Chapter 4

Saturday, 2:00 PM.

The varsity football team's bus pulled up on campus.

The news traveled faster than the school's Wi-Fi.

Within ten minutes, over two hundred people had gathered in the plaza.

Chloe wore a white sundress, holding a bouquet of flowers, standing right at the front of the crowd.

Behind her, the Student Council had hung a massive banner.

【Welcome Back, Varsity Football Champions!】

They really rolled out the red carpet.

I stood on the steps at the outer edge of the plaza.

People were taking photos of me.

Some were live-streaming.

The chat comments probably read: *The gold digger is here.*

Liam was the third one to step off the bus.

He carried his duffel bag, his jersey sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Chloe immediately rushed forward.

"Liam! Congratulations on the win!"

She handed him the flowers and naturally stepped in close to his side.

"While you were away, a few things happened on campus."

"But don't worry, I took care of everything for you."

She pulled out her phone and pulled up the forum posts for him.

"A freshman girl has been using your debit card."

"She's been telling everyone that you two have a... special relationship."

"All the chat logs were exposed."

She scrolled down.

"Look. She asked you for five thousand dollars, and even threatened to sleep at your apartment and ruin your reputation if you didn't pay up."

"I confiscated the card for you, and the department suspended her honors eligibility."

"You don't have to worry, Liam. She won't be harassing you anymore."

Chloe took a deep breath, looking up at him with wide, sincere eyes.

"Liam, why don't we use this opportunity to clear things up? It'll save your reputation from being ruined by her."

The plaza fell dead silent.

Everyone stared at Liam.

He lifted his head, his gaze bypassing Chloe entirely, looking straight toward the edge of the crowd.

Looking straight at me.

Across the crowd of two hundred people, our eyes locked.

His expression shifted from calm to utter confusion.

Then his gaze flicked downward, landing on the scabbed red scratch on the back of my hand.

He took in my pale lips and how much weight I'd lost in just three days.

His eyes grew incredibly dark.

So dark that it turned into an expression I knew all too well.

The last time he made that face, Grams had found out he was secretly raising a stray kitten and chased him down three blocks with a wooden spoon.

Someone was about to get destroyed.

Chloe followed his gaze, saw me, and her lips curled into a smug smile.

She grabbed Liam's arm, facing the crowd, her voice sweet and ringing clear.

"Liam, just tell her in front of everyone."

"What exactly is your relationship?"

Instantly, every phone in the plaza was raised.

Two hundred cameras pointed at me.

The live stream view count spiked past five thousand.

Liam stuffed the flowers into his teammate's arms.

He pushed through the crowd, walking straight toward me.

Chloe followed closely behind, raising her voice.

"Liam, you don't have to be polite."

"She's been harassing you for so long. Everyone deserves to know the truth."

Liam stopped right in front of me.

He grabbed my hand, turning it over to look at the red scratch.

"Who did this?"

Standing behind him, Chloe was thrilled. She thought Liam was going to hold me accountable, so she eagerly stepped up to take credit.

"You don't have to worry about it, Liam. It's my duty to keep our campus clean. Besides, she was harassing *you*..."

Before she could finish, her face flushed red to her ears, and she bashfully lowered her head.

The entire plaza leaned in, ears perked.

Liam let go of my hand and slowly spun around to face Chloe.

His expression was as cold as a December wind.

"You said she was harassing me?"

Chloe nodded vigorously.

Liam looked around at the massive crowd and the sea of recording phones.

Then, he spoke, his voice completely flat.

"Aria Vance... is my biological niece. The money on that card... I practically had to beg her to spend.

Who the hell do you think you are, trying to manage my family's finances?"