Chapter 73

Elissa froze for a moment, her fingers starting to shake. What was happening? Wasn't Arabella supposed to be dead?

Kenny leaned over to glance at her phone, then handed her his own. They had received the same message at the exact same time.

"You don't think... Arabella's still alive?" Kenny asked, a cold chilI creeping up his spine, like someone was watching them from the dark.

"No chance," Elissa responded firmly. "Didn't you see? It was timed perfectly. Someone must've scheduled it!"

"You really think so?" Kenny muttered under his breath.

Elissa seemed sure, until another alert popped

up on her phone. "Live Broadcast Preview-Confessions of Griridge University Bullies. See you tomorrow at 11AM."

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Her heart jumped. She opened the stream and saw nothing but a black screen with one line."DM me if you want the inside scoop tomorrow."

The viewer count was climbing fast, and the comments were going wild.

"What even is this?"

"No clue."

"Griridge University bullies? Isn't that the top school around? They have that kind of stuff going on?"

"Probably someone who got bullied made this.I'm on their side!"

"Bullies are the worst. I hope they all get exposed."

"Wait... I think I know this story. Didn't the bully leave the school already?"

"Tell us!"

"Nah, can't say it here."

"I'm definitely tuning in tomorrow."

"Just saved the stream. I'm ready."

Elissa could barely breathe. Panic was closing in on her.

Kenny read the comments, then turned to Elissa with worry. "Are you sure Arabella's gone?"

"She's not alive," she said sharply, regaining her composure. "This has to be Daisy. She's probably trying to play hero. But it doesn't matter. As long as we don't show up, there's

nothing she can pin on us."

But Kenny wasn't so sure. "I'll call Joyce and see if she got the same message."

He quickly called her. Joyce said she got the message too, but her tone was surprisingly relaxed. "You're awfully relaxed about this," he said,confused.

"Let's be honest," she replied coolly. "We don't really have a choice. We have to show up."

"That doesn't sound like something you'd say,"Kenny replied. "You have something planned,don't you?"

Joyce chuckled. "You got me. Look, if we skip it,everything still gets leaked, and we're finished.But if we show up and apologize, maybe we can fix things, at least a little."

Kenny narrowed his eyes. "You think that'll actually work?"

Joyce's voice was more confident now. "We'll show up and pretend to play along, but then pull out at the last second. There's no solid proof.We'll get a few classmates on our side. Let's be real-who do you think people will believe? Us,or Arabella?"

The idea made both of their eyes light up with excitement.

Elissa nodded approvingly. "Not bad. So,everything's set?"

"Leave it to me," Joyce assured her. "You're still recovering, so I'll take care of the rest. Kenzie and the others are on our side-they'll speak up for us when the time comes. Skipping the stream would be the worst idea. At least this way,we can defend ourselves."

"You're smarter than usual," Elissa said with a faint smile.

Joyce's smile widened. "We've got to be smart about this. If we're not, even our fathers' firms could get dragged into the mess."

Elissa's smile turned cold. "Let's see how Daisy handles the backlash. Tomorrow, everything she's done will come back to bite her."

Back at the Gracebourne villa, Arabella was in the kitchen when Daisy walked in with a phone in hand. "Bella, someone from the university is calling.Should I answer?"

Arabella wiped her hands and took the phone."I'll talk to them."

She answered, and the voice on the line quickly said, "Miss Stanley, we saw the live stream preview. We sincerely apologize for what happened-we weren't aware of your situation.But please understand, this was all Elissa's personal doing. Griridge University values its reputation, and this is the first time something

like this has occurred. The online reaction is intense. Would you consider removing the school's name from the stream?"

Arabella's tone turned cold. "Even if I remove it,people will stillfind out Elissa was from Griridge.It won't make a difference."

The caller hesitated before adding, "As a gesture of goodwill, we're prepared to offer $500, 000. Would that be acceptable if you agree to leave the university out of it?"

Arabella didn't answer right away.

She knew the school wasn't entirely to blame,but they weren't innocent either.

Daisy had been bullied for so long, and no one stepped in, not a single teacher tried to help.

Just then, a deep voice cut through the moment."Let me take it."

Asher had entered the room without them noticing. Arabella handed him the phone.

He brought it to his ear, his voice cold and unyielding. "Who taught you to brush off responsibility like this?"

There was a pause on the other end, followed by a nervous voice. "Mr... Mr. Gordon?"