All Chapters of Royal Rivalry : Chapter 41 - Chapter 49

Rowan’s POVI tried everything I could to counter principal Whitcombe's idea of punishment but nothing worked on her. An extra month of working in the library and pretending not to know each other. What kind of punishment was that?She had made it sound like a simple rule, but we both knew it was more than that. It was a warning that said ‘one more mistake and you are finished’.I didn't care to be done with the school but I cared about the means of the termination. If I eventually leave this school, I would like it to be on a clean record. I don't want to be on my mother's bad side again. About home, I wanted to ask principal Whitcombe if the news about the video had spread outside school. So I turned back to her office. Something about the conversation in her office kept bothering me. The way she had looked at Theo. The way she mentioned his family.It hadn’t felt like a normal school discipline meeting.It felt calculated as if she wanted to use his current situation to tame him

Theo’s POVMy life had turned into the biggest scandal in the history of Hillsborough. Why was I ever desperate for attention? Why didn't I specify the type of attention I wanted before asking for it? Now, the universe has given me more than I could bear. Instead of fame, I had become infamous. Popular for the worst thing ever. Physically, I was sitting with my friends but my mind was elsewhere. It was everywhere. I thought about the repercussion of the video Marcus posted. I thought about the punishment principal Whitcombe gave me. I thought about my family's reaction if they found out that I was involved in the same scandal that sent me out of my previous school. My friends had been around me all evening, but they didn't know what was going on inside me. They talked about random things, I pretended to listen but I wasn't. Louis would have noticed because nothing seemed to escape his piercing gaze. But Julian and Noah… they wouldn't notice even if you call their attention to it.

Leonie’s POVI had plans.Not so many of them but they were carefully thought out. I had perfectly arranged my life in my head and was certain that nothing could ruin my imaginations.I had strongly believed that my life would continue to go as it is written in my script. At least, to some extent. But I was wrong. It was as if the universe was reminding me of my place beneath it. All the plans I had, and the goals I set were now scattered after so many cracks. I wasn’t even sure if I had anyone to hold onto anymore. And the students in Hillsborough made it clear that they wanted me to break. They stared, whispered and stopped whenever I got closer.But I didn't break. Despite the situation, I couldn't bring myself to give up. Their stares were the least of my worries. My failed plan and my crumbling future was my priority.Rowan. He was my plan B after dumping Julian. I wanted to keep him for a promising future. It was supposed to be easy for me but it became an impossible task wh

Rowan’s POVFor days, Theo avoided me.Not the casual kind of avoidance where you pretend not to see someone across the hall or keep conversations short.No, this was a deliberate action. Every time we were in the library, he made sure there was distance between us. If I stood by the shelves, he moved to the desk. If I was near the desk, he suddenly found something very important to do at the far end of the room.And his friends were always there like a shield. Like they were protecting him from me. Childish.What they were doing was completely childish.When I asked Leonie, she would explain that: “He’s thinking about it.” Another time, she said. “Just give him time.”Time?I didn’t have time.None of us did, but I didn’t argue with her.Arguing would only make it worse. So I kept quiet and waited. But as the days passed, nothing changed.Theo still avoided me. He still acted like I didn't exist. He still refused to acknowledge that I had told him something important… something da

Theo’s POV'Sometimes, we make the wrong choices with our hearts prepared for the consequences. Most times, we never prepare for the consequences, it just comes at us so fast and unescapable.'This was the exact situation I and Rowan found ourselves. The moment I heard principal Whitcombe’s voice, I knew we were finished.This was not the kind of finish you could talk your way out of, nor the kind you could twist into a joke or a misunderstanding.No.This was the kind that stayed with you, followed you and ruined every possible means of escape. “I know you're in there… open the door.” Her voice was too calm for someone who just caught students in her office. And made everything worse.Rowan and I didn’t move. We stood there in the dark like if we stayed still long enough, we could somehow disappear.“Open the door.” she repeated, this time her tone sharp. It is better if we accept that we are not escaping this, not even in our dreams. My hand found the handle. For a brief second,