Chapter 2

I decided I'd deal with it the next day.

I still had to show some consideration toward Hannah. Maybe she would be able to handle this matter.

I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my temples.

I was worth hundreds of billions. Why would I waste my time harassing some unknown freshman? Had Mona been reading too many novels?

I picked up my other personal phone and sent a message to my dad, Albert Westin, the chairman of Drakos Group.

I texted, "Dad, I'm personally overseeing the innovation competition."

He replied instantly, "Good. I feel at ease with you handling it."

I put my phone down and decided to put the little episode with Mona out of my mind for the time being.

The world was such a beautiful place, but here I was getting worked up over nothing. This would do me no good at all. I should just consider it an early opportunity to experience the diversity of the human species.

The next morning, Ned Zeller, the student council assistant, came rushing in with a frantic look as soon as I arrived at the office.

"Cameron, we've got a problem!"

He shoved his phone in front of me with an immensely troubled expression. His phone screen showed a group chat.

The group had an incredibly cringey name—Freshman Gossip League.

Someone with a couple avatar and the username "MonFairy" was going absolutely nuts in the chat.

It was Mona.

"Guys, I'm so disgusted I'm about to throw up. I just started college, and I've already run into something like this! The vice president of the student council, Cameron Westin, is taking advantage of his position to constantly harass me!"

Several people immediately chimed in.

"What? Cameron? You mean the guy who spoke as the student representative at the opening ceremony?"

"He looks so decent on the outside. I can't believe he's actually a disgusting person!"

Mona immediately posted a screenshot of my messages to her.

She was extremely sneaky. She had cropped out the part where I stated I was reaching out to her about the Innovation Competition.

All she'd left in view was my first message, the lapse in time, and the beginning of the second message. She made it look as though I was some creep who kept messaging her when she'd ignored me.

Mona added, "See? I ignored him, and he continued messaging me! I even stayed up last night and changed my profile picture to a couple avatar to make it clear that I had a boyfriend, but he still came looking for me in the group. I told him I was taken, but he wouldn't leave me alone. He even messaged me this morning!"

I messaged her this morning?

I hadn't even touched my phone.

She kept twisting the story in the group, painting herself as an innocent victim who a senior student had harassed.

Mona continued ranting, "I'm so scared. What if he uses his position in the student council to get revenge on me? My boyfriend found out and got furious. He said he was coming to campus to settle the score with him.

"What a typical overconfident and entitled guy. Does he think he's such a big deal just because he's a student council president? My boyfriend could beat him with one finger!"

Ned said in a small voice from the side, "Cameron, she probably doesn't know that Drakos Group sponsors the competition. And she definitely doesn't know that you..."

He didn't finish, but I understood what he meant.

She didn't know that I was the heir to Drakos Group.

I stared at the blatantly distorted accusations on the screen, feeling my anger rise with every line.

I took a deep breath and handed Ned's phone back to him.

Then, I instructed in a calm voice, "Notify every member of the competition team. We have a team meeting at 3:00 pm today in Room 301 at Block A. Make sure every single person gets the message. Everyone must attend the meeting."

Ned shuddered and immediately nodded. "Got it, Cameron. I'll take care of it right away!"

The moment he ran out, my phone lit up.