All Chapters of The Scandal In Room 214: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Candace “Candace, you’re going to be late.”Bridgette’s voice came from across the room, followed by something hitting the floor.I opened one eye. “What?”“Your alarm has been going off forever.”I reached under my pillow for my phone and found a screen full of missed alarms. I groaned as I sat up.“You could’ve just turned it off.”“I tried. You nearly slapped my hand.”“I did not.”“You absolutely did.”She picked up whatever she’d dropped and pointed at me. “Get up.”I smiled and dragged myself out of bed.The morning went by quickly. I showered, got dressed, grabbed something small to eat, and left for work before I had much time to think.Work kept me busy. Customers came in one after another, and I spent most of my shift helping people, answering questions, and putting things back where they belonged.During my break, my phone buzzed.Jake: You busy?I stared at the message for a moment before replying.Me: Yeah. What’s up?His answer came almost immediately.Jake: Nothing. Ju

Jake POVSomething about Candace felt different.I couldn’t explain exactly what it was. There hadn’t been one big moment I could point to and say, there, that’s it. It was the little things. Her replies sometimes took longer, and even when she answered quickly, I could tell her attention wasn’t always with me. I’d ask her something and catch her staring into space before she answered.I kept telling myself it didn’t mean anything. She could be tired. University had been keeping her busy with classes, assignments, and work. There were plenty of reasons for her to be distracted, and I knew that. At least, I kept reminding myself that I did.That morning, I sat in my car outside a café, waiting for her to finish something on campus. I checked my phone again even though I already knew there wouldn’t be a new message.I was being ridiculous.I leaned back and stared through the windshield. Maybe she was having a bad week. Maybe I was reading too much into everything. I’d done that befor

Candace POVThe email came while I was halfway through a lecture.My phone vibrated against my thigh, I looked down, expecting a message from Bridgette or Jake.Instead, I found an email from the university administration.Meeting Request: Academic Concern Regarding Your Course EnrollmentI frowned as I read it.For a moment, I wondered if it was some mistake. I had submitted everything I was supposed to submit. My attendance was fine, my assignments were turned in, and as far as I knew, I hadn’t done anything that would warrant a meeting with administration again.But the email said there had been a complaint about one of my classes, and I was required to report to the administration office that afternoon to discuss it.That was enough to make me spend the rest of the lecture wondering what I had done.By the time I made my way to the administration building, I’d already gone through every possible explanation. Maybe I’d missed an assignment. Maybe someone had accused me of cheating.

Candace POVI almost said no when Jake called me that evening.I was sitting on my bed with my laptop open in front of me when his name appeared on my screen. I answered without thinking, expecting him to ask what I was doing or tell me something about his day.Instead, he asked, “Are you busy tonight?”I looked at the time. “Not really. Why?”“My dad wants to have dinner.”I frowned. “Tonight?”“Yeah.”There was something too casual about the way he said it. “With you?”He laughed. “No, Candace. With someone else.”I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. “Obviously with me. I meant, why?”“I thought you’d want to come.”Dinner with Jake’s father wasn’t something I could casually walk into anymore. Not after everything. Not when his father was Elias. And definitely not after the last few days.The idea of sitting across from him at dinner made my stomach tighten.“Maybe another night?”Jake went quiet.“Why?”“I just wasn’t expecting it.”“It’s not a big deal.”He sounded con

Candace POV“Candace!”I turned so quickly I nearly walked straight into the table behind me.“Table twelve!” one of the other waitresses called from across the restaurant.“I got it!”I grabbed the plates from the counter and hurried toward twelve, balancing two plates of eggs and pancakes in one hand while trying not to spill the coffee pot in the other.“Excuse me, sorry.”I squeezed between two chairs, set the plates down, and smiled at the customers.“Your pancakes, and I’ll be right back with the rest of your order.”“Candace!”I looked over my shoulder.“Table six needs more napkins!” another waitress called.“Coming!”I barely made it three steps before another voice joined the chaos.“Candace, can you take table eight?”“Yeah!”“Candace, they need a refill at fourteen!”“Okay!”“Candace, table three’s asking about their bagels!”I stopped in the middle of the restaurant.“Which bagels?”“The everything bagels!”“I’m going!”At this point, I was pretty sure my name had been sh