Chapter Three :Hearts Under Fire
734 Words
The rain fell steadily over Evergreen University, washing the dusty roads and turning the flower gardens into a sea of glistening green.
Students hurried from one building to another, unaware that, somewhere on campus, someone was watching two of their classmates.
Kane Williams and Liana Hart.
---
Three days had passed since the confrontation in Professor Okafor's office.
The investigation had become the biggest topic on campus.
Rumours spread like wildfire.
"I heard Brandon confessed."
"No, the university is still investigating."
"I heard Kane forged the evidence."
"That's impossible."
"No one knows the truth."
Kane ignored every rumour.
For the first time in weeks, he had learned something important.
Not every battle needed to be fought with words.
Sometimes, the truth only needed time.
---
"Kane!"
He turned around as Ethan jogged toward him, slightly out of breath.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
"What's wrong?"
Ethan glanced around before lowering his voice.
"The university's IT department recovered the activity logs from the Engineering Laboratory."
Kane's eyes widened.
"They recovered them?"
Ethan nodded.
"The CCTV footage was deleted..."
"...but whoever deleted it forgot that the server stores login records."
"What does that mean?"
"It means they know exactly whose ID was used to access the lab that night."
Hope flickered across Kane's face.
"So Brandon is finished?"
Ethan shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because someone else logged into the system."
Kane frowned.
"Someone else?"
"Yes."
"And the account belongs to a staff member."
---
That afternoon, Professor Okafor called an emergency meeting with the Faculty Investigation Committee.
Kane, Liana, Ethan, Brandon, Victor, Kelvin, and Desmond were all instructed to attend.
The atmosphere inside the conference room was tense.
No one smiled.
Professor Okafor stood.
"The university has gathered new evidence."
Brandon swallowed.
Professor Okafor continued.
"The laboratory server recorded two login attempts on the night the files were stolen."
He paused.
"The first belonged to Mr. Victor James."
Victor's face turned pale.
"The second..."
The professor looked down at the report.
"...belonged to Laboratory Technician Mr. Samuel Dike."
The room erupted in murmurs.
Liana looked at Ethan.
"So there really was an insider."
Ethan nodded.
"I suspected as much."
Professor Okafor raised his hand for silence.
"Mr. Dike has been suspended pending investigation."
Brandon slowly lowered his head.
Everything was beginning to fall apart.
---
After the meeting ended, Kane walked quietly toward the campus chapel.
He needed somewhere peaceful.
As he entered, he noticed someone already sitting in the front row.
Liana.
She looked up and smiled.
"I had a feeling you'd come here."
Kane sat beside her.
"I always come here when my mind is heavy."
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
The silence inside the chapel was comforting.
Finally, Kane whispered,
"Can I ask you something?"
She nodded.
"Were you ever afraid?"
"Of what?"
"Helping me."
Liana smiled faintly.
"Every day."
"Then why didn't you stop?"
She looked toward the wooden cross at the front of the chapel.
"Because doing the right thing isn't supposed to be easy."
Kane admired her quietly.
There was strength in her words.
Strength that didn't need to be loud.
---
As they walked out of the chapel, the rain had stopped.
A beautiful rainbow stretched across the sky.
Students stopped to admire it.
Liana smiled.
"My grandmother used to say rainbows are reminders that storms don't last forever."
Kane looked at her.
"I like that."
She laughed softly.
"I thought you might."
They continued walking side by side.
Neither noticed the black SUV parked beneath a nearby tree.
Inside, the mysterious driver lowered his camera after taking another photograph.
Click.
Kane laughing.
Click.
Liana smiling.
Click.
Their hands brushing accidentally as they walked.
The driver immediately sent the pictures to an unknown number.
A reply came within seconds.
«Keep watching. Don't interfere yet.»
The driver frowned.
"How much longer?"
Another message appeared.
«Until they lead us to the evidence we're really after.»
The driver's expression changed.
"So this isn't only about Kane..."
He started the engine.
"It's about something much bigger."
Far ahead, Kane and Liana continued walking, talking about books, dreams, and life after graduation.
Neither of them realized that they were no longer just victims of betrayal.
They had become targets in a much deeper conspiracy—one that stretched far beyond Evergreen University.
And somewhere in the shadows...
Someone was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
To be continued...
- Writer
