"My name is Andrea, and from today, I will be your new director. I may not know how things were done before, but while I am in charge, I expect everyone to follow the school rules, no matter their status.
If you ever have a serious issue that the principal can't resolve, my office door is always open.
Also, I wish you all the best in your upcoming exams. To make it more exciting for the senior students, the top scorer will receive a recommendation letter from me to any top university of their choice."
The students clapped and cheered when they heard this. They all knew that a recommendation letter from the director of Zarion High was like a guaranteed ticket to any university of their choice.
Unfortunately, this was something Diana had never offered before.
Andrea walked into her office with a smile. Gael's idea of a recommendation letter had worked perfectly on the students. Now, she just needed to win over the parents.
Her smile faded when she saw someone sitting in her chair, flipping through the papers on her desk.
"Can I help you?" Andrea asked, eyeing the young girl in a school uniform. There was something familiar about her, but Andrea couldn't quite place where she had seen her before.
The girl looked up with an arrogant smirk. "So, you're my mom's replacement?" she taunted.
Recognition flashed in Andrea's eyes. She finally remembered who this girl was.
Sitting comfortably in her chair was Noelle—the only granddaughter of Maxwell Ashford. Known as the spoiled princess of the Ashford family, Noelle was used to getting whatever she wanted.
Andrea sighed and asked politely, "What are you doing in my office?"
Noelle glanced around and said, "One day, this office will be mine, so I don't see anything wrong with me being here." She stood up and added, "When my mom told me that Brother Gael secretly got married, I thought he had finally tied the knot with Elara. I never imagined a man like him would marry someone with no class."
Elara? Andrea remembered a reporter mentioning that name at the anniversary event.
Seeing the frown on Andrea's face, Noelle smirked, thinking she was jealous. "Elara and Brother Gael have always been together since college. Not only did they attend the same university, but they also studied the same profession and even worked at the same hospital. So, I'm really curious—where exactly did you come from?"
Andrea raised a brow at the girl's rude tone and said, "You have ten seconds to get out of my chair and go back to class, or—"
"Or what?" Noelle cut in. "Are you forgetting that Ashford blood runs through my veins, while you're just an outsider?"
Andrea's expression remained calm. "Well, this 'outsider' is the new director of this school, which means I have every right to suspend you for your disrespectful behavior."
"Suspend me? You can't do that!"
"I can. And I will if you don't get your spoiled little ass out of my chair."
Noelle didn't seem angry at all. She stood up, walked to the door, and paused. Looking back at Andrea, she said with a smirk, "Enjoy your position while it lasts. If there's one thing I know about my mom, it's that no one takes what belongs to her." Then, she walked out.
Andrea scoffed as she dropped into her chair. "Now I see why Gael doesn't like her—she's like a mini Diana."
Just then, there was a knock on her office door.
"Come in," she said.
A man walked in, holding a large bouquet of flowers. He placed them on her desk and said, "These are for you, ma'am."
Andrea stared at the flowers, surprised. Who would send her flowers?
"You need to sign here," the delivery man added, handing her a pen.
She quickly signed, and after he left, she picked up the small note attached to the bouquet and read it out loud.
"Have a lovely first day, wifey."
Andrea froze. Wifey?
There was no way Gael had sent this. The man barely spoke to her, and he would definitely not call her wifey. Him suddenly sending flowers and calling her wifey was not only impossible—it was disturbing.
She reached for her phone, ready to call him, but then remembered he had told her he'd be busy all day. Maybe it was better to ask him in person later.
Her eyes returned to the note, lingering on the last word. Wifey.
A shiver ran down her spine. The thought of Gael calling someone that felt so strange. She couldn't even imagine what he would be like if he ever truly fell in love.
To Andrea, Gael was an interesting puzzle. Anyone who sees him for the first time would think he was an unapproachable, rude, and cold person, but the truth is, Gael was the opposite of most people's opinion about him.
Andrea looked at the flowers and brought them to her nose to perceive their scent, but she immediately shifted them away as she sneezed.
"Maybe I should tell him I'm allergic to flowers." Andrea muttered before sneezing again.
.....
After leaving the office, Noelle didn't go to class. Instead, she headed to the school's gym. A smile played on her lips when she spotted her boyfriend and best friend already having fun with her favorite toy—who was on her knees.
The girl kneeling on the cold ground was Lucia, a scholarship student.
"How did your meeting with your sister-in-law go?" Abel, Noelle's boyfriend, asked.
Noelle didn't answer. Instead, she walked over to Lucia, crouched down, and lifted her chin. Without warning, she slapped her—hard.
Lucia collapsed to the floor, her cheek burning from the impact. A metallic taste filled her mouth, and she whimpered softly, knowing Noelle was using her to vent her anger.
"The director must've pissed you off," Petra Barrington, her best friend, said with a light laugh.
Noelle looked down at Lucia, her voice turning cold. "Did you really think you could report me to the principal without me finding out? My family owns this school. Even the new director is my sister-in-law. You better be careful, or one day, I might just kill you and let your body rot in the woods."
Despite the threat, Lucia didn't show fear. She looked straight into Noelle's eyes and, without hesitation, spat in her face.
A heavy silence fell.
Noelle scoffed and wiped the spit mixed with blood off her face. Then, she turned to Petra. "Do you have a pen?"
Petra's eyes lit up in excitement as she quickly handed her one. Realizing what Noelle was about to do, she grabbed Lucia's right hand, holding them tightly despite her struggles.
"No, please! Don't do this! I'm sorry! Please!" Lucia pleaded, shaking her head in terror.
"You should've thought of that before spitting on me," Noelle said, her voice cold and emotionless.
Then, she drove the pen into the middle of Lucia's hand.
A sharp scream tore through the air, but no one came to help.
Noelle laughed in satisfaction as blood dripped onto the floor. "That's why I like you, Lucia. You always know how to lift my mood." She turned to leave with Abel and Petra but not before giving one final command. "Clean your filthy blood off the floor before you go."
Left alone, Lucia sobbed, pain throbbing through her wounded hand. Her dream of becoming a painter—shattered.
She looked at the pen still lodged in her palm, blood pooling beneath her. If she weren't an orphan, would Noelle have dared to treat her this way? Maybe. Money ruled the world, and she had neither wealth nor family. Now, even her future was ruined.
Her tears stopped. Slowly, she pushed herself off the cold floor. Without looking back, she walked away, leaving behind a trail of blood.