Chapter 49 The Vega mansion was heavy with silence, broken only by the sharp, impatient clicks of Mrs. Vega’s heels against the marble floor. She paced back and forth in the living room like a lioness prowling her territory, her face clouded with thunder. The velvet curtains had been drawn closed, leaving only the glow of the chandelier above to cast long, sharp shadows across the room.She had just ended a call with Mrs. Donatoes, and her blood boiled hotter with every word she recalled.My daughter went to their villa to plead against the engagement? To embarrass me and our family?Her grip tightened around her phone until her knuckles whitened. “How dare she,” she muttered, her voice trembling with fury. “How dare she act like a fool when everything is being laid out perfectly for her.”The front door creaked open. Selena stepped inside, her eyes red-rimmed, her shawl clutched around her shoulders like a shield. She froze the moment she saw her mother waiting, arms crossed, expres

Chapter 51 The next morning, the corridors school were alive with chatter, more restless than usual. Rumors had a way of moving through the school faster than wildfire, and today’s flame was brighter than ever: Selena Vega was engaged to Paxton Donato.Students huddled in small clusters, whispering behind cupped hands, their eyes darting to and fro, waiting to catch a glimpse of the girl at the center of the storm.“Did you hear? The announcement will be official in two days,” one girl murmured, practically bouncing with gossip.“Paxton’s fiancée,” another said with a laugh. “Guess that nerd Alexander never stood a chance.”Alexander sat at his desk in the classroom, head bent low, pretending to study the open book in front of him. In truth, the words blurred on the page, his focus broken by the low buzz of cruel whispers that filled the air like gnats. He clenched his fists beneath the desk, willing himself not to react.He had been waiting for Selena since morning. Every time the d

Chapter 54 Mrs. Morrelo stood near the polished oak desk, her posture calm but unyielding, her eyes flashing with quiet fire. On the other side, Mrs. Donato sat with her son Paxton by her side, both radiating arrogance as though they owned the entire building.The tension was so thick even the director, a man who usually never faltered, excused himself with a weak cough, muttering something about leaving “the ladies to sort things out.” Teachers lingered outside the half-open door, pretending to sort through files but clearly straining to hear every word.Mrs. Morrelo spoke first. Her tone was steady, neither loud nor meek, but it carried the weight of a blade unsheathed.“I’ll say this once. If anyone — anyone — bullies my son again, whether it’s Paxton, his friends, or even you, Mrs. Donato…” she lifted her hand and pointed directly, “…I will take it up with you personally.”A sharp silence fell, broken only by Paxton’s scoff. He glanced at his mother, amused.Mrs. Donato’s lips cu

Chapter 56 The night was quiet, but Selena’s heart was anything but. She sat at the edge of her bed, phone clutched in her trembling hands. The events of the past two days still weighed on her like a heavy chain around her neck. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her mother’s cold eyes, the locked door, the four suffocating walls of her room.Finally, she pressed the call button.The line rang twice before Alexander’s familiar voice came through. His tone was cautious, but steady, like he had been waiting for her call.“Selena? Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you at school. Two whole days, no word, nothing. Do you have any idea how worried I was?”His voice carried a sharp edge of hurt that made her chest tighten. She bit her lip, trying to keep her emotions from spilling over.“I… I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wanted to come. I wanted to explain. But I couldn’t—because I was locked up.”There was a pause, heavy and tense. “Locked up?” Alexander’s voice dropped, low a

Chapter 58 The air in the classroom was still thick with the echoes of Selena’s cruel words. Though the crowd had long dispersed, whispers lingered in every corner of the school like smoke after a fire.Paxton strutted through the halls, his grin wide and arrogant, basking in the aftermath.“Did you all see it?” he boasted to anyone within earshot. “Selena finally put that beggar in his place. Took her long enough.”His voice carried, sharp and triumphant, until it found its way back to Alexander.Alexander sat at his desk in silence, his expression unreadable. His hands rested firmly on the wood, his knuckles pale. He had endured worse before. But this time, the silence wasn’t for himself—it was for Selena.Aria slammed her palm on his desk. The loud thud startled the class.“Why didn’t you say anything?!” she snapped, eyes blazing with fury.Alexander blinked up at her calmly, though his chest ached with the weight of every insult he had swallowed. “Let her be,” he said quietly.Ar