Chapter 2

Chloe froze.

She clearly didn’t expect me to reject her so flatly.

The office was dead silent. Paul, who worked at the desk next to mine, peeked over his partition.

Chloe lowered her head, clutching the straps of her backpack so hard her knuckles turned white. Her voice sounded fragile, like it was about to crack.

"But I asked around... they said Mr. Richard always takes a prep group before the SATs."

"My math score is terrible. He’s the only teacher whose explanations actually make sense to me."

"Sophia, I know my family isn't rich, but I’ll find a way to pay the tuition. I promise."

I had heard this exact speech in my past life.

Back then, I was stupid. I thought I was helping a struggling kid survive the college admissions race.

I had even paid for her first week’s fees out of my own pocket.

And what did I get in return? She dragged Richard into the mud and stepped on my family's bleeding bodies to climb her way to fame.

Looking at her watery, innocent eyes now, my stomach churned with pure disgust.

"Chloe, the school adjusted the curriculum this year. Richard is not taking any extra students."

Her lips trembled.

"Can I just stand in the back of the classroom then? I won’t take up a seat, and I won’t distract anyone."

"No."

"What if I only listen to the last ten minutes of—"

"No."

With every "no" I dropped, the look of victimization on her face grew deeper.

Soon, a few other teachers gathered near the office door.

One of them whispered to me, "Sophia, she’s practically begging you. Don't be so heartless."

"Yeah, her scores are tanking. If she doesn't get them up, she’ll have to retake the SAT next year. Poor girl."

"Richard is used to working hard anyway. One more student won’t hurt him."

I looked up at them.

In my past life, it was these exact guilt trips that backed me into a corner.

“Just help her.”

“You’re both educators, you shouldn’t just care about the money.”

“It’s a kid’s future, don’t be so cold.”

Yet, when the scandal broke, these were the very first people to run away and delete us from their contacts.

No one remembered that they were the ones who forced her into our lives in the first place.

Seeing people take her side, Chloe’s tears fell even faster.

"I don't want to cause trouble, Sophia."

"I just really want to go to a good college."

"My dad’s back is ruined from construction work, and my mom washes dishes at a diner. They told me if I don't get a scholarship, I can’t go."

She bent forward, trying to give me a dramatic, apologetic bow.

I moved fast, stepping aside to avoid it.

"Don't do that."

She froze mid-motion, a flash of humiliation crossing her eyes.

I stared at her coldly.

"If you want to study, do it. But don't put on a show in my office."

Just then, Mr. Harrison, the Vice Principal, walked in, frowning. "What's going on here?"

Chloe looked at him like he was her savior and immediately turned to him.

"Mr. Harrison, I wanted to sign up for Mr. Richard's math prep class, but Sophia said he’s not doing it this year."

Mr. Harrison glanced at me.

"Not doing it? Why wasn't I informed?"

I replied calmly, "Richard’s schedule is completely packed. He doesn't have the time or energy for extra work."

Mr. Harrison’s face darkened.

"Sophia, you work in administration. You know we have to look at the bigger picture. Chloe is one of our priority students this semester."

"Richard is one of our top teachers. He shouldn’t be picky about his students."

I let out a soft laugh.

"Mr. Harrison, are we talking about an officially approved school program, or an unofficial private arrangement?"

He choked on his words, unable to answer.

The office went completely silent.

Private prep schools have incredibly strict rules.

Any after-school tutoring must go through the school's billing system. Schedules, invoices, and parental consent forms are mandatory.

In my past life, Chloe's smartest move was framing a standard after-school Q&A session as a "private, secret meeting."

This time, I was going to leave her zero gray areas.

Mr. Harrison cleared his throat.

"Of course it's an official school program."

"Great. Then we’ll follow standard protocol. We’ll use the AV recording room. We need her parents' signed consent, and all tutoring sessions must take place directly under the school's security cameras."

Chloe snapped her head up, her face turning pale for a split second.

But Mr. Harrison didn't notice. He just nodded.

"Fine. Let's do that."

I looked at Chloe.

"Hear that? If you really want to study, we play by the rules."

She bit her lip, waiting a long time before finally nodding.

"Okay."

But the sheer resentment in her eyes did not escape me.