Chapter 1

On the first day of the new term, I didn't want any special treatment, so I pushed through the discomfort of my condition and made my father drop me off for orientation drills.

That morning I noticed a male classmate whose skin had blistered from the sun, so without thinking I pulled the sunscreen spray out of my bag and handed it to him.

The girl standing next to me in the line went pale and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything—

The advisor patrolling the field came charging straight at me.

"Bad character on the very first day, chatting up male students. Is this the kind of shameless behavior your family taught you to bring to school?"

The boy was about to speak up for me, but the advisor already had me by the hair and dragged me off to the office.

Forcing back the pain in my scalp, I explained,

"Ma'am, you've misunderstood. I don't even know this student. I just lent him my sunscreen spray."

I didn't expect it, but hearing that only wound her up more.

"Don't know him? First day and you're already flaunting yourself for a boy you don't even know. I really underestimated you!"

She slapped a withdrawal form down in front of me.

"I, Catherine Lambert, won't have a little slut like you in my class. Hurry up and drop out, before you offend my eyes any longer!"

I stared at this completely unreasonable advisor and actually laughed out of pure anger.

This withdrawal form? Even if I dared sign it, she wouldn't dare accept it.

...

I looked coldly at the withdrawal form tossed in front of me.

Running into something like this on the first day of school really did disgust me.

But there was no way I would take the fall for something I never did and drop out over it.

"I'm not signing this withdrawal form. This is slander."

Catherine Lambert was so infuriated by my attitude that she laughed, snapping out a string of "fine, fine, fine."

"Since a shameless thing like you insists on clinging on and refusing to leave, then I'll just have to call your parents to come take you away!"

She opened her computer and started pulling up my new-student file.

I frowned without meaning to.

It wasn't that I didn't want her to call my father.

It was that if my father found out about the scene she was making today, no one would be able to save her.

I was about to open my mouth to warn her when she looked at me with a cold sneer.

"What? Scared now?"

"Clearing out girls like you, who go around throwing themselves at boys, that's my duty as an educator!"

I looked at her smug, self-righteous face and rolled my eyes, done with it.

Someone like her—there was no telling how many female students she'd already hurt.

Well, since she'd run into me today, I'd see her off.

The call connected on the first ring. Catherine Lambert shot me an arrogant look and said into the phone,

"Is this Victoria Winfield's parent? Your daughter has been deliberately seducing male students at our school. After review, the school has decided to expel her. Come and take her home right now!"

"What?"

The voice on the other end asked back, disbelieving.

Catherine Lambert repeated it, smug all over again. "I said your daughter was seducing a male student, and I caught her at it. Come take her away immediately!"

"Our school is a century-old institution. We can't let one bad apple spoil the whole barrel!"

The line went silent for a good dozen seconds.

Just as Catherine Lambert was about to lose her patience, Chester Lambert's voice came through, strange in tone.

"Are you certain?"

"We're right near Ashford University at the moment. We can be there in about fifteen minutes."

It suddenly came back to me. When my father dropped me off that morning, he'd mentioned he was coming to inspect the universities in this area today.

No wonder his phone had been answered by his secretary, Chester.

Catherine Lambert rolled her eyes, all impatience.

"Of course I'm certain. What, you think I'd wrongly accuse her?"

"If you're not here within fifteen minutes, I'll announce what your daughter did to the whole school!"

Chester paused, and his voice turned grave.

"We'll be there within fifteen minutes. But until we arrive, you have no right whatsoever to lay a hand on this child."

"We'll be bringing the most professional team to investigate. And if you've falsely accused our child, we will not let this go."

The line went dead.

Catherine Lambert was thrown for a second by those few sentences.

Then she scoffed coldly.

"Your family's got quite the nerve."

"They want proof, don't they? I'll give them proof."