Chapter 3

The school didn't dare to sweep this under the rug, so both our families were called in.

"Mom, it's him! He pushed Whitney and hit me. Someone with such terrible behaviour shouldn't be allowed to stay in this school."

Simon held an ice pack to his face, glaring at me with hatred.

I recalled that Simon's mother, Ashley Campbell, a sharply dressed career woman, was efficient, strict, and also one of the school's shareholders. She looked at the bruises covering Simon, then glanced at me. Her expression was terrifyingly calm.

That was when Whitney stepped forward and apologized sincerely. "Our apologies, Mrs. Campbell. My brother shouldn't have laid a finger on your son."

Then, she came over and grabbed me by the neck, trying to force me to apologize to Simon. I resisted, refusing to give her what she wanted.

In my past life, when I first caught Whitney and Simon sneaking around under a tree, I'd only spoken to them harshly, but he'd beaten me up so badly that I'd ended up in the hospital.

The school had sent a fruit basket and some flowers as consolation, but that was the end of it. I was brushed aside like nothing.

Despite knowing I was furious, Whitney had held me down and warned me, "Stop provoking Simon, okay? He's rich and not someone we can afford to mess with. The less trouble there is, the better it is for us. Got it?"

I'd always trusted her, so I swallowed my anger back then simply because she told me to.

Later, when I accidentally saw them meeting in secret again, I overheard Simon ask her, "Doesn't it break your heart that your little brother is all bruised up because of me?"

Whitney, who'd been panting heavily just a moment before, suddenly went cold. "Why are you bringing him up? He's just a pet we happened to adopt and raise."

That night, I cried nonstop.

Since then, Simon's revenge had only worsened. After I lent Whitney my luck, I'd grown weaker and had terrible luck myself.

Every time I turned a corner, I somehow ran into Simon again. He tormented me so badly that I would still be shaking when I walked home.

Whitney would look at me with disgust and say, "I've told you a million times not to provoke him. You deserve it, looking like that."

After she met Simon, she'd changed completely. She was no longer the protective sister who stole meat pies for me.

Now, seeing that I refused to apologize, Whitney angrily tightened her grip around my neck. "I said, apologize."

Mom, who'd been quiet the whole time, didn't have the heart to step in.

I shrugged off Whitney's hand from my neck and, with a look of disgust, wiped the spot she'd just touched with a tissue.

Her face darkened, and I let out a cold laugh. "I might be in the wrong, but he's as guilty as I am. Why should I be the only one apologizing?

"Besides, I only stepped in because I saw Whitney being pinned against a tree by a guy. I thought he was bullying her, but…"

I paused, and everyone at the scene paled.

Simon tried to stop me from saying anything more. "What nonsense are you spouting, Gabriel?"

I went ahead and said it anyway. "But I didn't know they were kissing… I just thought she was being bullied and went to help her. Who knew I'd ruin their private moment?

"Then Simon came over and beat me up. He shoved me to the ground and insulted me horribly as well. If you don't believe me, feel free to check the surveillance footage."

The moment I stopped talking, I saw the color drain from Simon's face. His lips quivered as he turned to his mother.

Whitney, on the other hand, pursed her lips in embarrassment. Her eyes turned red as she glared at me, but I didn't care at all.

Mrs. Campbell was grooming Simon to be their family's heir, so there was no way she would let him date around this early. He only dared to put on a bold front in public, that was all.

As expected, Simon, who'd originally wanted to make things difficult for me, was now desperately trying to think of ways to get past his mother.

"I'll deal with you when we get home," Mrs. Campbell said to Simon, her expression darkening as she dragged him out of the principal's office.

Back at home, both Whitney and I were punished by being made to kneel in the back garden. I was punished for fighting, while she was punished for lying to our parents.