Chapter 2

The next morning, an A4 paper was taped to my dorm door.

【Stay away from Liam. Stop embarrassing the Art Department.】

It was signed: "All Girls of the Art Department."

I ripped the paper off and flipped it over.

The back was completely blank.

Perfect for sketching.

During the morning lecture, I sat in the very last row of the lecture hall.

The students in front of me collectively moved up three rows.

As if I were radioactive.

Chloe's sidekick, Mia Harper, went out of her way to walk over and slam a cup of boba tea on my desk.

"Chloe bought this for you."

"No, thanks."

"She also said," Mia lowered her voice.

"If you post an apology on the campus forum today, she'll help you squash the drama."

"Apologize for what?"

"Admitting that your behavior toward Liam was inappropriate."

"It's normal socializing. What's inappropriate about it?"

Mia sighed.

"Those chat logs are out there for the whole school to see."

"No one is going to believe anything you say now."

"You might as well swallow your pride."

I pushed the boba tea back.

"I can swallow my pride."

"But give me back my Outstanding Student Award nomination first."

Mia picked up the boba tea and walked away.

At lunchtime, I went to the cafeteria, but the card reader chimed: "Insufficient Funds."

Liam's debit card had been handed over to the Student Council by Chloe as "evidence."

And on my personal card, I only had forty-seven dollars left.

There were nineteen days left in the month.

Which meant my daily budget was about two dollars and fifty cents.

I took a bowl of plain white rice and sat in a quiet corner.

My roommate, Olivia Reed, slid half of her plate over to me. She thought I was completely broke and couldn't afford food.

Well, she wasn't wrong.

"Eat some of mine."

"No, I'm on a diet."

"You're barely ninety pounds. What diet?"

"Fasting so the wind can blow me away, far from this school."

In the afternoon, I went to the Student Council office to get my card back.

Chloe was organizing some files.

She looked up and saw me, her face completely expressionless.

"I can't give you the card yet."

"That's my grocery money."

"This card is registered under Liam Davis's name." She held the card up.

"Until we get confirmation from him personally, we cannot hand it over to you."

"You don't have the authority to hold it either."

Chloe slid the card into her drawer.

"This is to protect Liam's financial security."

"What if you really are blackmailing him?"

She said it in a flat tone, as if she were reading from a textbook.

As if she were the victim here.

And I was some dangerous criminal she needed to guard against.

I reached out to pull the drawer open.

Chloe slammed her hand down on mine.

"Aria, are you trying to rob me now?"

"There are three Student Council officers right outside the door."

"Make a move, and you'll get suspended tomorrow."

I pulled my hand back.

Her nails had scratched a red mark onto the back of my hand.

"Liam will be back from his game the day after tomorrow."

"You can confront him then."

"If he confirms this card was indeed given to you, I'll hand it over without another word."

She opened the door with a sweet smile.

"But if he doesn't..."

"I will personally recommend that all your academic honors for this semester be revoked."

Walking out of the Student Council office, I stood in the hallway, staring at the red scratch on my hand.

When she grabbed me, the three officers outside saw everything.

Not a single one of them thought anything was wrong.

After all, in their eyes, I was a gold digger.

Restraining a gold digger was just "justice" to them.

I scrolled through my contacts.

My parents were on a business trip abroad with a twelve-hour time difference.

My grandmother didn't know how to use a smartphone.

And Liam was still off the grid.

Another new post popped up on the forum.

【Deep Dive into Gold Digger Aria: Using a Senior's Card for Luxury Goods Since Freshman Year, Spotted Sneaking into His Apartment regularly.】

The attached photo showed me last weekend wearing a coat Liam didn't want, walking out of his apartment building.

The angle was tricky, the lighting dim.

It really made me look like a gold-digging girl sneaking out of a high-end apartment in the middle of the night.

The latest comment read:

【If the school doesn't expel her, what has our campus culture come to?】

I turned off my phone.

Just last month, Grams called Liam and told him to take good care of me.

He had agreed so enthusiastically.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll raise her like my own daughter."

Well, your "daughter" can't even afford lunch right now, her card is locked up, and her reputation is in tatters.

Liam, you sure did a stellar job taking care of me.