Chapter 174
Chapter 174
The atmosphere turned icy.
Margaret instinctively shot a glance at Nicholas. This intel was supposed to be tightly under wraps. ‘How had these guys gotten wind of it?
Nicholas‘ eyes narrowed. “Is that so? But the freshman background checks are done by the academy. Shouldn’t be any loopholes.”
“Ordinary recruits, maybe. But this is Solar Flare. She’s had a strong interest in the House of Obsidian and Lostara for years, always butting heads with our people. Public enemy number one. And didn’t you clash with her five years ago, Nicholas?” the man said.
“Correct.” Beneath everyone’s stares, Nicholas‘ expression didn’t flicker. “But I never confirmed her death. Seems she just went off the radar for five years.”
The man said, “She’s gone dark for five years and now she’s infiltrated the freshman class. If this leaks, where does that leave the academy’s reputation?
“Nicholas, this needs your full attention. You’ve got to seize Solar Flare before the end–of–month training evaluations. No way she gets into this academy.”
Nicholas twirled a pen between his fingers. “I’ll deal with it.”
“Fail to stop her, and you’ll be liable.” The threat hung heavy.
Margaret snapped, “The academy shares responsibility for those background checks. Why dump this all on the student council?”
“When a mission tanks, the commander takes the fall,” the man said.
Before Margaret could fire back, Rufus cut in, “Let’s not rush this. We’ve still got time to run checks.”
Nicholas slammed his folder shut. “Anything else?”
“Academy’s drafting a protocol for Solar Flare. Details by next week. Just follow the playbook when it drops. I trust our team, especially you, Nicholas,” the man said.
“Save the flattery. I’m not here to mop up other people’s disasters.” Nicholas tossed the retort over his shoulder as he stood and walked out.
The board members were livid. One said, “We’ve always heard Nicholas is notoriously difficult and arrogant, but today we got a taste firsthand.”
Another said, “Hmph, just because he’s the Baxter family heir, he thinks he can condescend to everyone?”
Rufus cleared his throat awkwardly. “Nicholas doesn’t have it out for the board specifically. He looks down on everyone equally.”
The board members were stunned, thinking, ‘So we’re supposed to be grateful for his “equality“?”
The unpleasant exchange ended, but the board was helpless against Nicholas. A man with that kind of lineage was untouchable,
Once outside the conference room, Nicholas‘ expression darkened. He wondered, ‘How did the news leak?‘
“Mr. Baxter, I’ll get to the bottom of who spilled the beans. If the board knows, doesn’t that mean Solar Flare might too? This could alert her,” a student
council member said.
“Do it.” Nicholas suspected the other side already knew.
With one side in the light and the other in the dark, the imbalance of power was stark. This had spiraled into a quagmire. What was their objective? He even suspected they’d leaked the info on purpose.
1/2
Chapter 174
In her dorm, Sharon lay on her bed, staring at the black chat interface.
Cameron: (Shari, we thought it through and figured it’s too risky for you to be there alone, so we stepped in.]
Sharon had a sinking feeling. [How?]
Riley: [We let the academy board know you’ve mixed in with the freshmen. If those guys interfere, it should buy you time.]
Jannie: [Where there’s conflict, there’s an opening.]
Sharon: [You’re positive this will cause conflict?]
Cameron: [100%. We did our homework. This is airtight.]
Sharon wasn’t convinced this would pan out. But she didn’t give it much thought. As long as she kept her cool, who would ever suspect her?
The lunch break wrapped up. Sharon trailed at the end, following the group toward the rest area.
That was when she crossed paths with Lydia, who grinned and walked over. “A new girl moved into the dorm next door. I think you two should meet. Karen, come and say hello.”
Sharon turned to see a girl pushing through from the back of the crowd, still decked out in that “innocent” style, though her eyes had lost their old haughtiness.
Karen? She hadn’t expected to run into someone on Roxanne’s side there. A quick flash of annoyance hit her. Since when was Karen worthy of being
there?
“Karen, this is your new family head. Gonna greet her? Sharon’s known for sticking up for her people.”
Karen’s expression soured. When she looked up at Sharon, loathing burned in her eyes. Sharon was why her family had crumbled.
Without Sharon, she’d still be the Vance family’s heiress, riding high on praise instead of getting mocked and looked down on,
Lydia arched a brow. “Karen, what’s with that glare? Looks like you really hate your new family head.”
“She’s not my damn family head!” Karen spat. “She only climbed up by hooking up with some guy. Who does she think she is?”
“Watch your tone, Karen,” Elise cut in, unable to stay silent.
Karen sneered, “You’re just from a lesser branch. Since when do you get to tell me off? You used to be too good for even tying my shoes.”
“The one who’s ‘too good‘ now is you,” Sharon said coolly, eyeing Karen and Lydia. “You look ridiculous when you’re jealous.”
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