MasukCHAPTER 30"Doing what?" Julian asked softly, looking straight ahead at the teacher, acting completely innocent."You know what," I muttered, feeling my face burn. "Your arm. Everyone is staring.""Let them stare," Julian replied quietly, his fingers shifting to lightly brush the ends of my hair. "They're realizing that if they mess with you, their parents lose their jobs.""You're unreal," I hissed, gripping my pen tight."I'm effective," he said, a small, dark smirk touching his lips before disappearing just as fast.By the time the final bell rang at three o'clock, my nerves were completely shot. My head pounded, my ankle was throbbing inside my shoe, and my skin felt like it was buzzing from spending all afternoon right next to Julian.The second the bell stopped, kids packed up and rushed out of the room like the building was on fire. Within two minutes, the hallway was empty again."Let me carry my bag, Julian," I said, reaching out as he stood up and picked it up off the floor.
Chapter 29: The Blurred LinesThe words hung in the cold air of the room, heavy and suffocating.His voice echoed off the dark wooden walls, low and rough. I couldn't move. I couldn't even catch my breath. The heat from his hands burned through the heavy wool of his coat, pinning my shoulders back against the soft leather sofa.His dark eyes were wild, staring down into mine so intensely that my heart slammed against my ribs. A tiny muscle in his jaw twitched, hard and tight. He didn't pull back. He didn't say sorry. He just stood over me, his chest rising and falling fast, waiting to see what I would do—if I would scream, push him away, or break.My lips parted, but my throat was too dry to make a sound.For days, everyone at school had treated me like garbage. They laughed in my face, threw dirty water on my clothes, and looked at me like I was nothing. But looking up at Julian right now, I didn't see disgust. I didn't see pity. I saw a dark, terrifying possessiveness that made my s
Chapter 28: The Gilded IsolationJulian’s grip on my wrist was warm, tight, and strong. The cold morning wind blew hard as he pulled me away from the front gates, away from the waiting black SUV, and back toward the main school building.My wet shoes made loud squelching sounds against the stone path with every step, leaving dirty marks behind us. The heavy dark coat Julian had wrapped around my shoulders felt huge, dragging against my knees. But its warmth was the only thing stopping my body from shaking uncontrollably."Julian, stop!" I gasped out, trying to pull my hand back as we reached the front steps. My left ankle gave out under my weight, sending a sharp sting up my leg. "Slow down! My foot…"Julian stopped right away. He turned around, his face tight as he looked down at my bandaged ankle. Without saying a word, his hand moved up from my wrist and grabbed my waist firmly to take the weight off my bad leg."Keep moving," he said, his voice quiet, low, and hard. "We aren't sta
Chapter 27: The King's DecreeThe cold water was soaking through my canvas shoes, freezing my toes until I couldn't feel them anymore. My whole body shook, but I kept my teeth clamped together so hard my jaw hurt."Look at her!" a girl in the front row screamed, waving her phone right in my face. "She looks like a drowned rat!""Hey, Maya! You missed a spot over here!" a boy shouted, kicking another pile of wet trash straight onto my ruined pants.The laughter buzzed in my ears, loud and suffocating. Victoria stood at the base of the concrete stairs, folding her arms across her chest with a tiny, satisfied smile. She watched me like I was something dirty she had just swept off her shoe.My fingers clutched the cheap fabric of my coat pockets. I stared straight ahead at the iron gates, where the black SUV was sitting with its motor idling. The smooth voice on the phone was still echoing inside my head.I took a shaky breath, prepa
Chapter 26: The Public ExecutionThe morning air hit my face like a slap, but my skin was burning up as I walked through the iron gates of Crestview Academy.My phone had been buzzing nonstop all night. Message after message, alert after alert, until the battery almost gave up. I had spent hours staring at the ceiling, refusing to unlock the screen again after that first horrible video popped up.I knew what was in that email blast. I knew what Victoria had done with the private notebook Chloe sold out from under me.The second my shoes hit the stone path leading into the main courtyard, the usual morning noise didn't just quiet down. It died instantly.A thick, horrible silence washed over the lawn.Hundreds of students stood lined up on both sides of the walkway, packed tight like a wall. Nobody was holding textbooks or morning drinks. Almost every single person in the front row was holding something else—a wooden broom, a plastic dustpan, or a rag.Over by the fountain, a couple of
Chapter 25: The Sister's Price"Get out of my way," I said. My voice was low and shaking as I stared at Mr. Henderson and the two heavy men blocking our door.Mr. Henderson didn't move. He casually adjusted his silver tie, a small, cold smile touching his lips. "You heard the deal, Miss Lin. Ten minutes. Take your stuff and leave quietly, or things will get very ugly for both of you.""She isn't going anywhere with you!" Chloe screamed from behind me.I spun around, my heart slamming against my ribs. Chloe stood near the couch, her hands shaking as she clutched a thick black bag against her chest. Her eyes were red, her hair was a messy rat's nest, and sweat lined her forehead."Chloe, what is happening?" I asked, taking a painful step toward her as my ankle throbbed. I forced myself to ignore the sting. "Tell me the truth. Where did all these boxes come from? Who bought all these laptops and phones?""It doesn't matter where they came from!" Chloe yelled back, her voice high and crac







