Rise Towards Supremeacy From A Nobody

Chapter 3: Olivia.

Leaving the library, Edward returns to his dormitory. However, as he entered the room, his roommate, Harry, greeted him with a sad and panicked expression.

"Oh, Edward, what happened to you? Where were you? Do you know what's going on? The whole school forum is buzzing about you going into the women's restroom in the library and spying! I can't believe this!"

Edward's heart tightened as he realized the seriousness of the situation.

Did those people post about him on social media already? They were so fast that they didn't listen to Olivia's words. Yes, they took pictures of him, and someone even recorded a video. Those cameras were like guns, and social media were the most extensive courtroom where anyone could be condemned.

Edward hurriedly sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. Despite mentally preparing himself, he couldn't help but fall silent when he accessed the university forum.

He had become the target of gossip and false accusations, and now, terrible insults were being hurled at him. Some even created memes and engaged in body shaming with vulgar words.

"Social media are terrifying."

Edward's hands trembled as he instinctively wrote a comment in response to the attack, intending to explain: "I was not peeping in the women's restroom. On the contrary, I heard a noise inside at that time and went in to check, but I did not expect to witness something inappropriate between a man and a woman."

Edward didn't mention that Janet was his girlfriend, as he believed it was a matter of disgrace. He considered it a final act of respect for her and an attempt not further to tarnish his reputation.

But contrary to what he expected, the replies to his comment were highly malicious.

"Ha ha ha ha, you finally show up. I never thought you would dare to speak in defense."

"What did you see in there? Between a man and a woman, I can't even imagine. He must have gone crazy."

"That's right, it's not a coincidence that Jeff said those things about him, and the girl agrees too.

No one is idle enough to blame him for no reason."

"..."

"..."

Then a post quickly captured Edward's comment, and the attack continued.

Indeed, Jeff had paid for those posts to tarnish his reputation further. Because there were fake accounts, he clicked to view them and saw that they had been created just a few minutes ago, continuously posting criticism of him. And in the comments defending him, they were all there to refute.

Even without concrete evidence, most people believed rumors rather than Edward's explanations. It felt like his college life was crumbling before his eyes.

"Let's not look at it anymore. Let them talk to each other," Harry suggested, feeling uneasy at the sight, afraid that Edward would be negatively affected by all of this, and he believed that his roommate was not that kind of person.

But Edward didn't leave the forum. His hand gripped the mouse tightly as he continued scrolling. It was strange that when someone got exposed on social media, theoretically, they could ignore the post and not care, but they couldn't escape from it. They couldn't be at peace when they didn't see negative comments and couldn't remain silent when they knew people were cursing them.

As the blame for the incident continued to pile up on Edward through the university forum, a sudden post appeared from an account belonging to a professor:

" Please stop attacking others, as it is a negative behavior within the school and is no different from school bullying or cyberbullying. Regarding this matter, the school board is still deliberating to come up with the most transparent decision. Don't judge others too quickly when you have no evidence and you are not a witness. Your words could be damaging. Also, refrain from posting personal images of others on social media. Using someone's image without permission is a violation of the law, and you could be sued.."

This post caused a shockwave throughout the online community, breaking the one-sided narrative created.

Immediately below, there are also many opposing opinions, mostly from anonymous accounts, and they continue to refute:

"Everything is clear, there's nothing to argue about."

Olivia: Clear? Can you provide evidence beyond the photos you're using to offend others?

"You're so naive, you're covering up the bad things."

Olivia: I'm trying to create fairness in this school environment. It's the opposite of what you're doing.

Harry approached Edward with a mixture of excitement and relief. "That was Olivia," he whispered to Edward. "She's the one who posted that message from the professor's account. She's one of the most beautiful women on campus and lost her husband. She and her late husband were a powerful couple at our university."

Finishing his words, Harry couldn't contain his excitement and jumped up.

"She truly is a Queen, courageous and always standing for justice. Olivia, I greatly admire her!"

Seeing Harry's excitement, Edward was surprised. Since he was in love with Janet, he didn't know much about Olivia, so he ignored other women and didn't bother to learn about them if they weren't relevant to him. But he didn't expect that a woman like Olivia had experienced such a tragedy...

Edward's surprise and gratitude intertwined as he realized the extent of Olivia's support. He had found an unexpected ally in his fight for justice. The situation was changing, and the blame game on the forum was starting to fade away. Two distinct groups emerged, each with their own perspective.

On one side were the people Jeff had paid, the privileged and conservative ones defending their views, clinging to their privileges, and refusing to acknowledge the truth. On the other hand were Olivia's devoted fans, who steadfastly believed in her and her actions. The university forum became divided, and tensions increased between the two factions.