In high society, gossip was a double-edged sword. It was one thing to whisper in shadows, but if anyone found out, especially men of power, it could destroy a woman''s prospects.


    No one wanted a wife who schemed and backstabbed. And these girls, still on the hunt for eligible suitors, knew all too well how easily their reputation could be ruined if the recording circted around campus.


    Their reputations would be shattered, and the other women harboring grudges against them would seize the opportunity to blow the situation out of proportion, using it to elevate themselves.


    With Guinevere''s well-known status as a school bully, it wasn''t just me she had made enemies with—there were plenty of others waiting for a chance to take her down.


    "Eve! You dare!" Guinevere shouted, fury trembling in her voice.


    I smiled, cold and unyielding. "Yes, I


    dare


    ." With that, I turned on my heel and walked out, leaving them speechless, their mouths hanging open in stunned silence.


    I stormed out of the room, my pulse still pounding from the confrontation, but barely seconds passed before I heard hurried footsteps behind me.


    "Wait! Eve—Lady Eve!" Sophie called out, breathless as she caught up to me.


    I stopped but didn''t turn around. "What?"


    She swallowed hard, trying to catch her breath before speaking again. "D-do you really have proof about that dance with Cole?"


    I nced over my shoulder, a sweet yet chilling smile ying on my lips. "Oh, yes. Would you like me to send it to Guinevere and the others? I''m sure they''d love to find out you''ve been lying to their faces this whole time. You know what''ll happen to you once they realize, right?"


    She might be the truedy of the Rosette but right now, she was only a maid.


    Sophie''s face paled, and she sucked in a deep breath. Her voice wavered as she stammered, "Mydy, I''m really sorry for what I said. But . . . I only did it because of you."


    I turned fully toward her, my eyebrow arching. "Oh? Is that so?" My voice was sharp with sarcasm. "Leave it to you to destroy my reputation and act like you''re doing me a favor. Do I look like an idiot to you?"


    Sophie clenched her fists, desperation shing in her eyes. "You don''t believe me, but I swear, I did it to protect you, mydy."


    I crossed my arms, my patience wearing thin. "Go on, then. Enlighten me." I want to hear what story she made up this time.


    "Guinevere and the others . . . they''re nning something, something


    worse


    . They hate you, Lady Eve. Especially Guinevere—she''s obsessed with Cole, and she''s furious that he even nced in your direction. They were going to sabotage you, humiliate you in front of everyone, to make sure you never stood a chance with him. I—I only spread those rumors to keep their attention on me. If they knew that Cole wasn''t interested in you, you wouldn''t be their target."


    Wow. She could really be a writer with how she could weaves stories.


    She took a shaky step forward, her eyes wide and pleading, voice trembling with desperation. I knew it was fake though, and I bet that she couldn''t wait to pull my hairs out inside.


    "I know you don''t trust me, but I swear, I was trying to protect you! I was


    terrified


    of what they''d do if you got too close to Cole. That''s why I said all those things—so she''d be appeased, so she wouldn''t turn her full wrath on you!"


    Sophie''s desperate face cracked, but mine broke into a smile. I couldn''t help it. Laughter bubbled up from my chest, spilling out uncontrobly. "Wow. Did you hear yourself?" I pped my hands, slow and mocking. "Truly, the


    perfect


    white lotus. You''re an expert at saving yourself. No wonder you''ve wrapped everyone around your little finger."


    Her expression shifted from pitiful to furious in an instant, the mask slipping as anger shed across her face. But just as quickly, it vanished when a group of students passed by, their eyes catching our tense exchange.


    Like clockwork, Sophie''s tears welled up, and she sniffled pitifully, drawing in the gullible boys who rushed tofort her like she was some fragile flower.


    "Eve, what have you done to your maid?"


    "Just because she works for you doesn''t mean you can treat her like this!"


    "How cruel can you be?"


    The whispers buzzed around me as more people took notice. Their eyes, full of judgment, bored into me, but I didn''t bother exining myself. What was the point? They''d already made up their minds to make me the viin.


    I turned to leave, my patience long gone, when one of the boys grabbed my wrist. Though I''d acted out of desperation before by constantly clinging to Cole, in truth, I hated being touched—especially by boys.


    Without a second thought, I twisted my arm free and mmed the boy to the ground with ease. Gasps filled the air, and even Sophie forgot her tears, staring wide-eyed at the sudden scene.


    I red down at the boy as he groaned, struggling to rise. "Y-You b—"


    His words died in his throat when my stiletto dagger shed out, stopping just inches from his face, its de gleaming dangerously.


    "Don''t. Touch. Me."


    The boy paled, trembling on the ground, and I continued walking, the crowd parting around me in stunned silence.


    As I strode away, my steps faltered when I caught sight of someone standing at the edge of the hallway—a figure whose presence seemed to overwhelm the space around him. Cole.


    He was leaning casually against the wall, dressed simply in a light grey polo and ck pants, yet somehow hemanded attention without even trying. My heart skipped, not from longing, but from sheer frustration.


    What the hell was *


    he


    doing here? Shouldn''t he be at Harvard?


    Then I noticed the man standing beside him, equally tall and handsome, with darker skin and mischievous amethyst eyes. A flirtatious grin yed on his lips, and I immediately recognized him—Zachary Johnson.


    Of course. The Johnsons and Fays were practically family, two of the wealthiest and most powerful in the world. They were cousins. Zachary''s sister, E, attended this school too, so naturally, they must be here for her.


    But my blood boiled when my gazended on Cole again. Without a second nce, I flipped my hair as the wind caught it and walked right past him, as if he didn''t exist.


    I could practically feel the shock ripple through the crowd, their mouths dropping open in disbelief. They''d expected me to throw myself into his arms like before, but they were dead wrong.


    I hated Cole. I wasn''t that girl anymore.


    And as far as I was concerned, he was just another stranger in the crowd.


    *


    *


    *


    *


    || A/N ||


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