At approximately 7:30 a.m., Leander Hawthorne and Camila dashed into the library, textbooks in hand, their minds set on the looming final exams.Although attractive and brilliant, Leander faced financial struggles while his peers enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. Despite their efforts to reduce social inequality, their resentment served as a reminder of his low status. They engaged in various behaviors, from gloating and monopolizing resources to making his path to success more challenging. He was belittled for his part-time job, mocked for his second-hand clothes, and excluded from expensive social events because they believed he didn't deserve special treatment.In the absence of any festive arrangements, murmurs and whispers, accompanied by background music boomed. Irritated, Leander and Camila glanced up from their books to see what was happening."Camila, come over here!" They heard their friends' voices echoing as one. Additionally, Leander couldn't help but wonder if those students w

Back on campus in the evening, Leander experienced what he never wished for—he bumped into Camila. Tension surged as they locked gazes, memories of Leander’s humiliation flooding back.Enraged, Leander's voice quivered with hurt. "You cheat," he accused. "You dumped me all because of that brilliant fool, Rex. Imagine someone just waking up one day and telling you that he loves you; now you're falling for a playboy," he lamented, his words heavy with a mix of disbelief and unease.“Ergh, I can't fall for a bigger coward… a scum like you! Go to hell,” Camila exclaimed with a deep scowl. “Imagine, you even had the audacity to call an asshole,”Laughter erupted from nearby students as they eavesdropped on their conversation, finding Camila's insult to Leander amusing, simply mocking him.They whispered, "Is this poor soul here to win over Camila?" The murmurs from a set of students continued, "Camila is off-limits to you, got it? Don't let the catch you here, or you'll be treated like

This wasn't the second time Leander couldn't find Camila in the classroom. His concern surged because ever since she started spending time with Rex, she had been skipping important lectures, especially those on quantitative analysis, which she struggled with. Leander's pride was wounded as he remembered how he had consistently helped in preparing her for exams, which had impacted her grades.Curious, Leander approached Marcella, a friend of hers and asked, “Excuse me, I haven't seen Camila attending lectures since yesterday. What's going on?”Marcella gave Leander a deadly side-eye. Snarling in disgust, she spat out, a radiant smile dancing on her face, “Why do you ask, loser? Are you still claiming Camila as your girlfriend?”Leander quickly cut in, his words heavy with authority and confidence, “I don't want any insults about chasing after Rex’s crush or whatever. I just wanted to know her welfare.”“Alright, she's okay, but it's just personal emergencies,” Marcella replied in a rud

The sound of approaching footsteps disturbed Dean Walker’s office. As she sighted Leander through the glass windows, she quickly set aside the papers on her desk, a grave expression on her face.Leander entered hesitantly. "Hello ma, I was told to come here yesterday but I was at an open mic night and I felt it was too late.” He muttered with a relieved sigh.Her eyes roamed down the sequin on her dress and shook her head ruefully. Trying to decipher her worry, Leander came short of breath."Leander, do you understand the gravity of your actions?" She cleared her throat, her expression a mix of anxiety and disappointment.Leander frowned, stumbling over his words, "Sorry, I'm not following. Can you give more details about the actions I did wrong?" He struggled to make sense of recent events, his eyes showing concern and intrigue.After some reflection, Leander pieced it together and thought that the Dean was referring to the cyber fraud incident."Hmm... No, you... you involved in vio

Noticing the masked figures had moved a few inches away to talk in secret, Leander, pretending as if he was dying, gasped."Freaking jerk,” Covered in grime and blood, Leander muttered while lifting his head up. With a fierce resolve, he jumped onto his feet and stood firm and used a piece of bandanna to stop a major bleeding on his hand.As strides sounded, the masked figures turned back to see what was happening. Annoyed, one of them growled, "Who told you to rise? Do you want me to teach you a lesson again, loser?""Head down, men!" Meeting their stares, Leander stayed silent and in disdain. His cold stare expressed a great deal, while anger concealed his face, leaving them in shock and speechless as he defied expectations by his confidence.Amid heavy breaths, one of them approached to make a mockery of him. "Your confidence got you expelled, didn't it?" he sneered. Leander, confused, his brow furrowing. "I know those who instigated it so you don't have to talk about it." His vo