Chapter 129 How did she know?

Chapter 129 How did she know?
Chapter 129

RAVENNA

My knees were bent towards my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around them. My head was buried in my thighs as I fought desperately not to scream.

I had tried everything. Tried to disconnect the camera from my phone. Tried to shut down the live stream that had somehow started without my permission.

But I could not do it. Not without permanently disconnecting the camera from the hotel room. And I still needed to record whatever else Selene and Caleb were doing. I still needed the video.

When I finally found a way to access the settings, I noticed hundreds of people had already joined the live stream. The comment section was exploding with messages.

Is that Selene?

Who is she with?

OH MY GOD IS THAT CALEB NIGHTSHADE?

Did she just say she's going to kill Darius?

I stared at the screen in horror. This was supposed to be private. This was supposed to be my revenge. But now thousands of people were watching.

I could not shut it down now. Not without making it obvious that someone had been controlling the camera. So, I had to let the live stream continue.

I was about to force myself to disconnect everything after their make out session ended. I was about to shut it all down and deal with the consequences when Caleb spoke. And he spilled his secret. Every horrible, manipulative detail of what he had planned to do to me.

Since then, I had been sitting in this position. My knees to my chest, head down and fighting the urge to scream or cry or throw my phone across the room.

I could not believe it.

Caleb had actually come to this academy specifically to target me. To use me against Darius. All this time I thought he genuinely liked me. All this time I felt guilty for using him to spite Darius.

And he had been using me too. Planning to seduce me, record it and Blackmail me with it. Also Send the video to Darius.

I felt sick. Actually, physically sick.

What if I had genuinely fallen in love with him? What if I had given in to my desires and let things go further?

He would have destroyed me. Completely and utterly destroyed me.

But strangely, I did not feel guilty for what I had done. I was not sorry for posting his father's video. I was not sorry for exposing Selene's plan. I was not sorry for any of it.

I was glad that I had done it.

The door burst open.

Samantha rushed in, still in her school uniform. She must have run straight here from class the moment she saw the broadcast.

She did not ask any questions. Did not demand explanations. She just climbed onto my bed and wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Oh, poor girl," she whispered, rocking me gently. "Poor, poor girl."

That was all it took. The tears I had been holding back finally broke free.

The next morning, Samantha and I stood at the very back of the crowd in the main hall. I kept my hood up, trying to stay hidden whilst I watched the judgement descend on Selene.

The dean announced her expulsion. Richard cancelled the engagement publicly. Selene cried and begged. But nothing happened to Caleb. Just a suspension pending investigation.

I leaned closer to Samantha. "Why are they investigating when they saw the video? What more evidence do they need?"

Sam kept her eyes forward. "He is pleading not guilty. Claiming Selene pushed him into all of this. That he was not in his right mind. That Selene charmed him somehow."

My eyes widened. "Please tell me the board did not fall for that nonsense."

"He is the heir to the second most powerful pack," Samantha replied quietly. "If the academy does not want his pack's wrath to descend upon them, they will not dare expel him completely."

"I want him gone," I hissed. "I want him out of this school."

"I know. But it is not going to happen."

"Let us go," I grabbed her arm. "Selene will be coming to pack her belongings soon. I do not want to be here."

We turned to leave but someone grabbed my arm and hauled me around forcefully. I yelped and raised my hand to slap whoever had grabbed me. Then I saw it was Caleb.

My hand froze in mid-air.

Samantha immediately stepped between us and shoved his hand off my arm. "What do you want?"

"Move," Caleb ordered coldly. "I want to talk to her."

"You do not deserve to talk to her after what you did and said yesterday."

"Ravenna!" Caleb tried to push past Samantha. "Do you actually believe all of that rubbish from the video?"

"We watched the live stream," Sam shot back. "We heard you say every single word. So quit this nonsense you are doing because it is seriously irritating me."

"Move out of my way or I will push you."

Sam hissed. "I would love to see you try."

They glared at each other for a long moment. Then Samantha reluctantly stepped aside, though she stayed close enough to intervene if needed.

Caleb reached for my hands. "Raven, please—"

"Do not touch me." I jerked backwards. "Do not ever touch me again."

"It was not real. None of what I said was real. Selene was manipulating me—"

"So, this was your plan all along," I cut him off. My voice was eerily calm. "To seduce me, use me and parade the video everywhere for everyone to see."

"No! That is not—"

"I do not blame you," I continued. "I blame myself for trusting you. For thinking you were different from every other asshole at this academy."

"Raven—"

"I am not your girlfriend anymore," I stated flatly. "As of right now. Do not talk to me. Do not call me. Do not behave as if you know me in class. Stay away from me completely."

"You cannot—"

"And I hope you get expelled from this school just like Selene," I finished. "You are both devils. You deserve each other."

I turned and walked away without looking back.

Behind me, I heard Samantha following. "That is right! You heard her! Stay away, you manipulative prick! I hope your suspension becomes permanent! I hope your pack disowns you! I hope—"

"Sam," I called without turning around. "That is enough."

"I am just getting started—"

"Sam."

She huffed but stopped yelling.



We arrived back at our room just in time to see Selene moving her belongings. She had three large suitcases open on her bed and was pulling clothes out of the wardrobe. Samantha walked right up to her. "Are you going to pack all of your things?"

Selene glanced up, her eyes red from crying. "What do you mean?"

"Sam," I warned. "Do not."

Sam ignored me completely. "Could you at least leave the designer clothes Richard bought for you? For us? Because Richard might collect them from you anyway. And we all know Richard is a bastard. So, the best way to rebel is to leave them here for us."

Selene and I both gaped at Samantha.

She shrugged. "What? I did not say anything wrong. Stop looking at me like that."

Selene shook her head slowly and turned back to her wardrobe without responding.

I grabbed Sam's arm and pulled her aside. "What is the meaning of that?" I whispered harshly.

"What?" Sam whispered back innocently.

"You cannot ask her to leave her clothes!"

"Why not? She is getting expelled anyway. Might as well get something good out of this situation."

"She is devastated and sad!"

"And I care not," Sam replied cheerfully. "Those are expensive designer clothes, Raven. Do you know how much those cost? We could never afford them on our own."

I stared at my best friend in disbelief. "I cannot believe you right now."

"Do not play saint with me. You know you want those clothes too."

I did want them. But I was not going to admit it out loud.

I sighed heavily and walked over to my own bed, leaving Sam to potentially negotiate with Selene over the wardrobe.

Selene continued packing in silence. She folded each item of clothing carefully, placing them in her suitcases one by one.

I watched her from my bed. Part of me felt sorry for her. She had lost everything: her engagement, her place at the academy and reputation. But another part of me felt absolutely nothing.

She had planned to murder Darius. Had plotted it out in detail. She had been willing to poison him slowly over months. And she had been sleeping with Caleb the entire time. My Caleb. Well, my ex-Caleb now.

"Can I ask you something?" Selene's voice broke the silence.

I looked up. "What?"

She had stopped packing and was staring directly at me. "It was you, was it not? The Revenge account. The videos. The live stream. All of it was you."

My heart stopped. Samantha moved closer to my bed protectively.

"I do not know what you are talking about," I replied carefully.

"Yes, you do." Selene's eyes were cold now. All traces of tears gone. "I know it was you, Ravenna. I just cannot prove it."

"Then maybe you are wrong."

"Or maybe you are just very good at covering your tracks."

We stared at each other across the room.

"For what it is worth," Selene added quietly, "I am impressed. You destroyed both of us without getting your hands dirty. That takes skill."

"I did not—"

"Save it." She zipped up her final suitcase. "I know the truth. And one day, everyone else will too."