Chapter 3

"If any of you still think you can guilt-trip me, I'll make sure you can't even enter the exam hall tomorrow. You can kiss your attendance goodbye!" I proclaimed loudly. "Try me!"

Students immediately rushed toward Ashley and demanded refunds.

"It was 80 dollars, you bitch! Give it back! I'm not staying at the hotel anyway!"

"You lied to us! You said you'd already booked it! You treated us like clowns!"

The situation quickly spiraled out of control. Ashley let out a piercing scream and collapsed straight into Erik's arms.

"Ash? Ash! Wake up!" he cried before pulling her tightly against him and shooting me a venomous glare. "You're not getting away with this, you blackhearted bitch! If anything happens to her... I'll make you pay!"

I scoffed and returned to the classroom.

The atmosphere in my dorm room that night was awkward and tense.

Ashley might have escaped the students' fury by pretending to faint, but she was still almost 900 dollars in debt. How was she supposed to pay that back?

…

I was standing on the balcony, glancing at my phone, when I caught Ashley's reflection. She was trying desperately to eavesdrop on me.

Narrowing my eyes, I raised my voice. "Yes, Miss Goldwater. The clients will be checking into the top floor at around 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. Yes, there's no need to lock the doors after the morning cleaning and preparations. The floor will remain vacant until the clients arrive.

"No, you don't need to verify it with my dad. Just do as I say. There's no need to install additional security, either."

I ended the call and turned around. Ashley had already scrambled back to her bed and pulled the blanket over herself.

-

It was noon on the day before the first HAT exam. Classes were already over, so they were free to spend their time however they liked. Many students had chosen to leave campus and study elsewhere.

Regina organized her notebooks by the window. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ashley furiously texting her friends in the "Mad HATters" group chat.

Ashley wrote excitedly: [Guys, that bitch was bluffing all along! I overheard her talking last night. No one's staying on the top floor until two tomorrow afternoon, when some high-ranking officials or whoever are supposed to check in! The rooms are completely vacant until then!]

One of her friends asked: [What if one of those big-shot clients sees us after they check in?]

Ashley smirked.

[What are y'all worried about?! There are plenty of rooms on that floor anyway! We should take the biggest ones for ourselves! We're the top students in the first class of the best school around! We have an all-important exam tomorrow! What are they gonna do about it? They can't and won't do anything to us!]

[Besides, what's the manager gonna do when we lock ourselves inside the rooms? Is he gonna break the doors down?! Regina's dad would rather keep everything quiet than risk damaging the hotel's reputation online. He'll have no choice but to let us stay there!]

[Don't you get it?! Fortune favors the bold!]

Unwilling to let their money go to waste, the others were persuaded. They decided to join Ashley.

-

It was 11:00 a.m. Most of the students had already left the classroom. I watched Ashley sling a bulging backpack over her shoulders before exchanging a glance with Erik, who immediately fell in behind her like a bodyguard.

More than a dozen students followed, dragging their suitcases behind them. They slipped out through the school's back gate and headed for the Grand Regal less than a mile and a half away.

I packed my own bag and checked the message my father had sent.

[Sweetie, security informed me that a group of brats used an old, deactivated hotel key card and sneaked onto the top floor through the cargo elevator. Should we have security throw them out?]