"Why are they here?"
Did someone tattletale them?
"Was it about the video?"
"M-maybe?"
"Hmph! Why are you so nervous?"
"Ssshh!! That's Mr. Yu!" The other girl shivered.
" There's a chance that the culprits will be punished so why are you worried?" The snobbish girl asked.
Her friend wanted to strangle the girl!
Why was she friends with this snobbish again?!
Before the said girl can admonish her friend, some of the students already started stating their opinion on the matter.
They started berating the 'culprits', and agreeing on her beloved snobbish friend's statement. She rolled her eyes upward, note the sarcasm on that.
"Yeah, those shameless people need to be punished!"
"I totally agree!"
Hearing them, Carrie mentally facepalmed herself.
Fine. If you all want to go and die, go ahead. Don't pull me along with you. This young lady would slap you dead if you complain to me later!
Alia and her friends looked at each other with a confused look. They have no idea why would the young man be here, let alone the old man's reasons.
Alia stared at the young man for a while, until she remembered who he was.
He's the guy yesterday!
She looked at the three guys earlier… she remembered them now!
They're that guy's friends!
Alia wanted to slap herself. Didn't the surrounding students mention that these three are princes? Why hasn't she remembered them and connected the dots?
Her mind must be transformed into a pencil. It really needs a sharpener to make it sharp!
Argh!
But why would all of them be here now?
Even that old man.
Yes, this is a school cafeteria, so it wasn't needed to be questioned as to why students would be here.
But that guy was Leander Chen.
She may not know anything about him, but Amiel and Azra did.
One of those was how that guy avoided the cafeteria. He may come here once in a while, but once he did, Leander won't come again during that same week.
And he did come here yesterday already.
So why would he be here?
And with the Principal at that!
Yup.
That scary old man was their school principal.
Who would have thought that someone has the guts to invite him here?
Definitely not Alia.
But….
This also means that someone had tattletale on him!
… the three princes seemed to really help her but… what's their motive? Why involve the principal?
Honestly, this isn't a big issue. There were a lot of bigger issues that should've already caught his attention.
He could've asked the I.T Department to delete every trace of the video. And call all the people directly involved.
Why come here?
With her memory of her past life, no sane student would lodge a complaint to Mr. Yu, nor the other teachers and staff. She doesn't know how and when it all started nor who started the tradition that no one should complain nor incite to any of the teachers about any problems or fights within the Northern Star High School, unless it involves the matter of life and death. It's one of the reasons why she had been continuously bullied during high school.
Even the Student Council can't do anything about it.
She really wants to know who started it, actually.
Why?
Because she really, really wants to strangle that person!
Anyways, she'll think about that later. For now, she wouldn't let anyone bully her anymore. And if she can help those who don't deserve to be bullied, then she will.
Alia heaved a sigh. The principal's appearance now would either make this matter end in a shorter or longer time.
And she wished it was the former. She really wants to eat her strawberry pudding!
She didn't even have the chance to have even a bite of it!
If Celine hadn't gone and started berating her, then she would've eaten all of it by now!
ARGH!!!
She really wanted to cry!
Unbeknownst to her, someone was watching her actions.
Leander smirked. This girl was really something. It would be fun getting to know her.
"What's happening here?" Mr. Yu's booming voice was heard throughout the cafeteria and made everyone inside flinch. Even those who were going to enter the cafeteria stopped and shuddered.
His temper wasn't one to be trifled with. Even if it's someone who just met him, won't be able to stand the pressure.
After seeing that no one wanted to answer Mr. Yu, the snobbish exchange student earlier answered, " Some shameless people posted a video and said things that humiliates an innocent person."
Hearing her friend talk, Carrie wanted to beg earth to swallow her down.
Why did she befriend this girl again?!
Hearing this answer, Mr.Yu looked at their direction. Shane, the one who answered his question, can't help but have goosebumps. hNow she understands Carrie's fear. Those eyes glinted sharply as he looked at her. It feels like a predator looking at its prey.
And she's the latter.
"She's right sir!" Another exchange student backed Shane's words up.
Alia mentally facepalmed yet again. Are these exchange students really brave? Or they're just that dense not to sense the danger?
"Let me see."
A man wearing a suit held a tablet out to Mr. Yu.
"Here, Mr. Principal."
Mr. Yu held the tablet as he watched the said 'humiliating' video post.
As he watched, the principal's face gradually darkened.
The students either smiled or held their breaths in.
As soon as the video ended, Mr. Yu handed the tablet back to the man in the suit and then looked at Leander, "Handle this matter. I'm going back." Then he turned around and went out of the cafeteria.
'That's it?!?' Most of the students present thought.
Alia looked at Amiel, then turned to Azra as the former shrugged, but even the latter had no idea whatever thought that the old man had.
So Alia has no choice but to look at Leander.
And seeing her gaze, Leander put on a mysterious smile, which annoyed Alia.
Why is this guy smiling at her like that?!?!
She can't help but shiver.
She really wants her pudding now! This guy makes her feel stressed even more!
-
Leander walked towards their direction. As he stopped a few steps before them, he turned towards Hannah and questioned her, " Did you see the person who payed you to upload the video?"
"....n-n-no." Hannah fretfully answered. She wanted to say otherwise, but she can't help but say the truth to Leander. She can't help but feel like that gaze from the guy was showing her a thousand ways of torture.
Upon seeing her fearful gaze, Leander's smile widened, and he continued to ask, " Then what evidence do you have that it was her, who transacted with you?"
"A---I have a copy of our conversation!"
You can guess through her tone of voice that Hannah was starting to panic. Even her face started sweating too much, even this place was fully air conditioned.
Some who had accused Alia earlier began to waver in their belief that Alia was the one who wants to humiliate Kara. As they can see base from this girl's actions and answers, that she had no concrete evidence.
For them, it looks like a person wanting to frame someone. As for the reason? They don't know, but what matters for them was that she has no concrete evidence.
They felt shameful actually– that they had believe that Alia was involved in this matter, just because many did so too.
Kara grimaced. Why is this girl stupid? She clearly gave the middleman a copy of Alia's photo in order for this stupid girl to use as evidence!
And that photo was clearly not on any social media accounts of Alia, so that no one would say that it was just downloaded and printed from the internet! Why did this girl hadn't use it?!
Argh! Her plan was ruined!
What she didn't know was, the said photo was missing. And that's why it wasn't used by Hannah. The girl didn't even know how it disappeared like thin air.
She tried searching around, but she haven't found the photo or even a clue about its location! So now, she could only succumbed into being defeated.
Alia saw their expressions and felt happy. She would've smirk, but thought therwise. She doesn't want to be accused that she hid the evidences, so she lowered her head to hide the mirth in her eyes.
Even her two friends had similar thoughts like her.
Their thoughts were broken when Leander continued talking to Hannah, "So… can you show me?" He was asking a question, yet his commanding tone says otherwise.
Hannah pulled out her phone and showed it to Leander.
After seeing the said conversation, Leander turned towards the man in black suit, and commanded, " Verify who's the owner of this number."
"Yes."
The man started fumbling with his tablet after he got the number. After twenty minutes of waiting, he stopped his actions, then showed it to Leander.
As Leander saw the details, he called in several students in the crowd and made them read the details.
And….
They all read the same name, and it wasn't Alia's.