The Disolate Scion

Trouble

He spun around to find Mr. Benton wearing a somber expression.

Unsurprisingly,  Mrs. Samantha had twisted the events of the day and presented her version to him.

"I initially believed you were facing challenges outside, and upon your return, I saw you as someone who steers clear of trouble, understands boundaries. But what happened today? Juelz is your brother, and it seems you're so envious of him that you orchestrated everything to make him lose face in front of everyone?" Mr. Benton stared at Zak with frustration and anger in his eyes.

Ignoring the fact that his son was injured, Mr. Benton seemed more concerned about losing face. 

With his head bowed, Zak stared at his own toes, his voice barely audible as he confessed, "I was indeed wrong about this matter. I should have been the one beaten. I'm sorry, Dad."

The one beaten?

Mr. Benton frowned, realizing, though not fully believing, "Your mom has already told me everything. It was intentional on your part to scheme against Juelz. If you continue like this, roll out of Vanderose; we don't need someone with your malicious heart."

After a moment of silence in the living room, under the soft light, the young man, head lowered, shrank his body, seemingly scared by his father's words.

After a few seconds, Zak finally said, "I understand. Next time, if my brother wants to find someone to beat me, I won't hide anymore."

Mr. Benton grew more irritated by Zak's timid and fearful appearance. Hearing his words, sitting at the nearby table, he said in a deep voice, "Tell me the whole story from beginning to end."

Zak lowered his head even more, "I heard someone wanted to teach me a lesson, so I was too scared and hid. When I came out again, my brother had already been beaten. The guy who beat him mistook him for me, and my brother got hurt. It was indeed my fault."

This account was quite different from what Mrs. Samantha had said. According to her, Zak was the mastermind behind the whole thing, ordering someone to beat Juelz and even framing him.

Because of this, Mr. Benton rushed back angrily to question him. Now, hearing Zak's words, he probably guessed the truth of the matter. After a moment of silence, he waved his hand, "Go back to your room."

Zak picked up his phone and walked towards the room, closing the door gently, afraid of making any noise that might disturb Mr. Benton.

Seeing this extremely cautious scene unintentionally, Mr. Benton was stunned, his brows furrowing even tighter.

He now knew almost everything about what happened at school, and with an unpleasant expression, he called Juelz.

Juelz, who answered the call, thought Mr. Benton was calling to inquire about him and complained somewhat aggrievedly, "Dad, you finally remembered to call me."

But what he got was a stern reprimand, "It seems you completely ignored what I said before, Juelz. You idiot, get well in the hospital and come back to me."

Juelz was stunned, looking at his phone unbelievably, thinking he had answered the wrong call. Angry, he asked, "Dad, what did that little jerk Zak tell you?"

Hearing this, Mr. Benton became even angrier, "Can you use such words? The next time I hear it, I'll cut off all your cards. Do you understand?"

Although Juelz was particularly dissatisfied, he dared not provoke Mr. Benton again. After holding back for a long time, he finally squeezed out a sentence, "... I understand."

Juelz had been in the hospital, and Zak finally had a few quiet days. The resolution to the previous incident involved Matthias being expelled and offering an apology to Juelz. The school also issued a statement, asserting that Matthias had orchestrated everything, and Juelz was wrongly accused, completely innocent.

Despite the skepticism that lingered among his school peers, they refrained from discussing Juelz following the warnings. Three days later, Juelz was discharged and returned to school, seamlessly slipping back into his former demeanor - an air of arrogance and elegance. 

Even during the lunch break, he took the initiative to intercept Zak, a smile playing on his lips. "Let's have lunch together," he proposed. Before Zak could respond, he closed the distance, questioning with deliberate precision, "Do you think my smile resembles yours?"

Zak, unruffled by the somewhat threatening undertones, took a step back, observed thoughtfully, and chuckled softly, "Quite similar. Others probably wouldn't recognize the difference between us."

Juelz inwardly sneered. If Zak could mimic him, why couldn't he reciprocate? After contemplating this revenge plan during his hospital stay, he finally devised a strategy to make Zak rue the day.

Wait for it; I'll make you more miserable than I was before.

Juelz, with a cold gaze, patted Zak's shoulder and ushered him outside. "Let's go; I'm treating you to dinner."

In the cafeteria, he directly procured the most expensive meal and handed it to Zak, peppering the transaction with sarcastic comments. "Heard you didn't have a meal card before, almost couldn't afford food, huh? Next time something like this happens, come to me; I can help you. After all, I'm your brother."

Zak accepted the food tray with a slight smile, replying, "Thanks, brother."

Juelz scornfully remarked, "I thought you wouldn't accept."

Before he could complete his sentence, Zak had already located a seat and settled down.

Juelz ground his teeth, annoyed. As he approached Zak to harass him, he noticed someone occupying the seat across from him.

With no other seats available, he swiftly walked over, stood beside the guy, and asserted, "This is my seat; get up."

The guy casually set down his fork, stretched his legs against the chair back, and gazed up at Juelz. "Your seat?"

Briefly stunned by Carlos Downs' sharp features, Juelz suppressed the words poised on his tongue, forcing a smile, "You can stay; I misspoke."

Carlos didn't faze him; what he truly refrained from provoking was Camilla Gilliam.

By chance, someone nearby vacated their seat, and Juelz seized the opportunity to sit down, fixating his gaze on Carlos and Zak. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him, and he erupted into laughter.

Terrence Rodriquez, standing beside him, approached once again to apologize, but Juelz didn't bother lifting his head. "Get lost," he declared, deeming Terrence useless and a source of embarrassment.

"Don't be upset; I never thought he'd be so clever. He usually appears quiet and timid," Terrence expressed, feeling unfairly treated. "Give me another chance."

Juelz looked up at him. "Fine, assist me with something, and I'll forgive you." He gestured with his hand and, as Terrence Rodriquez drew closer, he raised his chin, pointing toward Carlos across the table. "Find out Carlos' likes and dislikes for me."

Terrence widened his eyes. "You have a crush on Carlos Downs?"

"Don't ask so much," Juelz impatiently responded, glaring directly at Zak. "Just go and investigate."

The intensity of the gaze was too compelling for Zak to ignore. Even without sensing it, he observed Terrence conversing with Juelz, prompting him to set down his chopsticks.

"Done eating?" Carlos remarked. "Wait for me; I'll accompany you back."

Zak stared directly at Carlos. "Do you know what the others are saying?"

"Do you care about the rumors?" Carlos replied with a question, a smile gracing his face.

"They're all gossiping that I'm trying to get close to you," Zak said, intertwining his fingers and gently supporting his chin, his eyes emitting a chilly gleam. "So, Carlos, regardless of what you're trying to discover by sticking around me, starting today, don't linger near me anymore."

The boy's distant tone left Carlos dumbfounded. Before he could speak, Zak picked up his plate and departed.

No longer interested in eating, Carlos caught up slowly and said, "Following you doesn't mean much to me; I simply find you intriguing and want to be friends."

Zak didn't turn his head. "I'm not interested."

Undeterred, Carlos persisted, taking a moment before stating, "You seem to lack friends at school. Wouldn't it be good to have me as a friend?"

Zak halted and chuckled softly. "If you don't mind complications, I don't care."

"What complications?" Carlos frowned, finding Zak even more enigmatic.

In this school, hardly anyone could trouble him.

Zak said calmly, "You'll find out in a few days."

Carlos guessed something and chuckled. "So, what scheme is Juelz cooking up again? You already know?"