Chapter 28 __The Crack Within The Storm (1)
A sleek black car pulled up quietly in front of Migan City College's main gate.
Andrea stepped out, the wind brushing through his hair. He didn't move right away—just stood there for a moment, staring at the tall iron gates that loomed before him.
He inhaled deeply, the faint scent of city air and rain filling his lungs.
His thoughts fleetingly going to violet.
Then, slowly, he exhaled—his eyes dark and steady.
"Let's go," he said quietly.
Dannon followed behind him without a word.
The student who had earlier guided the Imperial High representatives was still nearby, standing by the gate. When he saw Andrea and Dannon approaching, he blinked in surprise.
"Excuse me," Andrea said calmly, "the way to the principal's office?"
The student hesitated for a second. Two high school students walking confidently into a university campus—without any guardians—was strange. But one glance at the sleek black car still parked by the gate was enough to make him swallow his questions.
"Please, this way," he said, leading them through the quiet corridor.
When they arrived, the waiting room was empty. No staff, no students. Even the teachers' office was silent.
The student frowned. "It seems no one's here. I'm not sure where they went…"
"Don't worry," Andrea said, taking a seat as though he owned the place. "We'll wait. You can go now. Thank you."
The student blinked, a little taken aback by the casual dismissal. What kind of stuck-up kid is this? he thought silently before turning to leave.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Andrea's gaze shifted toward Dannon.
"Call Joss," he said quietly. "Ask if he's done with what I told him to do."
Dannon nodded, making the call.
A moment later, he relayed the response. "Boss, he says not yet."
Andrea's tone didn't change. "I don't care why. Tell him once he's finished whatever he's doing, he's to head straight to the Spears residence to receive his punishment."
Dannon passed on the message. "Yes, sir," came Joss's voice from the other end.
The call ended, and silence filled the room once again.
Andrea leaned back slightly in his seat, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular—eyes dark, thoughts unreadable.
The air around him grew still.
Tense.
Like even the walls of Migan City College were holding their breath.
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Meanwhile, inside the CCTV room, the atmosphere was tense.
The principal of Migan City College, Principal Rowan, Imperial High's principal Aiden Hart, Miss Irena, Violet, Jeff, and Emery were all present.
A security man stood in front of the monitors, slightly bent as he worked the computer.
"Here, sir," the security man said respectfully. "These are the hallway footages from four days ago, around 8:30 in the morning."
The footage played.
But the hallway was empty.
No students.
No teachers.
No one.
Rowan frowned slightly and turned to Jeff.
"Are you sure you saw that girl around that time?"
"Yes, sir," Jeff replied immediately. "I'm sure. I was walking around then—that's when I saw her."
Aiden's eyes darkened.
"Then the CCTV must have been tampered with."
"But how could she enter the teachers' office and also destroy the hallway footage?" Rowan asked sharply, turning toward the security man. "Where were you at that time?"
The security man swallowed.
"Four days ago… around that time, a teacher came to ask for my help moving some things. I stepped out for a while. I'm sorry, sir."
Aiden's gaze sharpened instantly.
"A teacher asks for your help, and conveniently the footage disappears at the same time?" he said coldly. "That's too much of a coincidence."
Rowan nodded slowly before turning back to the security man.
"Do you remember which teacher it was?"
The security man shook his head helplessly.
"No, sir. I can't remember. I'm really sorry."
Rowan exhaled, then said calmly,
"It's fine. For now, show us the footage from the west gate. Look for these two students."
He pointed at Violet and Emery.
"Yes, sir," the security man replied, quickly typing.
While the footage loaded, Aiden leaned closer to Rowan and spoke in a low voice.
"So you're just going to trust him like that? What if he's an accomplice?"
Rowan didn't hesitate.
"I've known this man for over thirty years. Even when my father was the principal, he was already here. If there's anyone in this college I trust completely, it's him. More than myself, even."
Aiden studied Rowan for a second before nodding slightly.
"If you say so."
A few moments later, the security man suddenly straightened.
"Sir—I found them."
Everyone rushed toward the screen.
The footage played.
There it was.
Violet and Emery—at exactly 8:30 that morning—walking around the campus grounds, laughing, acting goofy, completely carefree.
Nowhere near the teachers' office.
Rowan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"So… it really wasn't Violet after all."
"I told you, sir," Miss Irena said, smiling in relief.
Emery turned immediately and hugged Violet tightly.
"I knew it! I knew it wasn't you!"
Inside Violet's mind, Vira laughed loudly.
Host, you're safe. You're finally safe.
Warmth spread through Violet's chest, mixed with relief. For the first time since everything began, she felt her name slowly being cleared.
But Rowan's voice pulled everyone back to reality.
"Now that Violet is cleared," he said seriously, "we need to find the real culprit. How do we get this Julia girl involved when there's no solid proof yet?"
"That," Aiden replied calmly, "That is what we don't know."
Just then—
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Aiden's phone suddenly started ringing.
"Hold on," Aiden said, slipping his hand into his pocket before picking up the call.
"Hello, Mr. Ian. Why are you calling? I hope there's no problem."
"Hello, sir," Ian replied respectfully. "Sorry for disturbing you, but… there's a situation here. And I think you should know about it."
Aiden's expression sharpened.
"Go on. I'm listening."
"Well, sir," Ian continued, "Melissa Spears is with me right now. She came to confess something."
Aiden's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What did she confess?"
"She said the girl in the video—the one everyone thinks is Violet—isn't Violet at all. It's Julia Crescent. The clothes the girl was wearing… Melissa said she was the one who gave Violet's clothes to Julia."
The moment Aiden heard that, his posture straightened.
He immediately switched the phone to loudspeaker so everyone in the room could hear.
"What else did she say?" Aiden asked calmly, though the tension in his voice was unmistakable.
"She also said she has a recording," Ian replied. "A phone call—where Julia asked her to bring Violet's clothes. Her phone automatically records her calls."
A quiet shock spread through the room.
"Is that so…" Aiden murmured.
"Yes, sir."
Aiden didn't hesitate.
"Is Melissa there with you right now?"
"Yes, sir."
"Put her on the phone."
Ian did as he was told.
"Hello, sir," Melissa said softly the moment the phone was handed to her.
"Melissa," Aiden said, his voice calm but firm. "Why did you decide to confess? You know this could affect you once everything comes out."
"I know, sir," Melissa answered quietly.
"Then why?" Aiden asked gently.
There was a brief pause before Melissa spoke again, her voice trembling.
"Because… I felt guilty ever since I saw the video. She didn't do it, sir. And her life will be completely ruined over something she didn't do."
She swallowed hard.
"And if I keep quiet, it won't just hurt her—it'll damage the school's image too. I can't let that happen."
Her words came out in a rush, her heart pounding in fear.
Aiden's gaze softened slightly.
"You did well," he said quietly.
"Thank you, sir."
"No," Aiden replied, a faint warmth in his tone. "Thank you."
Melissa felt something warm spread through her chest at his words.
"You can give the phone back to Ian now," Aiden said.
Melissa handed the phone back.
"Ian," Aiden continued, his tone turning firm again, "keep Melissa with you. Don't let her out of your sight."
"Yes, sir," Ian replied.
"I'm on my way."
The call ended.
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After the call ended, Rowan turned to Aiden, curiosity clear in his eyes.
"So… why did you ask her that?" Rowan asked.
Aiden didn't answer immediately.
"I asked her that," he said calmly, "to see if she was worth keeping."
Rowan hummed softly, nodding once. "Mmm. I understand."
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Meanwhile, online—
Although Lucas had already cleared and shut down most of the news surrounding the video, the people Julia paid were relentless.
The moment one post disappeared, another popped up.
It got to a point where Lucas and Clay had to work together.
They stopped bothering with blocking accounts.
Lucas began tracing IP addresses.
Clay went directly to their homes—asking questions in ways that weren't exactly legal.
When Clay returned, he brought back only one answer.
None of them knew who truly hired them.
They all said the same thing:
a message, a payment, instructions.
Clay tried calling the number they were contacted with, but it didn't exist anymore.
A burner phone.
Clean. Untraceable.
All of them were contacted through burner phones.
A dead end.
Still—something positive came out of it.
Ever since Clay paid them a visit, not a single one of them dared to repost the news again.
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Meanwhile—
Victoria now Lucas sidekick,made sure to stick close to Lucas.
Yes—she was his apprentice now.
At least, in her own mind.
After much begging, of course.
How that happened… that's a story for another day.
But right now, her best friend was in trouble.
And she needed to help.
And what better way to help than to stick close to Lucas—
the man working for the boy who was crazy about her best friend?
So when Lucas told her to go left, she went left.
When he told her to go right, she went right.
She followed closely, quietly, seriously.
This was her way of helping.