[4]

"You should know that you'll be starting your punishment today."

Miya let out a low growl of frustration, but she couldn't fault the teacher for showing up at this late hour. By the end of the first hour, Miya was already behind. When she got to the second hour, Miya was asked to leave her class. Miya will start serving the punishment given to her by Victor Wyatt, who owns this university.

"My apologies." That was all Miya could say, moving along slowly. Don't ask her how bad she had to look to give a smile so that her best friend, who had been watching her, wouldn't worry too much. Once she was in front of the classroom door, Miya let out a frustrated sigh. "What's the best way to handle this?"

If it weren't for the message on her cell phone, Miya might have already decided to head home. Why was she always here? There wasn't anything for her to do, right?

Tessa sent her a message asking her to wait at a café not far from campus. Miya couldn't very well ignore her best friend's request. Not only had she not thanked her yet, but Miya also felt she had to talk to Tessa. Who else could she bounce ideas off and vent to but Tessa? There was no way she could wait for her father to get back, was there? Meanwhile, there hadn't been any word from the middle-aged man until this morning.

The sky was clear this afternoon, with a few clouds adorning the blue expanse, and the sun was not too intense. Miya should have welcomed this day with the usual enthusiasm. Unfortunately, her life has changed in some significant ways. Miya looked up and enjoyed the view of the clouds moving in the wind. "Please, God, be a little kind. Don't send any more trouble than this."

That was Miya's hope before she left the campus area again, heading for the place her best friend wanted. After all, she was in the mood for a cold, sweet drink. Miya decided that a nice, cold lemonade would be the perfect way to unwind after a long and stressful day.

She had no idea that someone was watching her from a distance with bright brown eyes. Precisely from the third floor, close to the room where the figure worked—the rectorate.

"You might have gone a bit overboard with the contract, Damian," he said on the phone, laughing. "That girl is scared."

On the other end, Damian let out a chuckle. "It's your job to make sure she's on board with the contract. I don't want to hear about failure."

"There are plenty of other girls I think you'd be better suited with than Miss Ashton."

"You'll never know what it's like to be at the point of contentment, enjoying those who are helpless under my control."

"You're a devil," said the man with the light brown beard with a laugh. "It's good that Hillarious is under my leadership, not its original owner, who always got his hands dirty with some pretty vile things."

"Are you looking for a dishonorable dismissal, Victor?" Damian asked in a cold tone.

Victor laughed again. "If I wasn't here, I'm sure you'd have a lot of run-ins with the law. There aren't any major players in the underworld focusing on education and the future of children in NorthDerm."

Damian was no longer speaking. The call had been disconnected. When the phone screen returned to its original display, Victor was still staring at it, looking surprised but soon he started laughing. "Someday, your ideas about humanity and virtue will come back to haunt you, Damian."

Victor watched as Miya's back grew smaller and disappeared, indicating that she'd moved away from the campus area. "Other than the debt and the baby, what else does Damian see in Miya Ashton?" He ran a hand over his chin. "Is she beautiful? Don't you think Renne Katlyn is a better fit?"

The name Victor mentions is an up-and-coming photomodel. Given his influence in the country, Damian Sawyer would have an easy time approaching such a woman.

"Afternoon, Mr. Victor," said one of the staff at the rectorate. She kept her distance because the man in front of her gave off a rather sinister vibe. Although Victor Wyatt often flashed a wide smile, which added to his good looks, almost everyone who worked with the man with the dark brown hair knew that his smile held a special meaning.

Victor turned his head and gave a little smile in response to the greeting. "What's up, Helen?"

"There's someone here to see you. I've heard it's Miss Lodge's family and their lawyer."

 "Ah, have their come?" Victor smiled even wider. "Please show them to the meeting room on the first floor. And make sure you have some coffee and snacks ready for them, Helen."

"Yes, sir."

Then Victor walked away, leaving Hellen to her own devices. Victor's smile, which had been on his face, started to fade. His expression changed to one of cold disinterest. There was one thing he had to do: make sure the girl his boss wanted to fell into the trap. She'll be caught in the web of circumstances that has been set up around her, even if she doesn't realize it and doesn't want to get out.

"Poor Miya Ashton," Victor says, but there's no tone of sympathy. "Or maybe I can hope that Damian is no longer lonely?" The idea amused Victor. "Let's hope that's the case for now."

***

"You don't have to stress about missing lessons," Tessa said as she pulled out a thick book. "Your punishment is actually motivating me." Tessa Monroe had never taken such good notes or listened so carefully in class before, so she could explain things to Miya Ashton.

Miya couldn't help but giggle at Tessa's words. She didn't think her best friend could do something this crazy, and her notes were neat. For a student who only worked on assignments in the last few hours before they were submitted to the examining team.

"I'm not sure what to do for you, Tessa. You helped me so much."

Tessa smiled cheerfully. Then she gave Miya's hand a friendly rub. "Do you remember? We're good friends. It's important for friends to support each other. You need a lot of support right now, and who knows—maybe I'll need it in the future too."

"And you don't need to look for anyone to support you. Just have me on your team, Tessa."

They laughed together, agreeing on one thing: their friendship was pure and had no background.

"I heard Veronica brought her family lawyer to sue you, Miya," Tessa said, looking concerned.

"Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a bluff." Miya tried to stay calm. Even though part of her was skeptical, she knew how Veronica Lodge operated. On top of that, their fight earlier could be considered awful and embarrassing.

"But what if that happens?" Tessa asked again.

Before Miya could say anything, the person who had been wrestling with her in the corridor came into the cafe area. She walked with a look that seemed to say she was above it all. The look in his eyes makes it seem like he thinks Miya is some kind of germ that needs to be avoided. If necessary, remove from this world. "I never make threats, Miya Ashton."

"About what? Are you interested in dating someone like Rhett?" Miya looked at her colleague in defeat. "Go ahead. I'm not interested in men like that. Oh my! I didn't realize you had such a low standard for men." Miya let out a little laugh and went back to enjoying her drink. It was a nice change of pace.

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to cause trouble until you get a letter from my lawyer, Miya." Veronica let out an annoyed growl. "Just wait and see. You'll come to regret this!" She stomped off, still annoyed, looking mad.

Once Veronica had gone, Miya was able to relax a little. If Miya hadn't gone bankrupt, she wouldn't have been worried about any charges against her. But this time, when she couldn't defend herself, problems kept coming up.

"I'll run it by my father, Miya," Tessa said with confidence. "I'm sure my father can help you out."

"Oh, that's okay." Miya shook her head right away. "It's not that I'm turning you down, but this might be related to the bus."

Miya's phone rang, cutting off their conversation. Miya quickly reached into her bag to get her cell phone. Miya's brow furrowed in surprise. A number she didn't recognize appeared on the screen. "I'll take it." Miya hesitated, but just in case the call was important, she decided to pick up.

Maybe it's about his father? It might be, right?

"Hello," Miya said, her voice hinting at curiosity.

"Did I really talk to Miya Ashton?"

"Yes," Miya replied briefly.

"I'm the bailiff from the NorthDerm court. I just wanted to let you know that the Ashton family's assets are being auctioned off. Based on what I told you earlier, Mr. Michael Ashton still has about 200 million dollars left on his 900-million-dollar debt. All of it is now yours, Ms. Ashton."

"Huh?" Miya slammed her hand down on the table. "I mean, come on! I've never had that much money at my disposal!"

"That's what the will says about the money that Mr. Michael left."

It feels like... Miya's mind was blown by those words. It doesn't make sense.

"We'll keep you in the loop as things progress. Have a great day, Ms. Ashton."