Hiroko Saito sat at the end of a long conference table, her manicured hands folded neatly, her posture impeccable.
Across from her sat two members of Harvard’s Financial Aid Advisory Board—both well-acquainted with the Saito name and its generous donations over the years.
“I appreciate you taking the time,” Hiroko said smoothly. “I understand how delicate academic reputations can be.”
Dean Walden cleared his throat, unused to being summoned by a parent. “Mrs. Saito, with all due respect, Bianca Lawson’s academic standing is excellent. And her scholarship is merit-based—”
“I’m not suggesting revocation,” Hiroko interrupted gently, but her voice held iron beneath the silk. “Merely… a re-evaluation. A tightening of expectations. She's taken a noticeable dip in professionalism recently, don’t you agree?”
Dr. Mehra frowned. “We’ve seen no evidence of misconduct.”
“Not yet,” Hiroko said with a soft smile. “But I hear things. Late-night dorm visits. Fraternizing with faculty-adjacent donors. Her grades have plateaued.”
She slid a folder across the table. Photos. Emails. Schedule printouts. Circumstantial, but arranged to suggest a pattern.
“She’s a distraction to my son,” Hiroko said, her eyes like steel daggers. “And if the Saito Foundation is to continue its support, we expect the university to uphold the highest standards of focus and discipline.”
Dean Walden exchanged a look with Dr. Mehra. Everyone at this table knew what was really being said.
“She deserves a fair chance,” Dr. Mehra said tightly.
Hiroko rose, smoothing her jacket. “So did my son. I expect your discretion.”
She left them in stunned silence.
---
Cut To: Naomi, On Campus
Naomi scrolled through her messages, then stopped. New class assignment—an unexpected group project.
Partnered with: James Saito.
She blinked. Smiled.
Another coincidence engineered by Hiroko.
---
MORNING AFTER
Bianca’s POV
Bianca adjusted her bag over her shoulder as she stepped out of the lecture hall, her mind still replaying James’s laugh from their call the night before. The tension was easing. Whatever weight he’d been carrying… she felt like she was helping him breathe again.
She was halfway down the hallway when Professor Alden, her Academic Advisor, called out.
“Miss Lawson, a moment?”
Bianca turned, surprised. Professor Alden was fair but formal—he rarely sought casual conversation.
She walked over. “Of course, Professor.”
He gestured toward his office. “Let’s talk privately.”
Inside, the door clicked shut behind them. Alden didn’t sit.
“There was a closed-door financial meeting yesterday,” he began, tone measured. “Your name came up.”
Bianca blinked. “What?”
He sighed, glancing at the floor before meeting her eyes again. “Nothing official. But someone of… influence raised concerns about your academic priorities. Suggested your involvement with certain individuals may be impacting your performance.”
“Is this about James?” she asked, voice tight.
“I’m not allowed to say,” he said, which said everything.
Bianca’s heart pounded. “My grades are fine. I haven’t missed a single class.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “That’s why I wanted to tell you before anything escalates. These kinds of whispers… they’re strategic. And they’re rarely about what’s fair.”
Bianca swallowed the knot in her throat. “So what do I do?”
Professor Alden hesitated, then leaned in slightly. “Don’t give them an excuse. And be very careful who you trust.”
She nodded slowly, heat rushing to her face. “Thank you… for warning me.”
He gave her a small nod before stepping aside. “Watch your back, Miss Lawson.”
As she stepped back into the hallway, the world suddenly felt a little colder—like a game had started and she was already two moves behind.
---
James’s POV – Confronting Hiroko
James slammed the door to his parents’ penthouse suite without knocking.
Hiroko looked up from her tea, composed as ever, while Harold sighed from an armchair nearby, already bracing himself.
“You went to her family,” James said, voice tight.
Hiroko set her cup down delicately. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“You know exactly what I mean.” He stepped forward, eyes blazing. “You offered them money to tell her to leave me. You tried to scare her off with threats about her scholarship.”
“If she truly loved you,” Hiroko said coolly, “money wouldn’t matter.”
“She does love me,” James snapped. “But she also loves her future. And you’re exploiting that.”
Harold finally stood, placing himself between them. “Takumi, let’s all calm down—”
“Don’t call me that right now,” James said, his tone slicing through the room.
Hiroko met his gaze. “I only did what any mother would do. I’m protecting you from a poor match.”
“No, you’re protecting your ego,” James growled. “You’ve already decided who I should be, and who I should love. But here’s the thing—you don’t get to choose. I do.”
“And what happens when she decides you’re not worth the risk?” Hiroko asked, eyes sharp. “When the world chews her up because she doesn’t belong in it?”
“She belongs with me. That’s all that matters.”
“You’re young.”
“I’m certain.”
A heavy silence fell.
Harold exhaled. “Let him go, Hiroko.”
James turned, fists clenched, and left without another word.
---
James’s POV – Grand Gesture for Bianca
He found her by the riverwalk at dusk, sitting alone with earbuds in. She didn’t look up when he approached, not until he sat beside her and held out a single white peony.
Her favorite.
She looked at it. Then at him.
“I’m not giving up on us,” he said quietly. “No matter how loud the noise gets.”
Bianca’s eyes welled up. “You don’t get it, James. Your world—it doesn’t want me.”
He scooted closer. “Then I’ll change the world.”
She let out a broken laugh. “You sound insane.”
“I am,” he said. “Insanely in love.”
She swallowed hard, fingers brushing the edge of the flower. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I want to. I need to. Because without you, it all feels hollow. The fancy dinners. The legacy. Even the future.”
Bianca stared at him, emotions storming behind her eyes.
He reached for her hand. “Let’s draw our own line. Screw the rules. Screw the pressure. Just us, Bianca.”
A beat.
Then she threw her arms around him and kissed him like the world had gone quiet.
When they broke apart, she whispered against his lips, “One condition.”
“Anything.”
“No more surprises. If you need me to stay… you tell me.”
James cupped her face. “Stay. Forever, if you’ll have me.”
---
- Writer
