Chapter 376: The Point of No Return

The guilt was a physical presence now, a cold, heavy stone lodged in Daniela’s chest. It made her breath shallow, her smiles forced. For two days, she had moved through the university in a haze of self-loathing, the image of Ana Lucía’s solitary sorrow burned onto the back of her eyelids. The game was no longer a game. It was a cruelty, and she was the architect.

She had to stop it. She had to find a way to undo the damage, or at the very least, prevent it from getting worse. Her opportunity came when she found Andrés not with his usual crowd, but alone in the computer lab, hunched over a terminal with an intensity she rarely saw in him. He wasn’t working on their project. He was digging.

—Andrés, — she said, her voice softer than usual. —We need to talk.

—Not now, — he muttered, his eyes glued to the screen, scrolling through what looked like official university administration pages. —You are not going to believe what I found.

—I’m serious, — Daniela insisted, pulling up a chair next to him. —This has gone far enough. With Ana Lucía. We need to stop.

Andrés finally turned to look at her, a slow, incredulous smile spreading across his face. He laughed, a short, harsh sound. —Stop? We’re just getting started. Look at this. — He pointed a triumphant finger at the screen.

Daniela leaned in. It was an internal memo from the Dean’s office to the faculty of the Technology and Business department. The subject line made her blood run cold: """Final Project Evaluation Partners & Blackwell Industries."""

Her eyes scanned the text. ""...thrilled to announce our continued partnership with Blackwell Industries for the capstone project evaluation this semester. Founder and CEO Alexander Blackwell will be personally reviewing the top projects, and the winning team will be fast-tracked into the Blackwell Industries summer internship program, with a potential for full-time placement post-graduation...""

—Blackwell Industries, — Andrés breathed, his eyes gleaming with a terrifying avarice. —His father’s company. He’s going to be judged by his own father. This isn’t just a grade anymore, Dani. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. A direct ticket inside one of the most powerful tech empires on the planet. And he’s been hiding it. Playing the poor little rich boy.

Daniela felt the world tilt. This changed everything. It wasn't just about humiliating Ethan anymore; it was about a life-altering prize. Andrés would never let this go.

—Andrés, listen to me, — she said, her voice urgent, pleading. —This is insane. This is too far. We can’t—

—Can’t what? — he interrupted, his voice dropping to a venomous whisper. He leaned in so close she could smell the coffee on his breath. —We can’t win? We can’t take what’s rightfully ours? He’s had every advantage handed to him since birth, and he’s here, pretending to be one of us, stealing our spot, our recognition. He humiliated me. Now, I’m going to annihilate him. And you’re going to help me.

—No, — Daniela said, shaking her head, a surge of defiance cutting through her guilt. —I’m not. I’m done. This was supposed to be… I don’t know, a stupid prank. Not this. I won’t do it.

Andrés’s expression hardened. The charming, swaggering mask fell away, revealing something cold and ruthless beneath. —You won’t? — he repeated, his voice dangerously quiet. —Let me remind you, Dani. You were there for all of it. You’re the one who told Ana Lucía he pitied her. You’re the one who showed her the photo. You’re just as guilty as I am. If this all comes out, who do you think they’ll believe? The charismatic, well-connected Andrés, or the quiet, manipulative girl who was jealous of the new, fragile student?

He let the threat hang in the air, letting her absorb its implications. He was right. She had been careful, but not careful enough. There were texts, witnessed conversations. If he decided to throw her under the bus, he could walk away relatively clean, and she would be branded a malicious liar.

—You wouldn’t, — she whispered, her defiance crumbling into fear.

—Try me, — he hissed, his eyes locking with hers, devoid of any warmth or remorse. —You are in this. Until the end. You help me sabotage his project, you help me make sure he and that little sad girl crash and burn in front of his own father, and we both get that internship. We win. Or… you can take the fall alone. Your choice.

He held her gaze for a moment longer, ensuring his message was received, then turned back to the screen, a predator studying its prey. —Now, their project topic is on sustainable finance. We need to figure out how to introduce a fatal flaw into their data modeling. Something subtle. Something that won’t be obvious until the final presentation.

Daniela sat back in her chair, the fight draining out of her. The stone of guilt in her chest was now joined by a block of ice-cold fear. The solution she had desperately wanted—to pull back, to mitigate the harm—had been violently ripped away. Andrés had drawn a line, and she was trapped on his side of it.

She had tried to put the genie back in the bottle, but Andrés had not only refused, he had welded the lid shut. The problem was now exponentially worse. Andrés was no longer motivated by petty schoolyard rivalry; he was driven by a voracious ambition and a personal vendetta, armed with a secret that made Ethan’ entire anonymous life a lie. He had a motive that went beyond grades, beyond pride. He wanted to dismantle Ethan’s future in the most brutally personal way possible, and he had just made it clear that Daniela was his unwilling, but essential, accomplice. The point of no return had been passed, and there was no way back.