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Larissa rolled her eyes and leaned against David's car.

“The technology at Vanderwood will be shut down until further notice.”

David, Larissa, and I raised our eyebrows simultaneously.

“The teaching staff will teach exclusively on chalkboards.”

“What?” Larissa laughed. “She can't be serious.”

Olivia next to me snorted. Adrian didn't bat an eyelid.

The most enthusiastic reactions came from the people around us, who began to discuss the matter loudly, including Jenny Bexley, who, with her sister and four cameramen in tow – who seemed to have recently moved onto campus – immediately set off for the main entrance of Vanderwood.

“The speaker system in the lecture halls will also be completely shut down,” Harlow continued. “Don't worry. The IT security team is already on the hacker's trail. No one will endanger the order of this university.”

The static fell silent.

“My goodness,” I whispered, astonished that this woman was obviously willing to engage in the war the hacker had announced.

“Ugh,” Olivia groaned. “Who is this woman who prefers to live in the Middle Ages?”

“What kind of kindergarten did Bastien send us to?” Adrian asked with a grim expression as he reached for his phone and typed something on the display with a frown.

“I'm dying to know who this hacker is.”

I looked up at my sister. Her eyes had that curious gleam I had come to know over the past few weeks. It didn't bode well.

Our eyes met, and for a moment, some of her curiosity spilled over to me.

“No.” Adrian gave me a warning look. “No, Miles, you're not going to let her get any silly ideas.”

Larissa just snorted, threw both hands in the air, then walked past my car, grabbed her helmet from the back seat, and disappeared to her motorcycle.

“Not him again,” David said, shaking his head, and I followed his gaze across the parking lot with curiosity.

An expensive-looking Land Rover drove onto the lot and parked in the unofficial Copeland area.

“That guy is asking for trouble,” David continued. “Especially showing up here in Blairville.”

The car stopped, the engine cut out, and I stared through the windshield.

The mere sight of Mikhail Rolanow was enough to ruin my day. A blond, pretty guy who definitely thought too highly of himself. And the fact that nothing could be found about him on the internet, except for all the awards he had won at his former elite university, aroused my suspicion.

Unease spread through me, and my artificially trained breathing faltered. Because Mikhail wasn't alone. She was sitting next to him. And she was smiling. At him...

Figure You Out

VOIL À

My jaw tensed.

That damn smile...

A very unpleasant feeling spread throughout my entire body and I was overcome by the urge to drag her out of that passenger seat.

How could she sit in a car with this guy and laugh? She barely knew him and smiled at him as if they came here together every fucking day. As if they had known each other for ages.

Her father wanted to marry her off to this ridiculous clown. And she just went along with it...