Chapter 2
Chapter 2
After posting the video, I quickly threw on some clothes and headed downstairs.
A crowd had already gathered around Willow-some checking her injuries, others calling an ambulance, and a few asking what had happened and why she’d
fallen from upstairs.
These people must have rushed down the moment they heard the commotion, so they probably hadn’t seen the video I’d posted in the group chat yet.
As I pushed through the crowd, I caught Willow coming to her senses, ready to start spinning her web of lies.
Blood was seeping through her pants, and beads of sweat dotted her forehead from the pain.
Her face was ghost-white, and when our eyes met, she raised a trembling finger to point at me..
“It… it was her. She pushed me out of our dorm.”
“Her family’s loaded. She just bought a Chanel bag yesterday and told me that poor students like me don’t deserve to live in the same dorm as her, don’t deserve to breathe the same air as her. She… she even told me to go die!”
“I worked so hard to get into college. I just wanted to graduate and find a good job so my parents could finally catch a break after struggling their whole lives. I… I don’t want to die. Please, someone help me, save me!”
“Please, I’m begging you!”
Willow’s tearful performance had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand.
Within seconds, a tsunami of abuse crashed down on me.
“I know you-Aria Sinclair, right? Daughter of Sinclair Industries. What, think money makes you untouchable? Think you can do whatever the hell you want?”
“This isn’t the fucking Dark Ages! Miss Sinclair, there are plenty of rich people out there, but you’re the most arrogant, most disgusting one I’ve ever seen!”
“Looking down on regular people? Your dad’s company sells products that regular people buy! Figure out who’s putting food on your table, you piece of shit!”
“Kick this bully out of our school! We can’t have this kind of trash here!”
Watching my classmates work themselves into a righteous fury over Willow made my skin crawl.
This was exactly how it had played out in my past life-Nearly every student in school had banded together to boycott my family’s company, posting videos everywhere. They’d pinned all sorts of baseless accusations on my dad.
During the investigation, our company’s stock had tanked, and everyone was too busy dealing with the crisis to pay attention to the bullying and harassment I was facing at school.
With that, I quickly raised my phone, desperate to show everyone the video I’d posted in the group chat.
Willow’s fall had nothing to do with me-she’d jumped on her own!
But before I could get a word out, someone’s hand cracked across my face, sending me sprawling to the ground.
I looked up to see Jaxon Rivers staring down at me with bloodshot eyes, his face twisted with disgust.
“Aria Sinclair, watching you abuse your power makes me sick to my stomach!”
“Give it up. I could never love someone like you, not in this lifetime or any other.”
With that, Jaxon turned and pulled the injured Willow into his arms, his voice shaking with emotion.
“Willow… are you okay? God, this is all my fault. I should have been here sooner. Don’t worry-I swear I’ll never let Aria hurt you again.”
