Chapter 22 : Andrea's wrath
"I'm sorry for coming back late," Andrea whispered softly, his voice low against her hair.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine," Violet muttered, trying not to look at him.
"So can you please let go now?"
Andrea smiled faintly.
He could tell she was embarrassed.
The more she tried to sound calm, the more obvious it was she wasn't.
He decided to stop teasing her—at least for now.
The first day he's back shouldn't end with him being strangled by his wife.
He slowly let go of her waist, giving her some space.
Violet felt at a loss,as he listened to her.
But at the next moment he took her hand instead, her heart started beating again, fast and loud.
Yeah… this guy really never changes.
Even Vira couldn't help but chime in.
"Host, you say one thing and mean another. Honestly, girls—I just don't understand you."
Violet rolled her eyes and ignored her.
"So," Andrea started again, trying to sound casual, "what did I miss in the six months I was gone? You okay? Did you… miss me?"
"You missed nothing," Violet said flatly.
"And no, I didn't."
Andrea sighed.
He wasn't surprised—he knew her too well.
Violet De'ora would rather jump off a cliff than admit she missed him.
He chuckled softly and changed the subject.
"So what are you doing here instead of being in class?"
"I'm one of the students chosen to represent the school in the 1st Year Mathematics Competition," she replied.
"Why ?.
Are you suprised?"
Andrea's eyes widened just a bit.
"Of course not !".he exclaimed
Shocked maybe , but suprised?.
No.
My wife's the best," he said proudly, his hand reaching up to pat her hair.
Her eyes narrowed instantly.
"The next time you touch my hair again, you'll lose that hand."
Andrea laughed, completely unbothered.
"Ttch.
And here I thought today would finally be our first normal conversation as a couple.
But no—you still have to scream like a banshee when you see me."
"What did you just say—who the hell is screaming like a banshee?! Come back here, Andrea Mist!"
But Andrea was already gone, running out before she could throw something at him again.
"So let me get this straight," Vira said, snickering inside her head,
"You ignored the part where he called you a couple, but focused on the banshee part? So… host, are you secretly agreeing you're a couple now?"
"Couple?! Andrea Mist—who is a couple with that bastard?!" Violet snapped, her cheeks burning red.
Vira just laughed.
"Sure, host.
Keep telling yourself that."
__________________________________________
The moment Andrea stepped out, the teasing smile on his face disappeared.
His whole expression changed—cold, serious, that look that could freeze a room.
He walked straight to his classroom, his steps steady but heavy.
Clay Lands was already there, standing alone, staring into nothing, clearly lost in thought.
The moment Andrea came in, Clay turned sharply, his focus snapping back.
"Boss, you're here," he said immediately.
"Mmm," Andrea answered, voice calm but carrying weight.
"What happened while I was gone?"
Clay didn't hesitate—he knew his boss hated being kept in the dark.
So he told him everything.
From the moment Andrea left, to Violet getting bullied by his so-called fans, to her fighting back, to Gloria's expulsion.
Every single detail.
No one knew Andrea had left someone to keep watch while he was gone.
But he did.
And hearing what Clay said now made his chest tighten and his fists clench.
His wife went through all that.
Because of him.
Because of people who had the nerve to call themselves his fans.
People he knows nothing of.
Andrea's eyes darkened.
"So… what did you do when all this was happening?"
Clay went quiet for a second.
"No.....Nothing, boss", he stammered.
"You didn't order me to step in.
You said to just keep watch."
Andrea's voice dropped, low and dangerous.
"So you just watched? You let my wife go through all that alone? Are you dumb?"
Clay flinched slightly.
"But boss, you never said to protect her.
Only to—"
Andrea's voice cut him off sharply.
"You're lucky she's fine, Clay.
If something had happened to her… you'd be a dead man right now."
He sighed deeply, trying to calm his anger before he lost it completely.
Then his tone shifted, cold and commanding again.
"Call Lucas.
Dannon .
and Angelo."
Clay blinked.
"Why?"
Andrea gave him a cold side-eye.
"What do you think, dumbass? To clean up every single thing you ignored."
"Understood, boss," Clay said quickly, already reaching for his phone.
Andrea walked to the window, the sunlight hitting his face just right.
That calm teasing boy from earlier was nowhere to be found.
All that was left was Andrea Mist—the man people knows nothing of but still feared, without him saying a single word.
And behind that calm voice, one thing was very clear.
Someone was about to pay for everything Violet went through.
.
.
.
.
.
That night, inside the quiet student council room, the air was heavy enough to cut through.
Andrea stood near the window, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a thin file Clay had just handed over.
His face looked calm, but everyone in the room knew better—behind that calm was a storm waiting to tear through everything.
Dannon, Lucas, Angelo, and Clay Lands all stood, eyes lowered.
Nobody dared to speak first.
Andrea finally did.
"So… while I was gone, they thought it was fine to bully Violet."
Silence.
Even breathing felt wrong at that moment.
"Names," he said, still without looking at them.
"Every single one of them."
Clay quickly placed another folder on the table. "Already compiled, boss.
Everyone involved—directly or indirectly."
Andrea flipped it open, scanning the first page.
"Good," he said coldly.
"Handle them quietly.
No noise.
No drama.
I don't want her knowing anything."
Lucas leaned back lazily, but there was a spark in his eyes.
"So, what kind of handling are we talking about this time? Accidents or exposure?"
Andrea looked up, expression unreadable.
"Both."
And just like that, the tide began to turn.
It started small—like whispers in the hallways.
A girl who once tripped Violet during gym fell and broke her leg on the dorm stairs.
Another who led the rumor mill woke up to find all her nasty texts and DMs posted for the entire student forum to see.
Anonymous source, of course.
Within a few weeks, things got worse.
Families whose children had joined the mockery soon found themselves in scandals they didn't see coming.
Confidential files leaked, shares dropped overnight, partners pulled out of deals.
Those whose company was affected, and had brains to know that it was a warning,now ran to pull their daughters out of Imperial High, whispering that some invisible hand was striking back.
No one could trace where it started.
No one even dared to.
But everyone could feel it—something sharp, like the scales of justice, finally balancing out.
Even the mighty Crescent family wasn't spared.
Joe Crescent's branch—one he had spent years managing—was audited and shut down overnight.
It turned out he'd been embezzling funds, little by little, and it all came to light in a single night.
The evidence was too clean, too precise.
Even the board couldn't save him.
And ironically, the final approval to close the branch came from none other than Victoria crescent father.
Joe's downfall was quiet, brutal, and irreversible.
And all of it… unknowingly caused by his own adopted daughter's petty games.
__________________________________________
Meanwhile, in the same quiet council room, Andrea closed a laptop, his face void of emotion.
Lucas cracked his fingers beside him.
"Everything's done.
Not a single loose end."
"Flawless," Dannon said with a grin.
"You really don't do half measures, huh?"
Andrea leaned back, expression flat.
"Flawless isn't the goal," he said softly.
"They touched her.
So now they lose something worth more."
Clay let out a low whistle. "Boss, remind me never to get on your bad side."
"Good," Andrea replied, not even glancing his way.
"Because next time, I won't just warn anyone."
The next morning, Imperial High woke to chaos.
Students whispered about sudden withdrawals, random family scandals, and companies losing millions overnight.
Violet heard it all—but didn't give it much thought.
Her focus was still on the upcoming math competition, not knowing that every step she took now was across the ashes of those who had wronged her.
Vira, of course, had no idea either.
For once, even she was quiet.
But someone did find out.
.
.
.
.
.
One night, while everyone was asleep, Victoria was wandering around the west wing, looking for the projector the art club borrowed.
When she pushed open a door, she froze.
Inside, Lucas sat in front of four monitors, lines of code flashing across his screens.
Company seals, data logs, private servers—it was all there.
Victoria blinked, then tilted her head.
"So this is what you do after class, huh? Hacking your way into people's nightmares?"
Lucas turned slowly, clearly not expecting company.
"You saw nothing."
"Oh, I saw everything," she said with a little smirk, leaning against the doorframe.
"Relax, hacker boy. I'm not going to tell. But from now on…" She grinned wider.
"You're not going anywhere without me, I'm joining."
Lucas stared at her, deadpan.
"You're insane."
"Thanks," Victoria said sweetly.
"Now scoot over.
I wanna see who's next on your little justice list."
And just like that, one more thread quietly tied itself into the game—
one that even Andrea didn't know had started.