In the preparatory wing of Jadeborough University, the air was thick with a restless energy. The first period was advanced mathematics—a subject Donovan Baxter usually approached with a punctuality that bordered on the obsessive. But today, the podium remained empty.
The silence was shattered when a student in the back row gasped, his eyes glued to his phone. “Check the internal forum. There’s a thread regarding Professor Baxter... and it’s spreading fast.”
Wendy paused, her hand on a stack of research papers. Puzzled, she opened the university’s portal. At the top of the feed, a post from an anonymous account had already garnered hundreds of comments: EXCLUSIVE: The Unseen Side of Professor Baxter.
Attached was a grainy, low-light video. It showed a tall, slender figure being supported by Donovan as they entered a hotel corridor in the early hours of the morning. From that specific, blurred angle, the person’s silhouette bore a striking resemblance to Arielle Moore.
The classroom instantly descended into a fervor of speculation.
“No wonder the Professor is missing today,” Henry remarked with a mocking laugh, leaning back in his chair. “The timestamp says 4:00 AM. It seems he chose a very unconventional venue for a late-night study session.”
While the room filled with a mixture of crude jokes and shocked whispers, Wendy’s gaze drifted toward Arielle’s seat. It was empty. A complex surge of emotions tightened in her chest. If Vinson Nightshire were to see this, the fallout for Arielle would be absolute. But beneath that satisfaction, a sliver of resentment remained—how did Arielle always manage to find herself at the center of attention for the most influential men?
The bell rang, signaling the end of a class that had never truly begun.
As Wendy exited the faculty restroom, she overheard a hushed, frantic exchange near the lockers between Trisha and Jared.
“I still can’t reach her,” Trisha said, her voice trembling. “Last night, after we left, it was only Arielle and Professor Baxter. What if that video is being taken out of context? What if something happened?”
Jared, however, remained characteristically unbothered. He waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t let the forum's noise get to you. There was another staff member with Donovan yesterday as well. Arielle probably skipped class to handle her own business. If we keep whispering about it, we’re just feeding the trolls who want to turn a misunderstanding into a scandal.”
Wendy’s expression remained neutral as she moved past them, but her mind was already several steps ahead. So, it was indeed Arielle. She knew how much Henrick Southall valued the family’s public standing. Even though Arielle was no longer under his roof, a scandal involving a university professor would be seen as a direct affront to his pride. If the fire were stoked correctly, the mess would become too large for anyone to clean up.
Feigning total ignorance of the morning’s events, Wendy returned to the classroom just long enough to gather her belongings. “I’ll be at the language center translating the curriculum for the Maxwell University exchange program,” she told the class representative. “Please let the next instructor know I’ve been excused for faculty work.”
The representative nodded, his attention already back on the forum post, which had now attracted the attention of the administration. Satisfied with the chaos unfolding behind her, Wendy hailed a cab. She wasn't heading to the language center—she was heading to the Southall residence to ensure the spark of this scandal found the right kind of fuel.