Chapter 9
Alice peeled her eyes open as she stared up at the plastered ceiling.
What had happened yesterday?
How could she even face him this morning? Her core ached as she thought about the events before. His lips ok her neck as they moved down going to her...
She tried to move away when she noticed a steely arm wrapped around her waist.
"Stay still," a deep voice said behind her.
"I... I um, need to use the bathroom," she stammered, trying to twist herself away from him.
"No, you don't. You're just trying to get away from me."
"Well…"
"Well nothing. Now stay with me and sleep."
"I have lectures. I need to prepare for school."
"I could just buy your degree for you. You don't have to go to school anymore. You'll graduate with distinction and a happier mind," he said, snuggling into her.
"What?" she asked, turning toward him. Surely, he was joking.
"Yes. You wouldn't have to go to school ever again."
Alice looked at him, dumbfounded. "Tell me you're joking."
"Why would I be joking? Just tell me what you want done, and I'll do it immediately."
"I... um... actually have to pee," Alice said, bolting to the bathroom.
She took a deep breath, splashed water on her face, and finally looked into the mirror.
"What the hell?" she said out loud.
Her neck and chest were full of hickeys.
How was she supposed to go to school looking like she'd been attacked by Edward Cullen?
She stormed out of the bathroom, heading straight for the culprit. He was already in his wheelchair, looking at some files.
"Look at what you did!" she said angrily.
"What?" he replied, feigning innocence.
"This," she said, gesturing to the hickeys. "This is bad. How am I supposed to go to lectures looking like this? It's too hot to wear turtlenecks!"
"I don't see the problem. I was just marking my territory," he said, completely unbothered.
"This is not how you do it! How am I going to go out in public like this?" she said, covering her neck.
He blinked at her, still not seeing an issue. She stared at him for a moment longer before storming back into the bathroom.
The rest of the morning went smoothly. He drove her to school and dropped her off, taking his goodbye kiss.
Everyone on campus looked at her condescendingly, muttering words like "killer" and other vicious names — but it was nothing she hadn't already faced.
She held her head high and walked to class. As she entered, a serene silence settled across the room.
"There she goes. I heard this isn't the first time she's tried to hurt her sister. Jealousy really changes people," a voice muttered as she passed.
Class began, but the stares and whispers never stopped.
"Please, Alice Wills. You're being called," the lecturer announced.
She walked to the boardroom and saw Octavia with her arm in a cast and their stepmother already present.
"There she is! Why would you do this?" Alice's stepmother shouted, slamming her hand on the table.
"Mom, it's fine," Octavia said softly, looking every inch the victim.
"We asked everyone to bring their guardians. Miss Alice?"
"I wasn't informed. My guardian—"
"And now she's about to tell another lie. She needs to be severely punished," her stepmother snapped.
"Her guardian is right here," a deep voice interrupted as Travis wheeled himself in.
"You're not her guardian," Octavia's mother said, glaring sharply at him.
"Yes, I am. We're legally married, which makes me her legal guardian. Shall we begin?"
"My daughter was pushed by this sulky wench. Her arm was broken, and no apology was given. She left my poor baby on the floor and walked away."
"Octavia?" the disciplinary head asked.
"I know my sister didn't mean to push me that hard. She must have been showing me something."
"She pushed you! She's so jealous she's planning to kill you, even on school premises! What did my daughter ever do to offend her?" Octavia's mother sobbed dramatically, dabbing nonexistent tears.
"I didn't push her," Alice said, looking at Octavia wordlessly.
"People saw you. You pushed her."
"I just want to say, falsely accusing someone is a serious crime, and you can be arrested for it," Travis said, his gaze fixed on Octavia and her mother.
"What are you talking about? She pushed my daughter, broke her arm, and there were eyewitnesses! If my daughter is at fault, I'll bow to you seventeen times!"
"I'm sure this campus has security cameras. Check the feed."
Octavia visibly froze.
Was she in a blind spot? She began thinking hard, recalling the location.
"Yes," someone confirmed.
They reviewed the footage. It clearly showed the confrontation between Octavia and Alice. Octavia had dragged Alice's hair, and Alice had only pushed her in self-defense.
Octavia's mother watched in silence as her daughter turned pale.
The boardroom sat still as all eyes turned toward Octavia.
"So, in the video, it's clear Octavia provoked Alice. I didn't even push her hard enough to make her fall," Travis said, crossing his legs with a smirk. "So, what's the verdict?"
"Well, Miss Octavia is clearly in the wrong and has caused damage to Miss Alice's reputation. She must apologize."
"An apology? Is that all? My reputation was deeply hurt by my sister's words. People laughed as I passed. I felt like a mockery." She paused, pulling a handkerchief from her bag. "For days, my mental health was in a state of disarray."
"Alice, I—"
"What do you want to be done then?" the head asked.
"I want a public apology. And I want the footage released to prove I wasn't the one who pushed her."
"I can't do that," Octavia said, panicked.
"Why not? You don't want the truth out anymore? You only like it when it benefits you?"
"I'm sorry," Octavia said through gritted teeth.
"I want a public apology," Alice repeated. "And one more thing."
"What could that be?"
"Kowtow."