Sierra didn't remember running out of the classroom—only the cold air outside the building slamming into her lungs like a warning. Her phone vibrated again and again, flooding with new posts, new threads, new lies.
[Isn't it obvious? She did it.]
[She ruined her own group's project just to frame Vivian.]
[Classic villain move.]
Her hands trembled. The accusations weren't just spreading—they were mutating.
Someone had uploaded the edited footage.
The version that made it look like she deleted the files.
And worst of all, it was timed perfectly with the rumors about her supposed "obsession" with Leon.
A trap layered on top of another trap.
Sierra forced herself to breathe. Don't break—not here.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Hey."Leon's voice was low, careful. "I've been looking for you."
Sierra didn't turn around. "Did you see it?"
"Yes."
"And?"
Leon took a few steps closer until he was standing beside her. His jaw was tight, knuckles white around his phone. "It's fake. Obviously fake."
"But everyone believes it."
"That's because someone wants them to."
Sierra finally looked at him. "Vivian."
Leon didn't deny it. "She's involved. Maybe not alone, but she's part of it."
Sierra swallowed hard. "Then why is she so confident? Why wasn't she afraid I'd fight back?"
Leon exhaled sharply. "Because someone is helping her. Someone who knows how to twist information. Someone who knows what you're afraid of."
Sierra's pulse spiked. "You sound like you know who."
"I don't. Not yet."He paused. "But I'm going to find out."
A strange mix of warmth and panic surged in her chest. Leon wasn't distant. He wasn't cold. He wasn't brushing her off like the world expected.
He was angry—for her.
"Sierra." His tone softened. "Look at me."
She did.
"You're not alone in this."
The words were simple. But in the middle of the storm, they felt like a lifeline.
Not alone.
"Jenna and I are already gathering proof," Leon continued. "And Yang—"
"Jenna?" Sierra blinked. "She's helping?"
"She's furious," Leon said. "Apparently Vivian tried to feed her a new rumor this morning. Jenna realized something was off."
Sierra inhaled sharply. More pieces sliding into place. More cracks in Vivian's carefully crafted image.
"Still…" Sierra's voice shook despite her efforts. "Once something spreads this far, how do you undo it?"
Leon's expression darkened. "You don't undo it—you replace it."
Sierra frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means we expose whoever did this."Leon tucked his phone into his pocket with a decisive motion. "And we do it fast."
Before she could respond, a notification alert echoed in the courtyard.
Another message… no, a whole wave of them.
Students nearby gasped, confused murmurs breaking out.
Sierra's phone buzzed nonstop.
Leon checked his screen first—then froze.
"Sierra," he said slowly, "you need to see this."
Her stomach dropped.
On the campus forum…
A new anonymous post had appeared.
Bold letters.
A single sentence.
"More evidence about Sierra Song will be released at noon."
With an attached timer.
Counting down.
59 minutes. 12 seconds.
Sierra's breath caught in her throat.
They weren't finished with her.
They were just getting started.