Kingswood University.

The campus field stretched out wide and open. A tall, slender girl stood off to the side, bundled up in long sleeves and pants, as if she wanted to disappear into her clothes. Her head hung low, and her skin was so pale it looked almost translucent.

Across from her, two middle-aged adults waited, dressed in expensive brands that practically shouted money. The woman, elegant but with a sharp edge, broke the silence first. “Stella, we’ve been here for ages. Aren’t you even going to say hello?” Stella didn’t lift her head. She just tightened her hands into fists at her sides, a chill settling in her eyes as the woman’s voice cut through the air.

Fedelia, clearly annoyed at being ignored, forced a smile onto her face. “Stella, I know you’re upset your father sent you to the countryside. But it was for your own good. Look at you now. You’re back, you look healthy, you’re in university… What else could you possibly want?”

Stella’s face stayed blank, her eyes empty, as if these people were total strangers.

Next to Fedelia, Mahoney stood stiff and serious, his brow creased in a permanent line.

Fedelia tried again, her voice softer, a fake sort of warmth creeping in. “Come home for dinner sometime, okay? What happened back then… it’s all in the past. I’m not blaming you, so you shouldn’t hold it against us. We’re still family, you know. We should all get along.”

She reached out, trying to take Stella’s hand, but Stella moved away before she could touch her. Fedelia’s hand hovered awkwardly in the air, her smile faltering.

Seeing Stella’s lifeless expression, Fedelia nearly lost her cool, but she swallowed her anger, thinking of Letty. “Oh, right. Stella, you’re pretty close to Charlotte, aren’t you?”

The second Charlotte’s name left her lips, Stella finally looked up. Her eyes locked on Fedelia, cold and sharp enough to cut right through her. Those eyes made Fedelia shiver.

Fedelia frowned, unsettled. “What’s with that look?”

“You know what happened between Letty and Charlotte, don’t you?” Fedelia let her mask drop, her tone turning direct. “Letty’s going to be expelled because of that competition.”

She pushed on, her voice growing more urgent. “Since you and

Charlotte are friends, can’t you ask her to help? The Cabinda University would sten to her, She’s part of the international medical program now, isn’t she? I heard she’s some big deal, donated papers, all that. If she speaks up, the university will-“

“Letty deserves it.”

Fedelia stopped mid-sentence, stunned into silence.

“What did you just say?”

Stella’s voice was soft but icy. “She faked her research, cheated in the competition. She even tried to hurt Charlotte just to win. Expulsion is nothing Someone like her should be Th prison, Tearning how to be a real person.”

Fedelia’s eyes went wide, disbelief written all over her face as she stared at Stella.

In her mind, Stella had always been

quiet and scared of her own shadow. After losing her mom so young, she barely spoke, barely fooked up. She never would have dared to say anything like this about Letty, not out loud, not to their faces.