"Mia, are you even aware of what's happening? Or is it that you just don't care?" Ryo's voice crackled with frustration, each word like a slap as he spat them into the phone. "Because Kenji listened to you, he's been expelled and is prison. You knew he had a crush on Sakura and exploited him because of that. And now I'm the one the whole college is talking about! After the police came, everyone knows what happened to Sakura—they know she was drugged in that photo! And I got suspended because I did exactly what you asked and sent it to almost a dozen people!"
Mia's jaw tightened, her mind spinning with a sickening realisation. The whole campus was rallying behind Sakura now—sympathising with her. They were talking about her like she was the victim. Everything had gone wrong. Kenji had ruined her plan. Her plan. This was supposed to be a game of manipulation where she was the puppet master, pulling the strings from behind the scenes. But now everyone was feeling guilty, and Sakura had become the saint everyone admired. Sakura was supposed to be the villain—hated, feared. Not pitied.
"At least you didn't get expelled, and at least you're not sitting in a cell somewhere!" Mia snapped, her words cutting through the air in a desperate attempt to regain control.
Ryo's voice was tight with fury. "I was sitting in a cell during the mixer, remember? Kenji and I barely managed to get out of there, even with our parents help. But this time Kenji is not getting out."
"Just be grateful you're not in the cell now!" Mia blasted.
"You still don't get it, do you? All you care about is getting Haru to fall in love with you! That's all you're focused on, isn't it? You've completely lost your mind."
"Haru already is in love with me," Mia responded, her voice tinged with a forced confidence. "He just hasn't realised it yet."
Ryo's laugh was cruel, mocking. "You're a psycho. I'm blocking your number. Whatever sick game you've got planned for Sakura, count me out."
"No, wait!" Mia's voice cracked with desperation, but the damage was done. Ryo was gone. The one person she had relied on to send photos for her, the one person who'd shielded her from any fallout, was now walking away. And without him, her plan was crumbling.
"Please, I'll pay you double—twice as much as I paid you before," Mia pleaded, panic flooding her. She couldn't lose him. Not now.
But Ryo was relentless, the finality in his words chilling her to the bone. "Keep your money and get lost. I'm not ruining my future for you."
The call ended abruptly, and Mia stood there, frozen in the silence. Her heart pounded in her chest, the weight of Ryo's betrayal sinking in. Her greatest pawn was gone. He was the one who'd helped her tarnish Sakura's reputation, the one who'd sent that photo and made it look like Mia had nothing to do with them. Without him, she was vulnerable. She had no shield left to protect her. Her plan was in shambles.
"Ah, so you payed Ryo to take that picture of Sakura." The voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and biting.
Mia spun around, her breath catching as she saw Kei standing there, his eyes not the soft, adoring gaze she was used to. No, this time, his eyes were hard—cold. There was no affection, no warmth in them. Just icy disdain.
Her stomach dropped. Kei. Kei knew everything. Her heart raced, panic flooding her chest. She had to act fast. She couldn't let him expose her. She couldn't let him ruin everything she had worked so hard for.
Kei's voice was dark, the anger in his tone unmistakable. "I knew you were scheming, Mia," he muttered, stepping closer, his words heavy with disgust. "But I never imagined you'd be this cruel. You let Kenji assault Sakura—you let it happen. All because you deluded yourself into thinking everything was Sakura's fault."
Mia's mind was spinning. She couldn't speak. She had no defense. How had it come to this? This wasn't the Kei she'd known. He wasn't looking at her with those puppy-dog eyes. No, this Kei… was someone else. Someone who had seen her true colours.
"Kei…" she whispered, her voice shaking. This was wrong. She couldn't believe the way he was talking to her. Kei, the one who loved her, was now turning on her. He was speaking to her as if she were a stranger. As if he saw the monster she had become.
Kei leaned in, his breath hot against her ear, his voice low and full of venom. "And now I can't wait to see the look on Haru's face when I tell him everything. When I show him the kind of person you really are."
Mia felt her blood run cold. No. She couldn't let him do that. She couldn't let Haru find out. Her chest tightened, panic rising to a choking level. Her throat closed up as she stumbled backward, trying to regain her composure.
"You wouldn't do that," she gasped, her voice trembling with desperation. "You wouldn't hurt me. You—You love me."
Kei's eyes narrowed, his face hardening with disgust. "That was yesterday, Mia. Today, you're just a selfish, vindictive bitch who used her best friend for her own gain. You let someone else take the fall for your sins. You sold her out. You let Sakura be violated for your sick little game." His words hit her like a slap, each one a reminder of just how far she had fallen in his eyes. "I don't know who you are anymore. You crossed a line I can't ignore."
Mia reached out, her hands trembling as she grabbed his arm. "No, please, Kei… Please don't tell him. I'll fix everything. I swear."
Kei wrenched his arm out of her grasp, stepping back from her, his face devoid of any empathy. "What you've done is unforgivable, Mia. And I'm not staying silent anymore. You don't deserve anyone's kindness. Not mine. Not Haru's. Not anyone's."
With one final, bitter shove, Kei turned and walked away, leaving Mia standing in the hallway, trembling with a mixture of disbelief and sheer terror. She had lost her greatest ally, and now the one person who had known all her schemes was gone. And worse—he was going to tear her world apart.