“Delete whatever video you recorded on your phones, or you’ll live to regret it!” Williams roared, his face twisted with fury as he glared at every student inside the restaurant.
“You all know exactly what I’m capable of. If I find out that any one of you motherfuckers uploads that video to the school group or posts it on social media, then consider yourself dead meat! I’ll make sure you regret ever touching your phone.”
His threatening voice echoed throughout the five-star restaurant, causing many students to instinctively lower their heads.
With that final warning, Williams spun around and stormed out of the restaurant, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Emily hurried after him without saying a word, struggling to keep up with his long, angry strides.
Everyone knew just how ruthless Williams could be.
Although he wasn’t the strongest or most influential student in the academy, he had one major advantage….his close friendship with one of the notorious members of the R4, the elite group that practically controlled everything that happened within the school.
Because of that connection, very few students dared to provoke him.
They weren’t necessarily afraid of Williams himself.
They were afraid of the R4.
One by one, the students reluctantly lowered their phones before quietly slipping them back into their bags and pockets.
Those who had already finished recording deleted the videos without hesitation, while the rest returned to eating their meals as though nothing had happened.
Conversations resumed, though in much quieter voices than before.
“Interesting…”
A soft feminine voice suddenly murmured from a secluded corner of the restaurant.
The speaker was a beautiful young woman with long, silky black hair that flowed elegantly down her back.
She wore a pair of thin-rimmed glasses that gave her a scholarly appearance, while the tight-fitting black gown hugging her slender figure created an oddly captivating contrast between innocence and seduction.
She stared at the video displayed on her phone’s screen.
The recording perfectly captured Rose humiliating both Williams and Emily.
A slow smile spread across her lips.
“Well… why don’t I make things even more interesting?” she whispered with amusement.
“School has been unbearably boring lately.”
Without the slightest hesitation, she tapped the bright green upload button on her phone.
Within seconds, the video had already been posted online.
“School can never be boring as long as Kayda is around,” she chuckled to herself before slipping her phone into her pocket.
****
Meanwhile, after leaving the restaurant, Rose quietly made her way back to her dormitory.
The moment she stepped inside her room and closed the door behind her…
Ping!
Her phone vibrated.
Rose frowned slightly before reaching for it.
Her eyes landed on the caller ID.
Mrs. Hart.
Rose stared at the screen for several seconds before letting out an exhausted sigh.
“What does she want now?” she muttered under her breath with obvious annoyance.
“Was the money not enough?”
After hesitating briefly, she finally accepted the call.
“And where exactly did you get that much money, Rose?!” Mrs. Hart’s furious voice thundered through the phone the instant the call connected.
The volume was so loud that Rose instinctively pulled the phone away from her ear before placing it on the table and switching it to loudspeaker.
“You boldly told me you’d pay back every cent we spent raising you, and you actually did it!” Mrs. Hart continued, her voice filled with accusation.
“Don’t tell me you actually don’t mind doing illegal things just to get money!”
Rose closed her eyes briefly before taking a slow breath.
“You’ve already received the money,” she replied calmly despite the frustration evident in her voice.
“That’s all that should matter. You don’t have to worry about where I got it from.”
“Oh, really?” Mrs. Hart scoffed coldly.
“Then tell me, are you spreading your legs for men now simply because you chose to leave the Hart family?”
Rose froze.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
“Is this what you meant when you claimed you could take care of yourself?” Mrs. Hart continued mercilessly.
“Bryce told me you’re studying at the academy now. You somehow got accepted, and you even paid the outrageous tuition fees yourself.”
“So tell me, Rose… did all that money come from sleeping with rich men? How many men did you have to sleep with before you could afford those fees? Just because women can marry several men doesn’t mean you should become some shameless, wayward girl selling your body!”
Those words struck Rose harder than any slap ever could.
Her breathing became uneven.
“I…” Her voice trembled before she forced herself to continue.
“I… I really can’t believe you’re saying those things to me.”
Tears gradually blurred her vision.
“Your real daughter has finally come back… I understand that.” Her voice cracked painfully.
“But for years… you were still my mother. You raised me. You watched me grow up.”
She paused, desperately trying to hold back the tears threatening to overwhelm her.
“You, of all people, should know the kind of person I am. You should know what I can do… and what I could never bring myself to do.”
A tear escaped despite her efforts.
Then another.
“I know you’ve been treating me differently ever since your real daughter returned…” Rose continued, wiping her cheeks with trembling fingers.
“But even then… I never imagined you’d think so little of me. I never imagined you’d accuse me of selling my body.”
Her voice broke completely.
“It hurts… more than you could ever imagine.”
Silence answered her.
For several long seconds, neither woman spoke.
Only Rose’s uneven breathing could be heard through the phone.
Finally, Rose took one deep, shaky breath.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Hart.”
Her voice had become frighteningly calm.
“I don’t want to continue this conversation anymore.”
Another tear rolled silently down her cheek.
“Please take good care of yourself… and focus on your family.”
Before Mrs. Hart could utter another word, Rose ended the call.
The room fell completely silent.
Her phone slipped from her trembling fingers onto the bed.
The emotional dam she had been desperately holding back finally burst.
Rose collapsed onto the mattress, buried her face deep inside the pillow, and wept uncontrollably.