Chapter 49
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In contrast, Cressida was humiliated completely this time. She shouted furiously, “Narissa! Y–you just wait. I’ll make sure everyone sees the most pathetic side of you.”
Narissa chuckled, as if not taking her words seriously at all. “Sure, I’m looking forward to it.”
Cressida continued, “Don’t think getting dragged back to the Evertons makes you a real heiress. Just wait. You’ll show your true colors someday, no matter how well you hide.”
“Exactly!” Miranda chimed in, helping Cressida up. “Your true nature will come out eventually. We’ll expose your real self.”
“Oh? I don’t think so,” Narissa offered them a sharp, predatory smile. “Remember this: I’ll only ever be someone you aspire to be.”
“Narissa, you’re so full of yourself.” Cressida trembled with the urge to scratch Narissa’s face.
“If you disagree, feel free to challenge me anytime.” Narissa threw them a provocative glance and then walked away with an air of arrogance.
Cressida and Miranda were left choking on their fury, the bitter taste lingering. “What now?” Miranda hissed. “Do we just let her keep walking all over us?”
Cressida glanced at her phone, an idea forming. She asked, “Does this ship’s main lounge have a big screen?”
“Yeah,” Miranda confirmed instantly.
“Perfect.” Cressida’s smile turned venomous. “Let’s go.”
As soon as they left, the other students who had been watching the commotion were all fired up with curiosity.
“What are you waiting for? Follow them. This is going to be juicy,” someone said.
“Right. I didn’t expect the rumor about the feud between the two Everton sisters to be true. This is gold. Move!” another echoed.
*****
Narissa had just entered the bustling lounge and was heading towards the bar when the crowd following Cressida arrived. Ignoring them, Narissa picked up a signature cocktail and took a slow sip.
“Narissa.” Gilbert bounded over to Narissa. “This doesn’t taste good. I can mix you something amazing.”
Narissa opened her mouth to decline, but a collective gasp cut her off.
“Hey! Who turned on the main screen?” someone exclaimed.
“Is someone projecting something?” another echoed.
All eyes swiveled to the main screen. Someone had connected a phone. A video started playing. When the video began, everyone gasped in shock.
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Chapter 49
The video was the one Cressida had been talking about, showing Narissa dining with an older man in a clearly expensive restaurant. And later, there was footage of Narissa entering a hotel with him.
“Oh my God! Isn’t that Narissa Everton? The long–lost one?” à girl exclaimed.
“Yeah, it’s so explosive. She’s playing that kind of game with an old man?” another girl echoed.
“Who knew? Looks so innocent, but privately, such a mess,” someone else claimed.
“Do you think she has some kind of disease? Oh no, I accidentally touched her just now. Am I infected?” a blonde asked.
All the girls present reacted with visceral disgust. The boys, however, had a different reaction.
They might not have paid much attention to Narissa before. But now, learning about her supposed promiscuous lifestyle, their eyes lit up with improper thoughts.
“Didn’t know she was that kind of fun, huh?” a boy sneered.
“Always fancied Cressida, but she’s out of my league. Her little sister, though, might be a decent consolation prize,” another boy said.
“Hah! You read my mind. Exactly,” a boy in a suit echoed.
“Don’t fight over her, guys. If she’s that easy, we can all have a turn,” a muscular boy said.
There was a lecherous smile on each of the boys‘ faces.
As these crude whispers spread, Jaylen and his friends showed up. Without a word, they lunged at those boys, silencing them. with swift, angry blows before converging protectively around Narissa.
“Who did this? What’s the meaning of this? Turn it off! Now!” Jaylen roared, scanning the crowd. No one answered. One of his friends rushed to cut the screen’s power.
From the shadows, when Cressida saw how worried Jaylen was about Narissa, she was consumed by jealousy. “Miranda!” she hissed through gritted teeth.
“I got this,” Miranda whispered back triumphantly. “I’ve already sent the video to everyone here.”
Suddenly, someone’s phone chirped with a message alert—and then, in quick succession, a flurry of notification chimes erupted from all directions.
Everyone instinctively pulled their phones out. Cressida had sent the video directly to the group chat for the island training. That meant everyone could watch it anytime.
Jaylen and his friends saw it too. “Don’t believe it!” Jaylen declared forcefully. “There must be some explanation.”
“Yeah, there must be,” Gilbert echoed. “Someone like Narissa? She wouldn’t need some old man’s money!”
But even though Jaylen and Gilbert had some influence in the training class, they couldn’t control everyone’s thoughts. Most people still chose to believe what they saw.
“Why not?” Miranda shouted, deliberately fanning the flames. “She’s exactly that shameless! Howelse would a nobody orphan survive abroad except by selling herself?”
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Chapter 49
Then she whispered to Cressida, “Seriously, Cressida, holding onto this gold? Should’ve shared sooner.”
“I believe in Narissa,” Jaylen stated, voice and expression rock–solid. “She could survive without selling herself.”
To his utter confusion, Narissa reached out and flicked him sharply on the back of the head. “Ow! What?” Jaylen turned around, confused.
“A mosquito,” Narissa lied smoothly, her face impassive. She found his earnest defense amusing but pointless.
‘That’s enough. Stop emphasizing what I supposedly didn’t do, she thought. In fact, Narissa didn’t need to explain anything
to anyone.
She didn’t care what others thought of her. She slapped Jaylen to tell him not to waste his breath defending her in front of these noisy people.
“Oh… uh, thanks?” Jaylen rubbed his head, genuinely believing her, and offered a warm, grateful smile.
Narissa suppressed a sigh. She thought, ‘Completely missed the point. The whispers around her crystallized into open condemnation.
“I can’t believe the newfound Everton heiress is so filthy. She doesn’t belong here with us,” someone said.
“Right. Call the instructors. Get her thrown off this ship!” another one echoed.
“My family paid a fortune for this. If anyone finds out I shared a school with trash like her, I’ll be a laughingstock,” a girl in a fancy dress said.
“Exactly. It’s so tacky. We have to get rid of her to protect our reputation,” someone else chimed in.
“Narissa Everton! Get out of Regality Academy!” someone suddenly shouted, raising a fist.
The cry was taken up, morphing into a hateful chant that filled the hall. “Get out, bitch! Get out of Regality Academy!”
