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Chapter 18
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18
As soon as Asher saw Daphne getting cornered, he stormed over, his voice cutting through the tension. "Elara, what the hell is your deal? Daphne was just trying to warn you because, believe it or not, she cares! She doesn't want to see you get yourself into something
you can't handle
Elara lifted her head, meeting his glare with a smirk. "Oh, so now you're the hero, huh? Too bad it was your girlfriend who came at me first. If you don't want to get caught in the middle, stay the fuck out of my way. And while we're at it, all those fancy presents you've been showering her with? Bought with my mone
"Without me, do you honestly think she'd even look at you twice? Don't tell me you're dumb enough to believe she's with your for your charming' personality, or your deadbeat dad's gambling debts?"
Daphne's face went white. The word "gambler" echoed in her head, the shock settling in.
'Asher's dad isn't just a driver-he is addicted to gambling? She felt a wave of unease. Is this what my future looks like with him? A never-ending string of problems?'
She shot a glance at Asher, noticing the dark expression on his face. Still, she pushed her doubts aside for the moment and turned to Elara, her voice sharp. "Do you really hate me that much? So much that you'd drag my friends into this just because of Asher? You think I stole him from you? Fine! If you want him that bad, you can have him back!"
"Daphne!" Asher jumped in, sounding desperate. "Don't say that. I don't even like her. His voice softened as he tried to reassure Daphne, but the whole scene only made Elara look like a bitter third wheel.
Elara couldn't help but laugh, the sound dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, please. Keep him. I don't take back garbage."
Asher was left speechless, struggling to find words.
But Elara wasn't done. She rolled her eyes and added, "And as for your bullshit about me bullying Lizzie Collins? Give me a break. Everyone knows she's been the one trying to mess with me. I've been more than fair. If she's tired of it, she can drop out anytime. No one's stopping her."
Elara had tried playing the "nice girl once-tried building a reputation as someone who didn't hurt people. And where had that gotten her? Nowhere but pushed around. She was done caring what people thought.
Asher sighed, shaking his head in frustration. Turning to Daphne, he said, "You know what? Let's just go. If she wants to act like this, it's not our problem. When something finally happens to Lizzie, she'll regret it. Come on."
He grabbed Daphne's hand, leading her away from Elara without another word.
Meanwhile, Lizzie, completely exhausted and struggling with her weight, collapsed after barely managing six miles. Asher and Daphne had to call an ambulance to rush her to the hospital.
Elara showed up at the hospital not long after. Asher, with a smirk of satisfaction, couldn't help but ask, "You happy now?" "Oh, I'm fucking thrilled, Elara shot back, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why wouldn't I be?" She pulled out her phone and made a call to the hospital director, arranging for the best doctors and telling them to send the bill to her.
Asher and Daphne had planned to make a big deal out of Lizzie fainting, but now they were just standing there, totally speechless.
Daphne sat beside Lizzie's bed, watching her slowly blink awake. She asked softly, "You okay?"
The second Lizzie saw Daphne, her eyes filled with tears. "Daphne... I feel so awful...
Daphne hugged her, gently patting her on the back. "You feeling any better?"
"No," Lizzie whimpered, fully embracing her role as the poor victim. "I feel like shit."
Meanwhile, Elara was off to the side, casually eating a yogurt like none of this was a big deal. "Doctors checked you out. You're perfectly fine, just rusty. Tomorrow at school, make sure you knock out those last six miles. Lizzie's eyes widened in shock. I've already passed out, and this psycho wants me to run six more miles? Is she kidding? she thought.
3.00 PM C
"Are you trying to kill me?" Lizzie gasped, her voice thick with indignation.
"Chill out. You won't die," Elara said with a lazy smile. "And if you do pass out again, don't worry. The hospital's right here."
Lizzie went pale, and Elara noticed. She raised an eyebrow, her tone soft but deadly serious. "What? Are you chickening out? Or are you thinking about quitting?"
"You're fucking insane!" Lizzie snapped, her anger rising.
Elara barely blinked. "I heard your parents work at Golden Fields Group..."
Lizzie's face twisted with shock. "You've been snooping on my family?"
"And what if I have?" Elara shot back, completely unbothered.
Lizzie clenched her fists, her jaw tight. "Fine. I'll run your damn six miles tomorrow."
"That's the spirit!" Elara said with a smirk. "I've already covered your medical bills. Just remember, until those miles are done, I don't care if you collapse again-Ill make sure the doctors bring you right back." With that, she strolled out of the room, cool as ever.
Asher watched her leave, frowning as he tried to process just how calm and ruthless s she
was.
After Lizzie got out of the hospital, Daphne and Asher drove her home.
Meanwhile, Elara was busy with her own stuff. As soon as she got home, she snapped pictures of the receipts and the medical diagnosis, sending them straight to the class group chat
She'd dealt with enough of these petty "set-up stunts and wasn't about to give anyone a chance to point fingers. Only after tying up these loose ends did she finally relax on her bed.
The next morning, Lizzie dutifully ran the six miles.
This whole fiasco had taught her a hard lesson. Now, she kept a much lower profile around Flara, no longer daring to act all high and mighty. Even if she was pissed off, she'd just grumble under her breath and never say a word to Elara's for
The rest of the classmates caught on pretty quick, too. They'd all seen what happened when one got on Elara's bad side. Plus, with Elara's loaded background, she could probably pay off their medical bills if they messed with her and ended up in the hospital Nobody dared call her a 'simp" or mock her for her academic struggles anymore. But that didn't stop the rumor mill from churning.
Whispers started flying that she was some old guy's sugar baby, and soon enough, gossip and pictures of her started popping up on the school forum
By the time Elara noticed, the posts were already swamped with comments. No one had the balls to confront her in person, but hiding behind a screen was where people felt brave enough to run their mouths.
On Monday afternoon, as Elara walked out of the school gates, she noticed two guys waiting outside. Their uniforms gave them away as students from Oakridge High School.
One of them was Lysander who was basically always seen wearing that Oakridge uniform.
Girls passing by whispered in awe, "He's so damn hot!"
"That's Crispin Kennedy, Oakridge's star athlete, another girl added, starry-eyed.
Elara, who used to be laser-focused on Asher, hardly paid attention to other guys. She vaguely remembered hearing Crispin's name, but his face was a rotal blur. 3:00 PM ď ď
She glanced at him now, noting his tall, athletic build. But when it came to looks, Lysander definitely had the upper hand.
A flicker of regret crossed her mind as she remembered turning down Lysander in her previous life.
Seeing him now, looking even more drop-dead gorgeous, she couldn't help but feel like she'd been a little too hasty back then. He was seriously in a league of his own.
Just as she was about to head to the car where her driver was already waiting, Crispin stepped in her way, blocking her path. His fresh buzz cut gave him a sharp look, and he checked her out with blatant curiosity. "You're Elara Kensington, right?" he asked, his tone half-challenging, half-amused.
Elara raised an eyebrow, keeping her cool. "Who the hell is this?" She was sure she didn't know this guy.
A cocky smirk tugged at Crispin's lips. "You're that high school girl everyone's saying is some rich dude's sugar baby, right? Your story's all over our forum."