“Someone saw her come out of the basement,” a student whispered.

“They said she stole more data,” added another.

“Crazy. Isn’t she afraid of getting suspended?”

Liora kept her head down as she walked through the main hallway, but her steps remained steady. In her hand was a flash drive containing copies of the manipulated certificate data—a powerful piece of evidence she couldn’t entrust to just anyone.

When she arrived in class, the atmosphere was quieter than usual. Some classmates pretended not to see her. But one person who immediately shot her a piercing glare was Elise, the Student Council’s head of information.

“If you think you can just sneak into the school system like that, you’re even dumber than I thought, Evans,” Elise said as Liora walked past her desk.

Liora responded coldly, “If you think I’ll be scared of the Student Council’s threats, you’re the overconfident one.”

Soon after, a staff member arrived to summon Liora to the principal’s office. There, she found Celestine Wolfe already seated—calm, elegant, but dangerous.

“Liora Evans,” Celestine said, “we’ve received reports that you entered the archive room without permission. You know that’s a serious violation, don’t you?”

Liora took a breath, trying to remain calm. “I was only looking for the truth behind the accusations you made. And I found it.”

Celestine gave a thin smile. “Truth is relative. Especially when no one’s willing to listen to your version of it.”

Suddenly, the door swung open. Ms. Beatrix entered briskly, her expression serious. “Excuse me, I need to be part of this meeting. Liora is currently under my supervision. And she has every right to defend herself.”

The principal looked uncomfortable but nodded. Celestine gave Beatrix a sharp look. “You’re too naïve, Ms. Beatrix.”

But Beatrix simply replied, “And you’re too used to manipulating everything.”

The conversation turned into a tense standoff. But in that chaos, Liora realized something: this was her turning point. Celestine and the Student Council were finally disturbed. They were no longer ignoring her—that meant she had gotten close enough to be a threat.

After the meeting ended and Liora returned to class, someone approached her quietly. Arlo—the only Student Council member who had remained silent and had never actively joined in attacking her.

In a low voice, he said, “Don’t go home alone tonight. Trust me.”

Liora looked at him sharply.

“Are you on my side now?”

Arlo simply replied, “I hate the way they toy with people. Including you.”