Chapter 007

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 violence with Rex," Dean stuttered, each word hesitant yet sharp in the heavy air.

"We heard that you fought him over a lady, Camila Jennings," Dean Walker continued, peeling back the layers of the conflict.

Leander nodded in admission and began to explain, “Yes... I – I do, Dean. He provoked me by tearing my textbook into shreds, even after hurling insults at me just because I was poor or from a lower class. Why should they discriminate?”

The Dean's skeptical eyebrows rose. "Picture this: his crush or whatever and you in a duel of affluent. You don't have to risk it,”

“But remember, there are ladies more splendid than Camila. We work like bluetooth devices; we connect and disconnect at will," she remarked, a hint of disapproval in her tone.

“Eh, I never fought him because of Camila, I fought him because of my textbook,” Leander argued sternly, his words trailing with authority.

"Leander, that's not an excuse," Dean Walker said firmly, her tone unwavering. "No matter what Rex does, whether right or wrong, you just overlook it. There are kind students who can still help you. Despite your exceptional academic feats at the university, which have been truly remarkable, you've already damaged that reputation," she continued, her words choked with emotion.

Leander's lips tightened with frustration. With a determined tone, he taunted, "I won't give a damn; Camila and Rex will both pay for their insults.”

Dean Walker sighed softly before offering her opinion. "The reality is, he's a , Leander. You can't just defend yourself against him when you don't even come close to his status. His family are the richest in the entire country," she explained, her tone sympathetic yet resigned.

"Um, my apologies to the school management, but defending my honor is non-negotiable," Leander asserted, his expression twisted in anger.

"I'm sorry, Leander, but apologies won't work now," the Dean said, her voice tinged with regret. "His family is serious about revenge for your disrespect; they're insisting on your expulsion or you face judgment in court," she continued, her sympathetic gaze meeting Leander's as she hesitated slightly.

"Goddamnit!!" Leander cursed under his breath, his eyes flashing in anguish. His heart sank like a stone in his chest at the mention of expulsion. The word echoed within him, sending a painful shiver down his spine.

With a sense of urgency, Leander chimed in, "But Dean, please, there has to be a solution. I can't face this expulsion just like that,”

Leander questioned the value of his year-long effort to pay for school. Is it possible for a single altercation to undo everything? Memories of his hardship flooded his mind, and tears flowed freely. He found solace in his bank account, a lifeline if expelled. But what if it is frozen by the police due to the fraud allegation?

Dean Walker sighed deeply, her expression softening as she addressed Leander. "I'll do my best to help, but you must understand, my hands are tied in this situation. It's what they've insisted on. The family wields significant power, they rule the entire empires and have influence." she explained.

“So that's all I have to say,” she concluded.

Leander's response was a simple nod, grappling with the harsh reality of expulsion, weighed down by dismay and anxiety.

Just as he wanted to exit the Dean’s office, something caught his eye - the Dean reaching for a pristine envelope on her desk.

Reluctantly, she motioned for him to return, passing over the envelope. "I am sorry about this, Leander," she stated, her tone filled with empathy. Leander received it, his posture reflecting the burden he carried.

"The decision had been made,"

His hands trembled slightly as he ran his fingers over the raised university seal.

Filled with both dismay and anger, he cautiously broke the seal and read the letter, each word echoing within him like a drum.

Leander felt the force of the letter’s strong words like a sledgehammer. His eyes struggled to focus as tears threatened to spill.

"I now understand, Dean," he said quietly before he turned, exiting the office.

With each step, Leander's presence echoed through the silent university vicinity, marking his final journey within its well-known premises.

Regret and bitterness clung to him like a heavy cloak, refusing to be cast aside as he turned to his hostel.

Approaching Benjamin, Leander sighed heavily. Concerned, Benjamin turned to him and asked, "Hey dude, what's wrong?"

Leander's eyes sparkled with embarrassment. With a mischievous grin, he took a sharp breath before confessing, "I got kicked out of school.”

"Kicked... what?" Benjamin stuttered, his eyes widening with surprise as he lurched back. Suspecting a trick, he grew frustrated and doubtful. "Are you serious?”

Leander shook his head, "I'm joking; it's for real—"

Benjamin's eyes widened in surprise, his brow furrowed, unsure of what to make of the situation. With curiosity, he answered, "If you're tricking me, I won't be happy!...."

Leander halted Benjamin’s progress in his words by passing him the expulsion letter retrieved from his pocket.

Benjamin, with wide eyes, quickly took the letter and unfolded it. Reading the initial sentence, comprehension dawned on him, his eyebrows shooting up in shock.

"Why did they do this?" he inquired. Leander, saddened, revealed, "It was the Rex's family who did it."

With wonder in his eyes, Benjamin asked eagerly in one breath, "So what's your plan?"

Leander leaned forward, a mischievous glint in his eye as he spoke confidently, "There’s no way I can make this up. I've got two choices - either I drop out or make the university withdraw their decision and make it up to me."

Benjamin, looking confused, blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "I would say it's partly your fault too.

“But after three whole years of studying. I think that's not fair!”