Chapter 106 The New Rumor

Chapter 106 The New Rumor
Aleli’s POV

LIVING WITH Bea was nothing like living at the Ricafort mansion.
The apartment was small enough that I could hear the electric kettle boiling from the bedroom, and every corner seemed occupied by something that belonged to her.
But for some reason, it felt honest.
When I stepped out of the bedroom dressed in my school uniform, Bea didn't even look away from the three monitors glowing in front of her.
"Good morning," I greeted.
"Morning," she replied absently, her fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard. "Breakfast is on the counter. Microwave it if it's cold."
I smiled faintly. "Thanks."
She finally glanced at me over her shoulder. "And don't put your phone anywhere near this desk."
"I remember."
"Good."
Her attention returned to the monitors almost immediately. "I'm serious, Aleli. If you need to answer a call, do it in the living room."
"I know."
"It's not because I don't trust you,” she said. "It's because I don't trust other people."
That earned a small laugh from me. "I figured."
She looked strangely satisfied. "Good. You're learning."
A knock interrupted us.  Bea checked the time displayed on one of her monitors.
"Your chauffeur is here."
I rolled my eyes. "He's not my chauffeur."
"No?" She smirked. "He drives you to school every day."
"He's my boyfriend."
"Same difference."
Before I could answer, the apartment door opened. Kristoff stepped inside after Bea unlocked it remotely without leaving her chair.
His gaze found me immediately. "You ready?"
I nodded and picked up my bag. Bea stood and walked us to the door.
Before we left, she looked at Kristoff. "Take a different route today."
He frowned slightly. "We always do."
"I know." She folded her arms. "Keep doing it."
Neither of us questioned her.
Ever since she admitted someone had gotten into one of her private servers, Kristoff had stopped treating any of Bea's warnings as unnecessary.
"I'll bring her back after school," Kristoff assured her.
Bea nodded once. "I'll be here."
The drive to school was quieter than usual.
The morning traffic crawled through the city while soft music played from the speakers, but neither of us paid much attention to it.
Kristoff kept both hands on the steering wheel.
His eyes stayed on the road. "You barely slept again," I said.
"I slept." I smiled faintly. "You keep saying that."
"It's true."
"But not enough."
He glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the traffic. "I've been busy."
"I noticed."
Silence settled between us. It wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
Somehow, we had learned how to understand each other without constantly filling the quiet.
After several minutes, Kristoff spoke first. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been asked that question a lot lately."
"Answer it anyway."
I looked out the window. "I don't know."
He waited.
"I think I'm okay," I admitted. "At least... I want to be."
His grip tightened almost imperceptibly around the steering wheel. "You don't have to force yourself."
"I know."
"But if I don't keep moving, I'll keep thinking."
He didn't argue. He simply nodded. "I understand."
By the time we entered the gates of Montessori, I had almost convinced myself today would be ordinary.
That illusion lasted less than a minute. As soon as Kristoff parked the car, I noticed several students looking in our direction.
That wasn't unusual anymore. Ever since the gala, people recognized me wherever I went. What felt different was the way they looked away the moment our eyes met.
They weren't smiling. They were whispering.
Kristoff got out first and walked around to open my door.
When I stepped onto the pavement, the conversations around us lowered into hushed murmurs.
A group of girls standing near the fountain looked at me before quickly looking down at one of their phones.
Another student nudged his friend while subtly pointing in my direction.
I frowned. "Something feels off."
Kristoff followed my gaze. His expression remained calm, but I noticed him quietly observing the students around us.
"We'll keep an eye on it."
Inside the main building, the whispers only became more noticeable. They weren't loud enough for me to hear clearly. Just enough for me to know they were about me.
During first period, I caught one of my classmates staring at her phone beneath the desk before glancing toward me.
The same thing happened in English.
Then again in History.
By lunch, the uneasy feeling had settled heavily in my chest.
"What is everyone looking at?" I asked quietly.
Kristoff looked around the cafeteria. "I've been wondering the same thing."
We had barely sat down when voices from the next table drifted toward us.
"I heard she doesn't even live at the Ricafort mansion anymore."
"Really?"
"Then where is she staying?"
"I don't know. Some apartment."
"My cousin said Kristoff keeps dropping her off there every morning."
"So they're living together now?"
"I heard—"
The girl stopped speaking when she realized I could hear every word. An awkward silence followed. I lowered my eyes to my untouched lunch.
Kristoff's jaw tightened. "I'm going to find out where this started."
Before he could stand, I gently touched his wrist. "Don't."
He looked at me. "If you confront them, it'll only make it worse."
"They're talking about me,” I said. "And they're lying."
My voice remained calm, although it took far more effort than I wanted to admit. Across the cafeteria, another group of students gathered around someone's phone.
One girl accidentally turned the screen toward me as she laughed.
It was a picture of Kristoff opening the passenger door of his car. The next image showed me walking into Bea's apartment building.
Another showed Kristoff returning the following morning. The photos themselves were harmless.
Anyone who knew the truth would see nothing unusual. But the caption beneath them twisted the story into something else.
Another rich boy.
Looks like she found herself a new place.
No wonder she became famous.
I felt my fingers tighten around my spoon. Someone had been following us.
Not once. Several times.
"They've been watching," I murmured.
Kristoff looked at the phone before his expression hardened. "They've been watching for days."
Before either of us could say anything else, the bell rang.
The students scattered toward their next classes, but I noticed many of them carrying the same conversation with them.
Throughout the afternoon, nothing obvious happened. No one confronted me. No one insulted me to my face.
Yet everywhere I went, I felt eyes following me.
Even some teachers seemed distracted, glancing at me before continuing their lessons. It reminded me of the days after the gala.
Only then, the attention had felt warm.
Today… It felt suspicious.
As classes ended, Kristoff walked beside me toward the parking lot.
Without warning, I noticed Debbie standing near the school's main entrance with several of her friends.
She wasn't looking at me. At least, not directly. She was laughing at something one of the girls had said.
Then, almost as if sensing my gaze, she turned. Our eyes met and she smiled mockingly. Just enough to let me know she had seen everything happening today.
By the time Kristoff drove me back to Bea's apartment that evening, exhaustion settled deep inside me.
The rumors had done all the work.
As I unlocked my phone before going upstairs, a notification from the school's anonymous confession page appeared.
Someone had uploaded another photo.
It showed me walking toward Bea's apartment building while Kristoff's car disappeared into the distance.
There were already hundreds of reactions. Hundreds of comments.
I stared at the newest caption until the words blurred together.
"Where does the orphan sleep every night?"
A chill crept slowly down my spine.
Suddenly, since leaving the Ricafort mansion, I realized someone wasn't just spreading rumors anymore.
Someone was watching every place I tried to call safe.