CHAPTER TWELVELucas walked into the main building of Blueville Commercial Street with his head held high. For the first time in years, he didn’t feel like an outsider. The guards who used to glare at him now nodded respectfully as he passed. The receptionists, who once mocked him, kept their eyes low, their tones polite when they greeted him.He had been summoned to Orion's office to sign a few documents. Nothing serious, just routine business matters. Still, Lucas felt proud. It felt good to be trusted, even in small things. He was still adjusting to this new life, still getting used to being called Young Master Lucas. But today, he told himself, he would do well. He would not embarrass his sister or Orion.As he walked down the hall toward the manager’s floor, a small smile tugged at his lips. So this is what it feels like, he thought. To finally be seen. To finally be respected.He didn’t know that by the end of this day, everything would shatter.When Lucas stepped into Orion’s

CHAPTER FOURTEENLucas was still restless after Estelle left the office. The silence around him felt louder than the arguments that had filled the room earlier. His chest rose and fell quickly, his hands clenching and unclenching on his lap.He kept asking himself the same question over and over again.Why me?Why was he being targeted? Who had gone so far as to forge papers, signatures, and IDs just to drag him down? The more he thought about it, the more his head pounded.The door opened softly. Estelle walked in again, her calmness unchanged. She looked like someone who had never been ruffled in her entire life.Lucas stood immediately. “Estelle, I need to know. Why me? Why are they doing this?”She smiled faintly, like his panic was something small. “Lucas, don’t worry. It’s all been handled.”“That’s not enough,” Lucas said, his voice rising. “They almost ruined me in front of everyone. People are whispering already. I want to know who’s behind this.”Estelle walked up to him and

CHAPTER 16I barely slept that night. My head throbbed from everything that had happened at the bar, from Estelle’s sudden disappearance to the questions that still circled without answers. By the time morning came, the apartment felt too quiet, too large for one person. The sunlight that slipped through the blinds only made me realize how small I felt.I didn’t even want to go to school, but skipping would only make things worse.So I dragged myself out of bed, threw on a hoodie, and left before I could change my mind.The air outside was sharp and cold. My breath came out in clouds as I walked through the campus gate. At first, I thought it was just my imagination when people began looking at me. Heads turned, conversations halted mid-sentence. Even people who never noticed me before were whispering.Something was wrong.When I reached the faculty building, I could already feel the tension thick in the air. The posters on the bulletin board looked normal, but behind them, I ca

CHAPTER 18For a while, it felt like the world just stopped talking about me.No one mentioned the plagiarism case again. The news threads that had once been filled with comments about “Carter’s son cheating his way to the top” suddenly disappeared. Even the whispers on campus went dead silent.It was like it never happened.But that silence didn’t comfort me—it scared me.Because silence usually meant something was brewing beneath the surface.Still, there was a part of me that was tired. I’d spent weeks worrying, doubting, questioning everything. I was sick of the constant noise in my head.So, I decided to take a break from all of it.If they weren’t talking about it anymore, maybe that was my cue to stop too.That morning, I walked through the city with no real plan—just my phone, my wallet, and the urge to breathe without feeling watched. I bought things I didn’t even need: clothes, books, random furniture for the small apartment I’d rented for myself.It felt good to do someth

Chapter 20LucasI rose up from the bed as the room illuminated with sunlight.I sat up straight, raising my hand to cover the sunlight from blinding my eyes. I had actually fallen asleep while consumed with thoughts.Memories flooded in, I paused mid-action, realising my peace was just an illusion I had given myself.I still had no idea whether or not she had an elaborate scheme against me.My eyes twitched, feeling confused and destroyed all over again. I rose to my feet, walking towards the kitchen. My hands played around the cup, hesitant before finally filling it up but before I could take a sip, my phone buzzed.I ignored it, afraid it would be Estelle who had messaged but it buzzed again.This time, repeatedly.I stood on my toes, my lips tightly pressed as I avoided taking a glimpse. What if it was urgent? What if I was just paranoid? And what if…I sighed while taking the phone before I changed my mind again and just thought, it was Estelle.I scoffed, about to drop the phon