Chapter 5

"Maris, I guess you don't have to worry about your mom's medical bills anymore. Didn't you borrow another 100 thousand dollars from relatives? You can pay all of that back too!"

At the mention of that money, something dark flickered across Maris' face as she looked at me.

So she'd never told them where that money had actually come from—me.

"You guys go inside and check in," Maris said. "Lucas, you and one of the others stay with me. We'll find somewhere to keep him until our presentation's over. I'm not letting him sabotage this."

"What? You can't—"

Before I could finish, Lucas clamped a hand over my mouth. He and another guy grabbed me and forcibly dragged me toward the restroom.

I fought them the entire way, trying to call for help, but everyone who recognized me only stopped to stare and gossip.

"Did you see the group chat? That's Caspian Rooke, the guy who plagiarized everything, tried to extort his team, harassed their leader, and supposedly slept his way into the finals."

"Look at Maris. She's furious. I would be too. Imagine having the biggest competition of your life ruined by some creep like that."

They shoved me into the restroom and shut the door behind us. Maris checked the stalls to make sure nobody else was inside before finally signaling for Lucas to let me go.

"Maris, if you don't want this to turn into something much more serious, let me out." Then I looked her straight in the eye. "I'm one of the judges for today."

Maris arched an eyebrow. "You? A judge? Caspian, if you're going to lie, at least make it believable."

Her gaze traveled over me again before settling into an openly suggestive stare. "Although I'll give you this. You look a lot better in person than I expected.

"I'm presenting in a few minutes, so how about you cooperate and give me something to remember you by? If we win, I might even throw a little money your way. And if you keep me entertained after today, maybe I'll make it worth your while."

The look in her eyes told me she wasn't joking.

Lucas and the other guy each grabbed one of my arms, holding me in place. Cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.

"Maris, how do you think your mother would feel if she knew you were doing this?"

"My mom? She doesn't know anything. She still thinks that money came from a scholarship."

She stepped closer and started removing my belt. I tried to fight them off, but Lucas tightened his grip while she raised her phone to record.

Then someone pounded on the restroom door. "Maris, come on! The competition's starting!"

"What a shame." Maris shrugged. "Don't worry, Caspian. I'll come find you when my presentation's over."

The three of them left, shutting the door behind them. I waited until their footsteps had faded before rushing to the door and shouting for help.

Thankfully, someone passing by heard me and let me out. I barely had time to thank them. I straightened my shirt and headed straight for the presentation hall.

By the time I walked in, the first two teams were already waiting in the wings.

Maris stood with her team, looking perfectly polished, smiling brightly as if nothing had happened. Whenever the host introduced another judge, she bowed deeply, clearly determined to make the best possible first impression.

Then she saw me, and her smile froze.

The rest of the team noticed me a second later. Every one of them went still. Their eyes darted nervously toward Maris.

I didn't say a word. Right in front of them, I walked to the judges' table, pulled out the chair in the center, and sat down.

All the color drained from Maris' face. At that exact moment, the host introduced me. "Our next judge recently joined our university after transferring from one of the country's leading institutions. He also holds the distinction of being the youngest professor of economics in the university's history.

"Please welcome our head judge for today's competition, Caspian Rooke!"