Chapter 246 You Only Have One Chance

Chapter 247 Strange Delivery

Ethan cursed under his breath and strode toward the elevator.

A large crowd had already gathered downstairs at Summit Academy's dorm building. Anna went upstairs and walked forward a few steps.

Aurelia sat on the railing, her hair blown into a mess by the strong wind, her left leg in a cast propped up on the railing, her whole body swaying unsteadily.

"You came." She smiled, her voice breaking up in the wind. "Miss Rivers, I knew you'd come."

Many people were also standing upstairs. Anna emerged from the crowd and took a big step forward. "Didn't you say you wanted to see me?"

"Don't come closer!" Aurelia's voice suddenly became shrill. "Just stay right there, don't take another step forward!"

Anna stopped.

Aurelia held onto the railing and stood up, looking down at the people below.

Her gaze swept over the students looking up at the spectacle, over the crowd filming with their phones, and finally landed on Anna.

"Are you satisfied now?" Her voice was soft, but everyone heard it. "You forced me to admit to everything, even recorded it, made everyone point fingers at me... Are you happy?"

Anna interrupted her. "Which of those things didn't you actually do?"

Aurelia laughed. "It was you who calculated everything from start to finish, threatening and coercing me into saying those things."

She took out her phone and played the recording she'd made that day at the coffee shop—the part where Anna had threatened her.

The crowd below stirred. People started whispering to each other, various looks directed at Anna.

Anna didn't defend herself. She finally understood why Aurelia had been so cooperative that day.

Aurelia's eyes reddened. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have become like this!"

"I've become the laughingstock of the whole school. Everywhere I go, people curse at me." Tears fell from her eyes. "You've made my life a complete mess. I can't go on living. Are you satisfied now?"

"You threw all the dirt on me. You all stay clean, nothing happens to you, only I'm ruined."

As she spoke, she moved a bit closer to the outside of the railing. Screams erupted from below.

Anna's heart jumped to her throat, but her voice remained steady. "Are you done?"

Aurelia glared at her.

"You're done, now it's my turn." Anna took a step forward and looked up at her. "You ask if I'm satisfied? I'll tell you—I'm not satisfied."

Aurelia froze for a moment.

"You say I calculated against you." Anna's tone was unhurried. "But weren't you the one who calculated against us first?"

Aurelia's lips moved.

"What about when you schemed and framed others for wealth and glory? Why don't you mention that?"

Aurelia's face went a shade paler.

Her fingers gripped the railing tightly, knuckles turning white.

"Anyway, it's all because of you that my life is a mess now." She bit her lip, tears welling up again. "I have nothing left now. Jumping down will end it all."

As Aurelia spoke, she swung one leg over the railing. Another round of screams came from below, and several timid girls covered their eyes.

Anna didn't scream. Watching Aurelia swing her leg over the railing, she asked a completely unrelated question. "Do you know what it's like to jump from the seventh floor?"

Aurelia's movement paused.

"The seventh floor isn't that high. You might not die right away." Anna's voice was flat, like she was describing a physics problem. "You'd probably hit the concrete ground, your skull would crack first, then your spine. You wouldn't die immediately—maybe you'd last a few minutes. But during those few minutes, you'd clearly feel your bones piercing into your organs. You'd want to scream in pain, but you wouldn't be able to make a sound."

Anna looked at Aurelia. "When you were alive, people pointed fingers at you. When you're dead, people will still take photos of you and post them online for everyone to discuss. Is that what you want?"

Aurelia's leg trembled. Her hand gripped the railing tightly, her lips completely drained of color.

She didn't speak, but her body stopped moving outward.

Just then, a firefighter climbed over from behind Aurelia, crouching low, silently approaching.

Someone in the crowd let out a low gasp, then immediately covered their mouth.

Aurelia was still crying. Her attention was completely occupied by what Anna had just said, her mind filled with images of herself falling and becoming unrecognizable.

She didn't notice the movement behind her. The firefighter moved closer, then suddenly rushed forward and grabbed her arm.

Aurelia screamed, her whole body leaning backward, but the firefighter's arm locked around her like an iron clamp.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Her screams echoed across the rooftop. Her fists pounded on the firefighter's shoulder, her legs kicking wildly.

The firefighter didn't let go. Another firefighter arrived, and together they pulled Aurelia down from the railing.

She fell to the ground, still struggling, crying her heart out. She was lifted onto a stretcher and carried down from the rooftop. Her cries gradually faded in the stairwell, until only the sound of wind remained.

The crowd of onlookers began to disperse. Some were still quietly discussing what had just happened, others were deleting videos from their phones.

The air cushion was rolled up and taken away by the firefighters. The sound of an ambulance siren came from the distance, growing closer then farther, gradually disappearing at the other end of campus.

Anna stood in place, watching the direction the ambulance had gone.

Her back was covered in cold sweat. When the wind blew, the chill made her shiver.

A warm hand grasped hers.

She turned her head. Ethan was looking down at her, both angry and scared. "Why didn't you tell me before coming here alone?"

Anna patted his hand. "I was confident I could handle it."

Ethan was at a loss with her. "No next time."

After Aurelia was sent to the hospital, things were quiet for a few days.

But she only stayed in the hospital for three days before checking herself out and returning to school.

The days after she returned were even harder than before the jump. No one talked to her, everyone ignored her.

Aurelia had thought people would condemn Anna, but not a single person cursed Anna—they all cursed her instead. After holding on for a few days, she couldn't take it anymore. She packed her things in the dorm, stuffed a few changes of clothes into her backpack, and walked out of the dorm building on crutches.

Her roommates watched her leave. Not one of them asked where she was going.

When she walked out the school gate, she looked back once, then hailed a taxi and gave an address.

Ethan and Anna didn't find out about this until several days later. They sent people to look for her, but she had vanished like a drop of water into the ocean.

Ethan had people continue watching for her, but didn't invest too much energy in the search.

In his view, it was better that Aurelia had left—at least she wouldn't cause any more trouble.

He refocused his energy on home, watching Anna every day to make sure she got to work on time, came home on time, and ate her meals.

Anna had just gotten off work. When she got home, she saw a package for herself—a small cardboard box wrapped in a delivery bag. The sender information was blank.

She didn't think much of it. She took it upstairs and opened it with scissors.

Inside the box was a black thing, long and coiled at the bottom of the box. Scales gleamed coldly, and it was still moving.