<b>Chapter 42 </b>
Mia, with a mischievous glint in her eye, gestured toward a bedbeled with Briar’s name. “That’s your spot,” she said, her voice <b>dripping </b>with feigned sweetness.
Briar nced at it, her stomach turning. The bed was shoved into the dimmest corner of the room, far from the window’s reach, where even the midday sun barely touched it. Scuff marks around the bed’s legs betrayed its recent relocation, and the name tag, curling at the edges, looked like it had been hastily swapped.
Worse, the bed was littered with trash–three hole–riddled socks and a grimy pair of underwear.
They’re trying to get under my skin,‘ Briar thought, her jaw tighte
It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind this.
“Is that our new roommate?” a voice called from the hallway, be with barely concealed glee.
“Let’s check her out!” another chimed in, equally eager.
“Hurry up and clean your bed, set your safe’s code, and let’s get back
distinctly gleeful voices floated in from outside, cutting off Mia befoto
theb. We don’t want to keep the others waiting… Those two she could offer any more fake help.
Briar and Mia turned toward the door as two girls sauntered in, arms linked, smirks stered across their faces.
Briar knew these had to be her other roommates.
Their eyes, sharp with hostility, sized her up. Clearly, they weren’t rolling out the wee mat either.
“Lydia, Abbie, you’re back!” Mia said brightly, seizing the chance to stir the pot. “Meet our new roommate, Briar Jennings, a freshman in Traditional Medicine. Oh, you know, the one everyone’s been buzzing about on the forum this afternoon–the gorgeous girl in the spotlight.”
She shed Briar a sharine smile before continuing. “Briar, this is Lydia Ponce and Abbie Cooper, both sophomores in Traditional Medicine. Lydia’s from the Ponce family, one of Shoneport’s elite. And Abbie? She’s Thomas’s little sister. You’ve met him. He’s one of ourb teammates. The Cooper family’s practically royalty in Astravia’s Traditional Medicine scene.”
Mia’s words were a calcted jab, a not–so–subtle reminder that these girls came from big names.
The message was clear: watch your step, Briar.
For a typical well–mannered heiress, this would’ve been the cue to y nice, at least on the surface.
The Jennings family, like the Ponce family, was second–tier Shoneport elite–neither outranked the other.
But Briar had never been one <i>to </i>back down from a challenge. If someone came for her, she hit back, no hesitation.
Meeting their scornful stares, she didn’t flinch. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, her voice cool andzy. “Oh, cool. And?”
The room froze.
‘And?‘ Lydia’s mind reeled. ‘And you’re supposed to be polite and know your ce!‘
Briar’s gaze locked onto Lydia, who was practically puffing up with self–importance. “So, you’re from the Ponce family? The <b>ones </b><b>who </b><b>im </b>to deal in premium herbs but get caught peddling fakes? Or maybe the Ponce family that’s been cklisted in Traditional <b>Medicine </b><b>for </b>five years running <i>for </i>shady business practices?”
10.48 MONI<b>, </b>
ug
Lydia’s face went nk, her confidence evaporating.
fairly familiar with the Jennings family. She and Beatrice had grown close, or?n As someone from a second–tier family in Shoneport, she was hitting the town together, and most of what she knew about Briar came straight from Beatrice’s mouth–none of it ttering<b>. </b><b>That </b>alone was – enough to spark her dislike.
Then came the forum post at lunch, the one with the photo of Briar
and Frank looking cozy. It was the final straw for Lydia.
Everyone at Shoneport knew Le had a thing for Frank. As a daughter of the Haynes family–one of Shoneport’s top four elite<b>–</b>she and Frank were seen as a perfect match, so no one dared challenge Le’s im.
But now, out of nowhere, here came Briar–this stunning freshman stealing Frank’s attention. For Lydia, who had nursed a secret crush <b>on </b>Frank for years, even choosing to enter the traditional medicine department for his sake, the jealousy was impossible to hide.
AD