{EMY}
While Ren was still away, I turned my attention to a far less enjoyable problem—Lance.
I leaned back on the couch, arms crossed, replaying everything that had spiraled out of control.
I'd originally planned to talk things through calmly, lay everything down on the table, and be done with it. Clean. Civil. Adult.
But that plan died the moment I learned Lance was being threatened with expulsion.
That crossed a line.
Passive wasn't an option anymore.
The truth was—this mess was embarrassingly easy to fix. Almost insulting, really. Like someone had tried to trip me with a string instead of a rope.
All I had to do was release the real footage.
The full video. Uncut. Unedited. With the original audio intact.
The one Jewel didn't want anyone to see.
She'd posted carefully clipped segments—just enough to twist the narrative, just enough to make me look guilty without ever outright lying.
It was clever. Nasty. Effective.
