Riley took a slow breath, preparing to reveal the truth. "I..." Just as the words were about to leave his mouth, the office door suddenly swung open. Without even knocking, Nearl walked inside as though he owned the place. "Principal." The interruption made Riley stop mid-sentence. He frowned, clearly annoyed, while Principal Paul immediately looked toward Nearl. "Oh, Mr. Nearl," Paul said, his tone noticeably softer than before. "You're here." Riley's eyebrows furrowed. Mr. Nearl? The respect in the principal's voice was impossible to miss. Paul waved his hand impatiently toward Riley. "You can leave for now." Riley didn't move. "I actually wanted to tell you something." "I don't want to hear it right now," Principal Paul replied without even looking at him. "Mr. Nearl and I have important matters to discuss." Riley looked from Paul to Neal.The two exchanged a brief glance, as though they already understood each other without speaking. Riley narrowed his eyes.Something'

Riley stepped forward until he stood directly before Principal Paul.His voice was calm, but it carried clearly across the silent sports hall."Principal Paul... I just saw you smuggle the paddle Nearl used during the final out of the arena."For a heartbeat—No one reacted. Then the entire hall erupted into stunned murmurs."What?""Smuggle the paddle?""What does he mean?""Did I hear that right?"Students looked at one another in complete confusion, while the teachers exchanged puzzled glances. Principal Paul's expression darkened."What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded sharply. "Smuggle Nearl's paddle? Explain yourself."Without saying another word, Riley slowly raised his hand and pointed toward the student volunteer who had almost reached the exit."The paddle is inside that black sack."The volunteer froze in place. His eyes widened in surprise as every person inside the arena turned to look at him."I... I..."He instinctively tightened his grip on the sack, unsure

Riley looked at Rossline for a moment before scoffing. "You are his girlfriend. You're supposed to know his character and how bad it is."Rossline sighed and glanced toward the classroom where Nearl had disappeared. "I was surprised too. When we first met, he seemed gentle and polite. I never expected him to become like this."Riley scoffed again, folding his arms. "He hid it well enough”Rossline remained silent for a moment before looking directly at him. Then, almost casually, she asked, "Do you think he is the owner of this school? The secret owner of this school?"Riley's expression changed slightly. He stared at her. "I doubt that. What makes you really think that?"Rossline simply smiled."Nothing."Riley frowned. "Nothing?""We'll talk later." Rossline paused before adding, "And thanks for the other day."Before Riley could ask what she meant, she turned around and walked away.Riley watched her leave, his brows slightly furrowed. "Why would Rossline think Nearl is the secret

Everyone around them seemed to freeze.For several seconds, nobody said a word. The students who had been watching the confrontation stared at Nearl as though they had suddenly stopped understanding what they were seeing.Fred blinked repeatedly. “What… what did you just say?” he finally asked.Nearl straightened his collar, his expression completely serious. “I said I am the owner of this school.”Fred's eyes widened. “You’re the owner?”“Yes.” Nearl looked around at the students before turning his attention back to Fred. “I bought this entire school. I’ve been the secret owner this whole time.”A wave of shocked whispers immediately spread through the crowd.“No way…”“Nearl?”“He owns the school?”“Then all those rumors were true?”Fred remained frozen. Nearl stepped closer.“So you better watch how you talk to me. I can have you removed from this school whenever I want.” Nearl claimed. Fred swallowed hard.Rossline stood completely still. Her eyes remained fixed on Nearl. If what

Meanwhile, news about the sports manipulation scandal had already spread throughout the school, and students were talking about it everywhere. By the time classes ended, almost everyone knew that Nearl had been involved in the cheating scandal, and many were also shocked to discover that he was secretly the owner of the school.Claire was the first to bring it up as she walked with the others. “This school will never rest from drama. First, we discover that Nearl has been the secret owner of the school all this time, and also, he really did cheat that day”Mira shrugged. “Well, many people probably suspected he was the owner anyway. He's rich, and he never stops flaunting his money.”Karl turned toward Riley, his expression serious. “You were right all along. Nearl really did cheat that day. I knew something about that match felt suspicious, but I couldn't figure out what had happened.”Fred and Eddie both nodded in agreement.Eddie suddenly looked at Riley. “So what will happen to Ka