The morning sun sliced through the tall windows of the Grey Villa, casting pale light across the elegant dining room. The air was thick with tension. Tiana sat at the edge of the marble table, arms folded, her expression blank but her eyes tired and red.
Mrs. Grey stood near the counter, still in her silk robe, her voice sharp and trembling.
"Tiana, do you have any idea what you've done to this family's name?"
Tiana didn't respond immediately. She was used to her mother's voice cutting through the air like a whip, but this morning, it hurt differently.
"Suspended for indecency?" Mrs. Grey continued. "I raised you better than this. People are talking — our neighbors, our friends, even your father's business associates. Is this how you want to repay everything we've done for you?"
Tiana slammed her fork on the table. "I didn't do anything, Mum! I was framed!"
Mrs. Grey turned sharply. "Framed? Oh please, Tiana, that's what everyone says when they get caught. The school's board doesn't expel students over gossip!"
Tiana stood, trembling. "You never listen! You're always worried about your image, not me! You didn't even ask what happened!"
Mrs. Grey's voice softened slightly. "Then tell me, Tiana. Tell me the truth."
Tiana's lips parted, but no words came. What could she say? That a fake video ruined her life? That someone she thought was a friend stabbed her in the back? Her throat tightened, and she blinked away tears.
"I'm done talking," she whispered and stormed out of the villa.
The wind outside was cool and biting as she walked aimlessly through the quiet streets of London. Her phone buzzed — Calvin. She hesitated before answering.
"Hey," his voice came through, low and weary. "You okay?"
"No," she said honestly.
"Meet me. London Park, the bench by the fountain."
Tiana arrived twenty minutes later. Calvin was already there, hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets, his jaw still bruised from Dave's punch. He looked up as she approached.
"Rough morning?" he asked.
"You could say that," she replied with a dry laugh. "My mum thinks I'm a disgrace. Feels nice to know I'm ruining the family legacy."
Calvin offered a faint smile. "Join the club. My mum threatened to send me to military school in Scotland."
They both chuckled weakly, finding a sliver of comfort in the absurdity of it all. Then silence fell — heavy, uneasy.
"I've been thinking," Calvin said, leaning forward. "About the video. Something's off. The timing, the angle — it doesn't make sense. Sophie said she sent it by mistake, right?"
Tiana nodded. "Yeah. But she claimed she only sent it to Chloe. Then suddenly, it's everywhere."
"Exactly," Calvin said. "I don't think Sophie leaked it. Someone else used it. We need to find out who."
Tiana frowned. "And how do we even start?"
Calvin smirked faintly. "I might know someone. A private investigator. My mum used him once when she thought my dad was cheating."
Tiana raised a brow. "That's… surprisingly useful."
"Come on," he said, standing. "Let's go find some answers."
They arrived at a modest brick building on the outskirts of the city — Harrington & Co. Private Investigations. Inside, the air smelled faintly of old leather and coffee. Papers were stacked in messy piles across the desk, and a tall man in a grey suit sat behind them, typing slowly.
He looked up, adjusting his glasses. "How can I help you two?"
Calvin stepped forward. "We need help proving that a video was tampered with — a school scandal."
The man studied them carefully. "Teen drama, huh?" He smirked faintly. "Well, I don't usually take high school cases, but…" He paused when he looked at Tiana. "Wait — Tiana Grey?"
Tiana blinked. "You know me?"
He gave a short, warm laugh. "I should. I used to work for your father — Mr. Grey."
Calvin shot her a quick look. Tiana straightened her posture, suddenly intrigued.
"My father never mentioned you."
"He probably wouldn't," the investigator said with a knowing smile. "I was the one who handled his… less public matters."
Tiana hesitated. "You mean his affairs?"
The man didn't answer — but his silence said enough.
Calvin cleared his throat. "Can you help us?"
The investigator nodded. "Send me the video. I'll run it through forensics and metadata tracing. If it's been doctored, I'll know."
Two days later, Calvin's phone buzzed. It was the investigator.
"Meet me at my office. I've got something."
When they arrived, the man pulled up several images and timelines on his computer screen.
"The video you showed me," he said, "was digitally altered. The timestamps were modified, and parts of two separate clips were merged together. Whoever did this knew what they were doing."
Tiana leaned forward. "Can you tell who?"
He nodded, clicking a few keys. A name popped up — Chloe Miller.
Calvin's jaw tightened. "Unbelievable."
Tiana froze, staring at the screen. "She was my friend."
The investigator leaned back. "Friends can be dangerous when jealousy gets involved. But there's something else — the footage originated from an IP address registered under a school network administrator. That means someone helped her."
Calvin frowned. "So it's bigger than we thought."
Tiana felt her heart race. The truth was finally surfacing, but somehow, it didn't bring peace — only more questions.
That night, Calvin and Tiana sat on a park bench again, under the dim orange glow of the streetlight.
"So… Chloe did it," Calvin said quietly.
"Yeah," Tiana whispered. "But why does it still feel like something's missing?"
Calvin nodded. "Because it doesn't add up. If Chloe faked the video, what was Sophie's role? She admitted to filming it."
Tiana sighed. "Maybe Sophie's hiding something too."
They sat in silence for a long moment, both lost in thought.
Then Calvin turned to her. "No matter what happens, we'll find the full truth. Together."
Tiana met his eyes — for the first time, really saw him. "Together," she echoed softly.
Across town, Chloe sat in her bedroom, scrolling through photos of her and Dave at a café. She smiled faintly, resting her chin on her hand.
"Soon," she murmured. "He'll forget all about her."
Her phone buzzed with a new message — from an unknown number.
Unknown: You shouldn't have messed with the Chloe. We know.
Her smile vanished.
The screen flickered for a moment, and then went black.
Chloe froze.