Sharon seemed to suddenly snap back to reality. "Lucian, what do you mean? What do you mean 'they said she killed herself'? Didn't your class valedictorian's jump because of academic pressure?" Lucian stayed silent, but his pale face revealed everything. Sharon stepped forward and gripped his hand. Her voice was shaking. "What's really going on? You know something, don't you? Lucian, don't scare me." Lucian looked up with red eyes. "Mom, should I go to the police? I keep dreaming about Shirley. She asks why I won't speak up about what I saw. But what good would it do? The online posts will disappear quickly. Mom, what should I do?" He had considered going to the police, but he was terrified of retaliation from that group. Though he had tried submitting anonymous tips, the investigators visiting their school did not care about his evidence. One of the investigators was even Tiffany's uncle! The Karken family was too powerful. He would be finished too if he crossed them. That d
The one silver lining was that everyone in the videos was blurred. Aside from those who knew them, most netizens could not identify the bullies. "Seems like whoever released these videos probably wants money, or they wouldn't have left us this opening." Irritated, Orson switched off his phone. "Since we're all here, let's ask the kids who they've offended that would orchestrate something like this." Radley's father, Ivor Daley, had his secretary wait outside. "Before anything else—has no one reached Ms. Wharton? Is she not around either? As the principal, she would be the most logical person to handle school matters." "We still can't reach her." Orson stood up. "Are all the kids here? Let's get them to the airport." Krissa still did not want to leave, but she had no choice. Radley seemed unbothered. "Dad, Grandpa said he'd cover for me as long as I don't go too far. Why are you so worried about these videos? Just buy them off." "Shut up!" Ivor knew Radley's issues. The othe
Each perpetrator was labeled with their full identity."Tiffany Karken, granddaughter of Gordon Karken and daughter of Principal Julia Wharton.""Krissa Meyer, granddaughter of Harvey Meyer and daughter of Orson Meyer.""Radley Daley, grandson of Gerald Daley and son of Ivor Daley." Instantly, every adult in the villa went pale. All their careful planning was wasted. "Didn't you say they wanted money? What is this?" Ivor exploded in rage. Orson stood frozen, drained of color. Krissa's actions had sparked the most outrage, so netizens were desperate to expose the Meyers. The comments flooding his department's official accounts now were overwhelming. His phone would not stop ringing. It was as if someone had detonated a bomb. And after this bombshell, no one would escape unscathed. Orson shouted, "What a coward! Why won't they face us directly? It's Draco! It must be that fool who never knows his place!" Unknown to others, Orson and Draco were actually former war buddies.
Since Shirley died at school, the administration should bear primary responsibility. They could throw Julia under the bus to appease public anger, and then the rest of their families could be saved. This was a tried and true method. Having found their scapegoat, Ivor and Orson exchanged glances. A daughter-in-law was certainly not as important as the Karken family's survival, so Gordon would agree to their plan. There were two others in addition to the Daley and Meyer families. Both were involved in the business industry, so they would naturally follow Ivor's lead. "But no one from my side can reach Gordon still." Orson had tried calling repeatedly but with no response. Ivor found it strange, but a call came from home just then. It was Gerald's longtime driver. "Mr. Daley, Mr. Daley Senior told you to calm public sentiment first. He's called the internet department. None of you should respond; everything's under control. "After that, find the girl's parents. This can all be r
Julia, who should have been the scapegoat, had already been arrested. It was even recorded on video right in the police car. The footage was clear. Julia seemed agitated and had lost all her composure as a principal. She screamed and demanded to be released, even shouting, "Do you have any idea what you'll face from arresting someone at school? Does Mr. Meyer know about this?" She had not just dug her own grave—she had thrown Orson under the bus with her. Orson dropped all pretense. "That idiot! Who's behind this investigation? Mr. Daley, you can see it in this video, don't you? Whoever's gunning for us has to be an insider! "Don't you recognize that vehicle too? Your family's got deep connections in the police force. So, who would dare move against us without even giving you a heads-up? "Fine, maybe you were kept in the dark. But does Mr. Daley Senior not know anything about this too?" Orson's suspicions made sense. This was such a big operation with Julia already in custody
Gerald pretended to sound righteous as he asked those questions. Aria deflected effortlessly, "Public confidence is built on fairness. You're the ones making parents afraid to send their kids to school. "You're living off taxpayers' money, yet you're acting without basic humanity. Let me remind you, Mr. Daley Senior, your grandson Radley is one of the bullies." "Yes, he should be lectured for bullying classmates." Gerald narrowed his eyes. "The Daley family shows no favoritism, and there are proper procedures for handling this. Who'll take responsibility for the chaos you've caused by exposing our identities?" Aria's voice was light. "Exposing your identities? Mr. Daley Senior, do you have proof? I've been at the school, so how could I expose your identities?" "You just admitted to releasing the videos!" Even the experienced Gerald was irritated by her audacity. "Oh, that." Aria said carelessly, "Yes, I released the initial videos. However, the well-meaning online community
"A student like this wouldn't bully others. They probably just didn't get along. They're all minors, so we shouldn't judge kids so harshly. Let's hear their side of the story." "Exactly! I can't believe this young man would bully anyone. Look how patient he is with kittens! He's handsome and could easily study abroad, but he chose to stay and help develop our city. I'm literally crying!" "There must be some misunderstanding. This witch hunt feels too much. Since Radley's a top student, we need to investigate more. A bullying label can ruin a good student's life. Let's not destroy a kid's future." "Maybe ask yourself why out of the whole school, only your kid got bullied." "It's better to build mental toughness than blame the environment. No one can prevent suicide." "Right? I heard she lived a questionable lifestyle as she probably needed money... A young man of Radley's status wouldn't associate with people like her." "From those videos, he seemed to have solid values! I d
However, the airport ground personnel stopped Radley and Krissa in the next second."Are you Radley Daley and Krissa Meyer? You have been placed under travel restrictions."Radley refused to believe it. "No way. Here's my passport!"He wasn't a citizen of Farshya, so they didn't have the right to restrict his travel."That's right. Please come with us, " the ground personnel signaled to the person next to him.This was the first time Radley encountered such a situation despite numerous trips abroad. The reporters were inching in, and the camera lights were still on. Nobody seemed to be maintaining order either.Radley started to get impatient. Although he was underage and not really tall, the way he spoke didn't seem like an immature child at all. He shouted, "I have a passport that proves I'm an official citizen of Athara. You have no right to restrict my freedom! Get out of the way! I need to board soon!""Mr. Daley." Felix wanted to stop Radley, but he was holding onto too