Back at the old mansion, the atmosphere had changed.The room that had earlier been filled with cruelty was now thick with tension.Linda stood with the property documents clutched in one hand, glaring at Travis.“You’re insane,” she snapped. “The agreement was five hundred thousand dollars. That’s what we discussed.”Travis sat on the couch with one leg crossed over the other, looking far too relaxed for a man in the middle of a dispute.“Well, I’ve changed my mind,” he said lazily.Linda’s jaw tightened. “You can’t just change your mind. It was a deal, and a deal is a deal!”Travis smirked. “I can do whatever I want.”He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Why should I settle for five hundred thousand when the house is worth three million? I want fifty percent.”Linda almost choked on outrage. “Fifty percent?”“Yes.” Travis spread his arms. “Half.”“You greedy pig!” Linda barked. “That was never the agreement!”Travis’ eyes turned cold. “Then don’t agree.”Linda stared

***From the old mansion, Darren left for the train station and took a train headed for school.The confrontation with Travis, the hospital, the return to the mansion—it had all taken so much time, that morning had slipped away. Still, even with everything that had happened, there was one thing Darren could not ignore.School.He had already missed two straight days. He could not afford to miss today. By the time he arrived in school it was already half past twelve noon. As he was walking through the school gate, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Eddie.Darren opened it while still walking.Eddie: Where have you been? I’ve been calling you since morning!Darren paused under a tree near the gate and quickly checked his call log. True enough, Eddie had been calling him repeatedly.But why didn’t he notice the phone the ringing?He stared at the screen for a second before remembering.Of course.All those calls had come in while his phone had been with Travis. Tha

After Dr. Maurice left the classroom, the room immediately divided into two clusters. The students gathered in circles, and the noise level rose from chatter to full discussion mode within seconds.Adrian clapped his hands loudly to get his team’s attention.“Alright everyone, gather around. We don’t have time to waste. Let’s plan this properly so we can crush them completely.”His team quickly surrounded him, forming a tight circle. Clara stood right beside him, flipping her hair over her shoulder confidently, already looking like she had won something.Adrian crossed his arms and looked around like a general inspecting his army. “First, the Model of the Year competition. We need our best person for that.”Before anyone could even speak, Clara stepped forward, lifted her chin slightly, and said, “I’ll do it.”Her tone wasn’t a suggestion. It was a declaration.She placed one hand on her waist and added, “Let’s be honest, no one here matches me in beauty, class, or fashion sense. I’m

Adrian looked at Darren and his group mockingly.“Alright,” he said with a smirk, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Let me make this easy for all of you. If your Alicia can somehow reach ten thousand likes… we’ll admit defeat in this round.”His teammates laughed derisively.“Ten thousand!” one of the boys repeated, laughing. “They can’t even reach one thousand!”Another chimed in, “You’re being too generous, Adrian. Look at them. Ten thousand is impossible for that side.”Adrian leaned slightly toward Darren and lowered his voice just enough to sound insulting. “But then again… miracles do happen, right? Delivery boy?”A few people around them snickered.Adrian straightened and clapped his hands once. “Anyway, I’ve wasted enough time here. Try not to cry when this is over.”He turned and walked back to his section, laughing out loudly.For a few seconds, Darren’s group was silent. The tension hung in the air like a heavy cloud.Then Eddie suddenly clapped his hands once, trying to

Clara stood frozen for a few seconds after the comment was read, but the moment the laughter from Jacob’s group grew louder, something inside her snapped.Her face twisted with fury, her nails digging into her palms, her chest rising and falling quickly. The embarrassment, the anger, the disbelief — everything mixed together until her eyes began to burn.“How… how could she say something like that?” Clara said, her voice shaking with anger. “How dare she?!”Her friends around her tried to calm her down.“Clara, calm down—”But she slapped their hands away.“Don’t touch me!” she snapped, her voice sharp and loud enough to draw attention again.Then suddenly, she turned, her eyes locking onto Alicia like a blade.“You!” Clara pointed at her accusingly. “You must have done something!”Alicia blinked in confusion. “What?”“Don’t pretend!” Clara snapped, taking a few aggressive steps forward, her heels striking the floor loudly. “Elizabeth Kane would never say something like that for no re