Chapter 2

A bloodcurdling scream shattered the dorm the next morning.

Chloe stood by her desk, hair a wild mess.

"My necklace! The diamond necklace my mom gave me is gone!"

She whipped her head toward me, glaring with raw venom.

"I remember it crystal clear - I left it right here on my desk last night!"

"Some people really are filthy thieves. My novel didn't get a single damn thing wrong about you!"

Penny's hand trembled as she applied her moisturizer. "Chloe, wait, don't jump to conclusions. Look around, maybe it fell behind the desk?"

Harper simply rolled over in bed, turning her back to the entire room.

I calmly slipped into my jacket, entirely unfazed.

Chloe's little morning performance was playing out beat for beat, exactly as my brother had predicted.

Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, the academic advisor's office summoned me.

Inside the advisor's office, Chloe was curled up on the couch, dabbing away fake tears with a tissue, throwing in a dramatic sniffle the moment I walked in.

On the low coffee table sat an empty velvet jewelry box.

Mr. Miller, our advisor, let out a heavy sigh when he saw me.

"Mia, take a seat."

He pointed to the spot right next to Chloe. I didn't budge, remaining planted in the center of the room.

"Mr. Miller," Chloe whimpered, her voice dripping with calculated sorrow, "I really don't want to blame Mia... I hate making a scene like this..."

"It's just... my necklace vanished right after we got into that fight last night. It's ridiculously expensive..."

"And she slipped out of our eight-o'clock lecture ten minutes early this morning! She probably ran straight back to the dorm to swipe it!"

Mr. Miller turned his gaze toward me. "Mia, look. Chloe is being very gracious here. She doesn't want to blow this out of proportion."

"Just return the necklace, and Chloe promised she won't press charges."

He paused, letting his tone grow stern and heavy.

"Chloe's father is Director Vance in Academic Affairs. If this scandal gets out, the fallout on your academic record... well, think about it."

"You submitted an application for the department merit scholarship, right? If this isn't handled quietly, the outcome... might not be what you're hoping for."

Watching the two of them play bad cop, worse cop made me want to laugh out loud.

"I didn't take it," I said, meeting his eyes unflinchingly. "I left lecture early because I had approved university business, with an official pass from the professor. I never went back to the dorm."

"Besides, if high-value personal property was stolen, call campus police. Or pull the hallway security tapes."

The dorm hallways were lined with cameras.

I turned my gaze straight toward a fidgeting Chloe. "What actual evidence do you have proving I took your necklace?"

Before Chloe could spit out another lie, Mr. Miller's face darkened like a cornered beast.

"Mia! Must you be so stubborn and difficult?!"

"Do you seriously want this on your permanent disciplinary record before you learn some sense?!"

He leaned back into his leather chair, crossing his arms in a condescending lecture pose.

"You're still holding a grudge over that fiction piece she wrote, aren't you? I read it. There is zero reason for you to make such a fuss."

"Call it creative nonfiction. When people write about life, capturing the flaws of those around them is unavoidable."

"Maybe instead of lashing out, you should look in the mirror and reflect on your own attitude and behavior."

Hearing that, Chloe couldn't suppress a smug smirk. She chimed in with sweet, syrupy praise.

"Oh, Mr. Miller~ you really are the most fair-minded, righteous advisor on campus! No wonder all my readers loved the mentor character based on you~"

"Unlike certain people, whose trashy behavior speaks for itself, yet they blame others for writing the truth."

Fury flared inside my chest, but my lips curled into a calm smile.

I locked eyes with Mr. Miller.

"Mr. Miller, every single word you just uttered was recorded."

"..."

A suffocating silence dropped over the office.

The color drained from Mr. Miller's face. His jaw moved, but not a sound came out.

Seeing him freeze, Chloe lunged up and pointed a trembling finger right in my face.

"Mia! You steal my jewelry, and now you have the nerve to blackmail our advisor?! You're guilty as hell!"

I looked at her with pure, unadulterated pity.

"Oh? So in your little fantasy world, securing legal evidence is called blackmail?"

I gently flicked my wrist, turning my phone screen toward them.

The red recording wave was still pulsing steadily.