Emerald’s POV
By the time I returned to my room, the sun had already begun its slow descent.
A glance at the digital clock on my desk showed it was a little after five in the evening. My stomach growled in protest.
"I know," I muttered, holding up the takeaway bag in my hand. "I’m getting to it."
After spending nearly the entire day moving between orientation activities and lectures, I was more exhausted than I had expected.
I placed the food on the desk before gathering a fresh set of clothes and heading into the bathroom.
A warm shower did wonders for my aching shoulders. When I stepped back into my room twenty minutes later, I felt considerably lighter.
I unpacked my dinner, settled into my chair, and ate quietly while replaying the day’s events in my mind.
The lecture... then Michael King.
Even now, I still found it difficult to believe that he was one of my professors.
When I finished eating, I disposed of the containers before returning to my desk. As soon as my phone caught my attention, I remembered Claire and Laura. Now that the day was over, I owed them a proper conversation.
I tapped the familiar group chat before pressing the video call button. It rang only twice before Laura’s face appeared first.
"There she is!"
Claire joined a second later. "Our scholar has finally remembered us," she teased.
A soft chuckle escaped my lips. "I’ve been a little busy."
"A little?" Laura scoffed dramatically. "It’s your first day! We deserve a full report."
I shook my head, smiling. "It went well."
"How well?" Claire asked.
I leaned back in my chair. "The campus is beautiful, my classmates come from all over the world, and my first lecture was... interesting."
Laura narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "’Interesting’ usually means something happened."
I decided to leave out one very important detail. "It was simply different from what I expected."
"So..." Claire prompted. "How was the first day academically?"
I sighed. "My professor gave us an assignment that is due next Monday."
"Already?" Laura exclaimed. "On the first day?"
Claire blinked several times before shaking her head. "This MBA is not for the faint-hearted."
Laura pointed dramatically toward the camera. "I would have transferred immediately."
I laughed. "I believe you."
"What kind of assignment?" Laura inquired.
I briefly explained the topic.
"I changed my mind." Laura groaned loudly. "I wouldn’t transfer. I’d simply fail."
The three of us burst into laughter.
For a fleeting moment, I considered telling them that Michael King was the professor who had assigned the paper. The thought barely lasted a second before I quickly threw it off.
Laura would never let me hear the end of it, and Claire wouldn’t be much better. I’d keep that little surprise to myself... at least for now.
Laura rested her chin on her hand. "Did anyone give you trouble today?"
I knew exactly what she meant—the scandal, the articles, and the endless gossip online.
Before I could answer, Claire spoke. "It’s too early for that."
"She’s right. Nobody bothered me." I nodded and smiled reassuringly. "People here seem far too occupied with their own lives. Besides, this is an MBA programme. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, different countries, and different stages of their careers."
I shrugged. "I don’t think anyone has time to concern themselves with someone else’s private life."
Laura looked relieved. "That’s good." Then her expression changed. "Oh... reporters are still outside your estate."
My smile faded slightly. "They’re still there?"
She nodded. "Apparently they haven’t given up."
Claire rolled her eyes. "They will leave whenever they get tired."
A quiet sigh escaped me before I could stop it. Even from another city, the scandal refused to let me go.
Neither Claire nor Laura said anything for a moment. They must have sensed the change in my mood because Claire quickly clapped her hands together.
"So..." She smiled brightly. "When you become CEO, don’t forget your poor friends."
Laura gasped dramatically. "Excuse me? I’m going to be rich too."
"Oh?"
"Obviously."
"How?"
Laura grinned. "I’ll marry rich."
Claire snorted. "I walked right into that one."
I couldn’t help laughing again. The conversation drifted to lighter topics after that. Claire and Luara talked about work. By the time we finally ended the call, nearly forty minutes had passed.
Smiling, I placed my phone on the table. Before I had a chance to open my laptop, it started ringing again. The name on the caller ID brought an even warmer smile to my face.
"Hi, Dad," I answered immediately.
"Hello, daughter." His warm voice instantly put me at ease. "How was your first day?"
"It went well," I said, then proceeded to give him a brief summary of my classes and the campus.
He listened patiently, asking questions here and there. Although he sounded calm, I could still detect the concern beneath his words.
He was worried about me, even if he tried not to show it. Strangely enough, knowing that made me feel safe.
"I’m glad to hear that," he said softly. There was a brief pause before he added, "Your mother is here."
My grip on the phone tightened ever so slightly.
He cleared his throat. "Would you like to speak with—"
"I’m not interested." My mother’s voice carried clearly through the speaker before he could finish. "She isn’t a child that needs to be checked on."
Silence followed. I wasn’t surprised my mother was still angry with me. And whether that anger was justified or not hardly mattered anymore. I had lived with her temperament long enough not to take it personally.
Dad let out an awkward cough. "Well..." He stumbled over his next words before giving up. "Just... take care of yourself. And if you need anything..."
"I’ll call."
He sounded relieved. "Good."
"Good night, Dad."
"Good night."
The call ended.
I stared at the dark screen for a moment before placing my phone on the desk. Then I opened my laptop. It was time to start researching my assignment.
Just as I reached for my notebook, my phone buzzed with a WhatsApp notification. I frowned because the sender wasn’t saved in my contacts and was just a string of unfamiliar numbers.
Curious, I opened the message, which contained a single video file with no caption or explanation. I hesitated for a few seconds before tapping download, and the video loaded quickly.
I pressed play and saw Kelvin and Maya with their fingers intertwined, smiling as if they were the only two in the world. They leaned toward each other, but I stopped the video before their lips met.
My chest tightened. Without watching another second, I deleted the file. Blocked the number. Deleted the chat. Then I threw my phone onto the desk harder than I intended.
I had blocked both Kelvin and Maya days ago. Neither of them could contact me directly anymore. Which meant whoever had sent the video had deliberately gone out of their way to make sure I saw it.
Or...
Maya had found another number just to provoke me.
My hands slowly curled into fists. No matter how far I had come, someone was very determined not to let me move on.