Chapter 141 A Perfect Match
Blair's lips curved into a faint smile. Her gaze drifted across Melissa's face, cold contempt glinting in her eyes, sharp as a needle under the skin.
"We can work together. But you tell me your plan first. And your relationship with the vice principal."
Blair sat perfectly still, composed, as if she held all the cards.
Melissa was supposed to be the one negotiating. Instead, Blair was leading her step by step. The loss of control gnawed at her. But Blair was the only high-level contact she had.
She took a slow breath, swallowing her irritation. "You know I can't tell you everything. If this works, you benefit. If it doesn't, you lose nothing."
"If you won't help, I'll find someone else."
Melissa turned to leave.
Blair's voice stopped her cold. "I'll do it. But you'd better deliver on your promises. If you don't, I won't let it slide."
Her eyes narrowed, the threat unmistakable.
Melissa paused, exhaled slowly, and smiled wider. "Naturally."
The photo on the phone screen showed Melissa leaning against Terrence's shoulder. The space between them was barely a fist's width. Terrence's head was tilted down, close to her ear, as if whispering something intimate.
The post went live and blew up across the forum within minutes.
The reason was simple—wherever Terrence appeared, he became the center of attention.
[They look good together. I'm here for it.]
[If it's Melissa, I'm not even jealous. Exceptional people belong together.]
But support wasn't universal. Skeptics pushed back.
[This photo is fake. Look at the hair—blurry edges, wrong lighting, stiff poses. It's obviously photoshopped.]
[Does Melissa's background even match Terrence's? She's not in his league.]
[I thought Mr. Anderson was close to Bianca from the finance department. What's this about?]
[Don't compare Bianca to Melissa. Their statuses aren't even remotely the same.]
Jasmine shoved her phone in Bianca's face, fuming. "Bianca, this is ridiculous! Melissa's trying to latch onto Terrence? Are people blind? This photo is so fake!"
Bianca paused what she was doing and glanced at the post. A cold smile touched her lips.
"Idiots."
"It's obviously fake, and people still believe it." Jasmine's voice rose with indignation. "Bianca, let's expose her! If you just go public about your relationship with Terrence, she'll be a laughingstock."
Bianca looked at the fire in Jasmine's eyes and slowly shook her head. "No need to go public. Just prove the photo's fake. Her whole plan falls apart."
She swiped her finger across the screen, expression calm, and dialed a number she hadn't used in a long time.
The call connected. Her voice was steady, emotionless. "I need a favor."
The man on the other end sounded surprised. "Well, well. Bianca. You finally remembered I exist. What do you need? I'll do my best."
Bianca's smile was faint. "I need a photo analyzed. Full forensic breakdown. Can you do it in thirty minutes?"
He agreed without hesitation.
She ended the call and looked at Jasmine. "It's late. I'm heading out."
Jasmine nodded hard, eyes full of admiration.
The classroom buzzed with noise. A crowd had gathered around Melissa. She glanced down at her phone and killed the screen. The chat log with the vice principal flashed briefly before disappearing. That end was secure for now. She could move forward.
"Melissa, is this really you? You actually know Terrence! Can you introduce me?" A pretty girl grabbed her wrist, blatant greed in her eyes.
Melissa pulled her hand back smoothly, a polite smile on her face. "Terrence doesn't like meeting strangers."
The girl's face fell. She muttered under her breath, "Who knows if that photo's even real. It's so blurry."
"It's not fake!" Melissa's voice rose sharply. The room went silent.
Realizing her mistake, she coughed lightly and forced the anger into a laugh. "I don't know who took it. It was a private event, dim lighting, bad angle... Terrence and I are just friends. Nothing like what people are saying."
She covered her mouth, laughing softly.
At that moment, Bianca walked into the classroom. A faint smile played on her lips as she moved through the crowd toward her seat. Melissa's eyes locked onto her, panic tightening her chest. What if Bianca exposed her?
But Bianca said nothing.
Someone noticed Melissa staring and followed her gaze. "Wait, doesn't Bianca have some connection to Terrence too? He gave her an expensive necklace."
"That's not true!" Melissa snapped, then reined herself in. She glared at the speaker. "Didn't you read the forum? It was explained."
"I heard it was compensation. That Bianca scammed him for it," someone said dismissively.
"Check the forum! Someone posted a forensic report. The photo's photoshopped!"
The words hit like a thunderclap. The room erupted.
Melissa fumbled for her phone, stammering, "What report? That's fake! My photo isn't photoshopped!"
But no one was listening anymore. They were all staring at her with strange expressions.
She was about to pull up the forum when her screen switched to an incoming call. She saw the number and her heart stopped. She nearly dropped the phone.
It was the vice principal.
At the same time, Blair's messages started flooding in. When Melissa didn't respond, Blair called.
Melissa's throat worked. Sweat slid down the side of her face. She looked up, panicked—
And locked eyes with Bianca.
Bianca's smile was slow, knowing.
Melissa's face went white. Hatred surged through her in a crushing wave, so strong she almost screamed.