Milicent stood in the hallway, ready to leave,
because she had earlier today madam Emily that she would be going to see her mom, since it has been a while
she had packed her bags when Ray's father appeared from his room, his expression unreadable.
"Milicent," he said softly, almost like a question.
She straightened, sensing something different in his tone. "Yes, sir?"
He looked at her for a moment, then opened the door wider and gestured her inside.
"Just a moment."
She followed.
Inside, his study room was neat, practical — documents stacked in clean piles, a phone charging near the lamp. He walked over to the desk, picked up a folded piece of paper, and handed it to her. She scanned it: a message — vague but pointed — from the class teacher. One sentence stood out:
> "There are quiet concerns about Ryder's involvement with drugs. I thought you should know."
Milicent's eyes lifted slowly.
"You know I don't trust rumors," he said, voice low, steady. "But when they come from someone like Mrs. Hilbert… I take them seriously."
She nodded once, carefully.
He went on. "I don't want to jump to conclusions. I don't want to embarrass or endanger anyone. But I need to know what's going on. I need proof."
Milicent leaned forward slightly, brows narrowing. "You want me to…?"
"I want you to do what you do best," he said. "Be quiet. Be smart. Get close if you can. Watch him. Record if you have to — video, voice, anything. I trust you to know how far to go. I just need the truth."
Milicent took a long breath. "And if the truth is ugly?"
"Then we face it."
There was a heavy silence between them.
Finally, she nodded. "Alright. I'll get close."
His face softened, just a little — respect showing in the small curve of his jaw. "I knew you would."
She turned to go, then paused at the door. "You want answers, sir? I'll bring you more than that."
---Absolutely — here is PART 2: The Investigation, where Milicent starts digging into Ryder's activities at school. This is detailed, gradual, and shows how she subtly moves through layers of school life to gather undeniable proof.
---
Milicent had always been observant. Quiet. The kind of girl who people underestimated until they noticed how much she'd noticed about them.
The next week after her break, she walked into school like any other day. No change in her stride. No sudden curiosity. Just a calm, measured presence — enough to make her invisible to those who weren't looking, and unsettling to those who were.
Her first move was easy: positioning herself close to Ryder without drawing attention. She reconnected with a few students in his circle — casual chats between classes, shared notes, a soft laugh here and there. People started to get used to seeing her nearby, even if she rarely said much.
It began in the second week.
She noticed Ryder always asked to leave class during the last ten minutes of the period. Always alone. Always to the same restroom at the far end of Block C, where few students passed.
Milicent waited.
One day, she slipped out three minutes after him, phone in hand, audio recorder running. She didn't go inside — just leaned against the wall outside the bathroom, earbuds in, pretending to scroll through music.
From inside, she caught faint sounds. Sniffing. A wrapper tearing. A lighter click?
She saved the recording and quietly slipped back to class.
It wasn't proof. Not yet. But it was something.
Later that week, she watched Ryder pass something to a senior boy behind the science lab. A small packet, a nod, and a half-hug. Milicent captured it on her second phone, hidden behind the strap of her backpack.
She slowed the video that night, frame by frame. Ryder's hands moved quick. But not quick enough.
Inside the packet? Impossible to tell — but the body language screamed secrecy. A deal.
Milicent learned that Ryder visited his locker at odd times — early morning, after school, even during breaks when no one else did. She asked a tech-savvy friend for help: a tiny motion-activated camera, easy to hide. She installed it two rows down, angled just right.
Three days of footage. Mostly harmless.
On the fourth day, jackpot.
Ryder pulled out a pencil case, opened it… and tucked something inside his sock. A folded plastic packet
Boom!!!
that was it
_________________________________
Ryder was in the living room, scrolling through his phone with headphones on,
"Ryder."
He looked up. it was Father,he Removed his headphones slowly.
"Yes, sir?"
No greetings he he started
"Do you want to tell me what you've been hiding?" he asked quietly.
Ryder blinked, thrown. "I don't know what you mean."
"Drugs," he said flatly. "Let's start there."
The color drained from Ryder's face.
"I don't know who told you that—"
"I have recordings," he interrupted. "Audio. Video. I know about the bathroom. The locker. The packet you passed behind the science lab."
Ryder froze. No breath. No excuse. Just guilt that spread over him like a slow poison.
His voice cracked. "Who... who followed me?"
Father didn't answer that.
Instead, he leaned forward, eyes cold and tired. "I gave you chances, Ryder. I gave you space to live the kind of life you want yet you choose drugs?
"well" Ryder swallowed, panic rising. "I was doing it for fun.
fun you say!!
do you want NIDA to come interrogate my premises??
"So you brought it into a school?" His voice hardened.
Father stood. "Intentions don't matter now. What you've done — that matters."
Ryder stared at the floor. Small. Hollow.
Father looked down at him for a moment, then turned away.
"I'm pulling strings to handle this quietly. But there will be consequences.
I'll withdraw your allowances "
dad how can I be a billionaire's son and be short of finances !!!
He paused at the door.
"i can't really believe this is happening to me
he slammed the door angrily!!
_________________________________
It was two days later when Ray found out. Not from his father. Not from Ryder. But from Milicent herself.
They were sitting outside at the roof top in the quiet corner ,
Milicent was uncharacteristically quiet. Picking at the strap of her watch.
"You're not usually this awkward," Ray teased. "What's up?"
She hesitated. Then said it, soft and straight.
" do you know that Ryder does drugs?
Noo I don't
well I was the one who found out about Ryder. Your dad asked me to look into it."
Ray's smile faded slowly.
"All those times you were watching him…"
She nodded.
"I didn't want to hide it from you," she said. He was careful, Ray. He was good at making people think he was clean. But he wasn't."
and I'm feeling he was the one who switched your drugs
Ray looked away, jaw tense. "You were spying on my brother."
"I was doing what father sent me " she said, voice firm but gentle.
Ray looked back at her, his eyes had softened — not with anger, but with something deeper. Disappointment. Sadness. Gratitude.
"You got the truth."
Milicent looked at him, unsure.
Then he reached across the space between them and took her hand.
"Just… don't keep things from me next time."
She nodded. "Deal."