Chapter 27 – The Storm (3)
Back at Imperial High,
Andrea had just finished a meeting when his phone buzzed.
He picked it up, brows furrowing slightly—until he saw it.
Violet's name, trending beside the words "Cheating Scandal."
The air around him instantly turned heavy.
"Who did this…" he muttered, his voice low and dangerous.
Dannon, who had been standing by the door, immediately froze. "Boss—"
Andrea's jaw tightened. His hand clenched into a fist, knuckles turning white.
"Call Clay. Now."
Dannon didn't waste a second. Within minutes, Clay walked in, his usual calm expression faltering slightly at the sight of Andrea's dark mood.
"Boss, what happened?"
Andrea slid his phone across the table. "Look."
Clay glanced down at the screen—then his expression shifted. He handed the phone to Lucas, who passed it to Angelo, who then passed it to Dannon.
Yep, they'd all rushed back the moment they heard Andrea was in red mode.
"I need you to look into this," Andrea said, his tone sharp and cutting through the room's silence. "Find out who that girl is, and who posted this. Also look into every account spreading it—have them taken down. I don't care how."
Clay straightened immediately. "Understood, boss." Then he turned and left without another word.
"Lucas," Andrea called next.
"Yes, boss."
"Trace that former actress—the one who was compared to my wife a few months ago. Find out where she is now, and where she was before this video happened. I've a feeling she's involved in this somehow."
Lucas's expression hardened. "Got it, boss." He turned and headed out.
"Angelo," Andrea said next, his tone even colder.
"Yes, boss?"
"Call Joss. Tell him to head to Migan City College right now. I want to know what's going on, how my wife is doing, and make sure they understand—no one crosses the line with her."
"Understood." Angelo bowed slightly before walking out.
Now only Dannon and Andrea remained in the council room.
The silence lingered for a moment before Andrea stood up, straightening his jacket.
"Dannon," he said quietly, but the weight behind his words was undeniable.
"Come with me. We have somewhere to go."
Without another word, both of them left the council room, the sound of Andrea's footsteps echoing through the hall—steady, calm, and dangerous.
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Meanwhile, as soon as the principal of Imperial High and Miss Irena arrived, a student from Migan City College was already waiting at the gate to guide them through the campus to where Violet, Emery, and Jeff were.
They walked quickly, tension heavy in the air.
When they reached the waiting area, Miss Irena stopped.
"You go ahead first, sir," she said to the principal. "I'll talk to our students before coming in."
The Imperial High principal nodded and went straight toward the teachers' office, while Miss Irena hurried to where her students stood.
The moment she saw Violet, she went straight to her, taking her hands in both of hers.
"Violet," she said softly, worry written all over her face, "what really happened? Tell me everything."
"Ma'am…" Violet began, her voice low but steady as she explained all that had happened inside the principal's office, including what she had learned from Jeff.
Miss Irena frowned slightly as she listened, thinking carefully.
"Since the girl in the CCTV isn't you, why didn't you just request to see the outside camera? That would've cleared things up quickly."
Violet's eyes widened a bit. "I didn't think of that…"
"Actually," Miss Irena continued, "the principal and I already have an idea who the other girl might be. We just need to check the footage to confirm it."
"Who is it, ma'am?" Violet asked.
"Julia Crescent," Miss Irena said. "The girl who looks exactly like you—the same one involved in locking you inside the storage room."
Vira immediately spoke up inside Violet's head: I knew it, host! Didn't I say it? Who else could it be but that twisted sister of yours?
"Her?" Violet muttered under her breath, her brows furrowing.
"Yes, her," Miss Irena replied. "But listen—we can't jump to conclusions yet. We have no solid proof, no clear evidence. Until then, we keep calm and let the adults handle this."
"I understand," Violet said quietly.
"Good." Miss Irena gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Emery, Jeff—stay with her, okay? Don't let her out of your sight. I'll go check what's happening inside."
"Yes, ma'am," the three of them answered together.
Miss Irena took a deep breath, straightened her coat, and walked toward the teachers' office, leaving the three students behind.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The principal of Imperial High stepped into the office where Migan City College's principal was already seated, waiting for them.
The moment they entered, both men stood to greet each other.
"Hello, Mr. Aiden Hart," greeted the principal of Migan City College with a polite nod.
"Hello, Mr. Rowan Lee," replied Imperial High's principal, his tone calm but heavy.
"I assume you're already aware of why you've been called here today," said Rowan.
"Indeed," replied Aiden evenly. "I'm aware."
"Good," said Rowan, folding his hands together on the desk. "Then let's not waste time. Let's get straight into it."
He nodded toward the man standing behind him. "Here is the proof that one of your students entered the teachers' lounge before the final round and took pictures of the exam questions that were to be used in the competition."
The man, tall and stiff in posture, stepped forward to hand a tablet over.
Aiden didn't reach for it. He simply said, "Don't worry, I've already seen it."
Rowan blinked, slightly thrown off. "Where have you seen it? We haven't shown it to you yet."
Aiden's gaze darkened. "Well, it's basically everywhere online now. It seems Migan City College couldn't wait to brand a student from my school a thief."
Principal Rowan immediately turned toward the man standing behind him—Mr. Hales, the head of Migan's event committee.
"Mr. Hales," he said slowly, his tone sharp. "Did you post this video before an investigation was completed?"
"N–No, sir," the man stammered. "I swear I didn't. I haven't posted anything."
"I'll deal with you later," Rowan said coldly.
He turned back to Aiden, his expression filled with regret. "I'm so sorry for this mess. If anyone from Migan City College is involved in leaking it, I assure you, they'll be dealt with strictly."
"I'll be expecting that," said Aiden calmly, though the edge in his tone didn't go unnoticed. "Now, back to the topic at hand. Indeed, it seems a student of ours entered your teachers' lounge…"
Before he could finish, Mr. Hales interrupted again, his voice sharp. "So you're admitting it then—that Violet De'ora is the one who stole the papers?"
Aiden's gaze snapped toward him. His tone dropped cold. "No. I haven't said that yet. And next time I'm speaking, don't cut me off, young man."
Mr. Hales instantly lowered his head, but the damage was already done. The room's atmosphere grew tense.
"We're sorry for his behavior," Principal Rowan said quickly. He turned to Hales again, his tone now final. "Mr. Hales, please step out. Go attend to the students you were supposed to meet earlier. Your presence isn't needed here anymore."
"But sir—"
"I said go."
"Yes, sir." Mr. Hales bowed slightly before leaving the room, the door shutting quietly behind him.
"Now," Rowan sighed, turning back toward Carter, "please, continue."
Before Aiden could respond, a soft knock came on the door.
"Come in," said Rowan
The door opened, and Miss Irena walked in. "Good day, sirs," she greeted politely.
"Who might you be, ma'am?" asked Rowan, looking towards the door.
"She's Violet's homeroom teacher," answered Aiden.
"Oh, I see. Please, come in and have a seat," said Rowan, motioning to the chair beside Aiden.
Miss Irena nodded, walking over to sit beside the Imperial High principal, her expression calm but alert as the meeting continued.
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Meanwhile, back at Imperial High's dorms—
In Room 502, inside the girls' dorm, Melissa Spears sat on her bed, lost in deep thought.
Ever since Violet's cheating scandal broke out and she saw the video, guilt had been eating her alive.
How could she not know that the girl in the video wasn't Violet?
How could she not recognize Julia instead?
She basically gave those clothes to Julia herself.
Did that make her an accomplice?
The thought alone made her chest tighten in fear.
But above that fear, something heavier kept growing—her guilty conscience. It wouldn't let her rest.
She couldn't sleep.
She couldn't eat.
She couldn't do anything.
Every time she closed her eyes, Violet's face appeared in her mind. The image of her being accused of something she didn't do made Melissa's stomach twist.
She finally stood up, heart pounding.
No. She couldn't keep quiet anymore.
She couldn't ruin Violet's life like this—not when Violet was innocent.
Gloria was expelled because she deserved it. She did what she was accused of.
But Violet didn't.
And sooner or later, Julia would use this against her too—pretend she did it all for Melissa's sake, twist the truth until Melissa had no way out.
And honestly, she didn't even know if she wanted Andrea anymore.
Melissa clenched her fists, her decision made.
No more hiding. No more silence.
She grabbed her jacket, rushed out of the room, and decided to do what was right—
once and for all.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Back to the teachers' lounge, the atmosphere was still tense after Miss Irena entered.
The Imperial High principal — Aiden — turned slightly when she sat down.
"Miss Irena," he said, his tone calm but firm, "what did Violet tell you?"
Miss Irena replied respectfully. "Sir, Violet explained everything to me. She said the girl in the video isn't her, although the clothes belong to her.
One of her classmates—Jeff—claimed to have seen someone that same morning who looked like her, but Violet and another student can confirm she was elsewhere at that time."
She paused for a second before continuing. "Based on what she said, and from the way she spoke, I don't think she's lying, sir."
Mr. Aiden leaned back slightly, fingers steepled under his chin. His gaze flicked to the principal of Migan City College — Mr. Rowan Lee.
Mr. Rowan's face was unreadable, though his brows were faintly drawn together.
"So," he said slowly, "if that girl isn't Miss Violet De'ora, then who could it be, and how did the person get her clothes?"
Mr. Aiden exchanged a quick glance with Miss Irena. "How the person got her clothes,we do not know that.
But who the person is,well...we have a suspicion," he began, voice even.
"There's a girl who bears a striking resemblance to Violet — Julia Crescent. She's also a student from Imperial High and… has a bit of history with her."
Mr. Rowan's brows arched. "Julia Crescent…?"
"She was involved in a previous school incident," Miss Irena added quietly.
"And she happens to be the daughter of Joe Crescent —the second branch of the crescent family,the businessman who's been under investigation recently."
Mr. Rowan tapped a pen lightly against the desk, thinking. "Even so," he said, "how would this Julia know the way to our teachers' office? Students from outside rarely even find this wing without guidance. Violet's presence makes sense—she's been here for days. But if it's Julia… how would she know where to go?"
That question hung in the air like heavy smoke.
Mr. Aiden's expression hardened. "Then perhaps someone here helped her. A teacher, maybe — someone she could've known or bribed ."
Silence filled the room for a moment. Even Miss Irena went quiet.
Finally, Mr. Rowan sighed and nodded. "I can't deny it's makes sense." he said. "But for now, we shouldn't assume. We'll start by checking the surveillance footage to verify Miss Violet's movements. If what she said is true, it'll prove her innocence."
"Agreed," said Mr. Aiden, his tone firm. "Let's all go see it together — with the kids."
Miss Irena nodded. "I'll go inform the kids."
Mr. Rowan stood, collecting the files on his desk. "Then let's move."
The three of them rose from their seats and made their way out of the office, each carrying a mix of tension and determination.
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Meanwhile, outside the building…
A sleek black car pulled up quietly in front of Migan City College's main gate.
Andrea stepped out, the wind brushing through his hair. He didn't move right away — he just stood there for a moment, staring at the tall iron gates that loomed before him.
He inhaled deeply, the faint scent of city air and rain filling his lungs.
Then, slowly, he exhaled — his eyes dark and steady.
"Let's go," he said quietly.
Dannon followed behind him without a word.