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Determined not to let anyone ruin her breakfast, Violet ignored the unnerving stares and took a bite of her warm croissant, her eyes fluttering shut as she let out an involuntary moan of satisfaction.

By the gods, it tasted so good she almost wanted to cry.

This was heaven. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

But her bliss was cut short when she heard Lila’s panicked voice: "Violet, look out —!"

Violet opened her eyes just in time to avoid the food and drinks being thrown in her direction as her entire meal crashed to the floor.

"What the hell?" Violet snapped, her gaze darting upward. An unfamiliar girl stood over her, glaring murderously. Her eyes blazed with anger while her lips curled into a snarl of pure disgust.

"So this is what they replaced me with?" the girl spat, pointing at Violet. Her voice was dripping with fury. "She doesn’t even know the fucking rules!"

Oh, fuck. Violet realized at that moment who this was. This must be the former occupant of the twentieth spot on the Lunaboard, the elite student she had replaced. Great. She hadn’t even thought about the previous spot-holder until now.

And for once, Violet wasn’t even responsible for the trouble that had found her! She was completely innocent this time.

Now every eye in the room was pinned on them, including the elite students peering down from the platform. It was obvious that everyone expected a show, especially with many of them already pulling out their phones to record the altercation.

When Violet stood up, they likely anticipated she’d engage in a fight. Instead, she calmly brushed off the crumbs from her croissant that had fallen on her clothes during the commotion.

The girl in question was poised for a fight, clearly expecting Violet to rise to the bait. But instead, Violet simply turned her back on her and made to leave.

Turning one’s back in the middle of a confrontation was probably the biggest insult Violet could give. It meant she didn’t consider the girl a threat. She didn’t even deem her worthy of attention. The act showed that Violet was not afraid, and the girl wasn’t even on her radar as a worthy opponent.

Sometimes, silence was the most powerful response. A weapon that hurt more than a verbal jab, especially when it denied someone the reaction they craved.

Violet was also painfully aware that the elite students were watching her every move, expecting her to put the girl in her place.

She wasn’t about to give them that satisfaction.

She wanted them to lose interest in her.

Perhaps if she didn’t react the way they expected, they would deem her boring and forget about her.

Then, she’d be able to go back to the place she belonged. At the bottom. And rest in peace. How blissful that would be.

And the current fool could go back to being twentieth, and all of this would be over. Whatever Asher had planned, it wouldn’t work.

"Hey! I’m talking to you. Don’t ignore me, you daughter of a whore!" the girl spat after her.

Violet halted abruptly, her neutral expression cracking. Any semblance of restraint vanished at that moment. There was nothing that set her off quite like that insult. Suddenly, her priorities shifted. Perhaps, this girl needed to be taught a lesson after all.

The girl must have sensed her mistake from the way Violet turned on her with a powerful stride, approaching like a storm. In a heartbeat, Violet was standing before her, the girl already bracing herself in a fighting stance.

Violet raised an eyebrow at the gesture. So, she knew how to fight? Was that why she had the confidence to provoke her, thinking she’d win?

Violet chuckled inwardly. Good thing these privileged brats didn’t know how gutter rats fought.

Instead of immediately engaging, Violet asked, "What’s your name?"

The girl blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Sharon..." she trailed off, realization dawning on her. "Wait, you don’t even know my name, and you took my spot?!"

At that moment, everyone around them fell silent, not a single person — not even the staff — daring to intervene.

Violet stoked the fire by saying, "Sorry, I tend not to care about people beneath me."

"You—!" Sharon’s eyes widened with fury. She pulled her arm back, preparing to strike, but Violet saw it coming. She dodged and swiftly grabbed Sharon’s arm, twisting it behind her, making Sharon yelp in pain.

"How dare you?! Do you even know who I am?" Sharon shrieked, struggling against her grip, trying to free herself.

But Violet didn’t care. She grabbed Sharon’s hair and forced her to face the crowd.

"Listen up, everyone," Violet began, her voice carrying over the crowd. "I don’t care who you are or where you come from. I don’t give a fuck about your hierarchy or the privileges you enjoy at this school," Violet declared, her gaze pointedly meeting Elsie’s, the silver-haired she-wolf whose attention she now had.

"I came here to study, and that’s exactly what I plan to do. I know my place, and I’m not here to change it. So I’ll stay in my lane, and I expect you to stay in yours. No trouble, no altercation. You just leave me alone, and we’ll be fine."

Violet added, her voice hardened. "Oh, and a quick note, no name-calling, especially the word ’whore.’" She flashed a smile full of teeth. "That one pisses me off the most."

But Sharon didn’t get the message, spitting out, "You’re nothing but a whore, bitch! You think we don’t know that?"

Enough was enough. Violet dragged Sharon over to the spilled food, shoving her face into the mess she caused. Sharon sputtered and struggled, but it was futile. Violet could hear gasps of shock all around her. They probably hadn’t seen that coming.

Violet spoke again, tauntingly, as she held Sharon down. "Where I’m from, we don’t waste food. And if it falls, we pick it up, like you’re doing now."

Sharon finally gave up struggling, and Violet let go. The girl was reduced to sobs, her face and hair smeared with food.

Violet straightened, her gaze scanning the room, meeting the eyes of every student, daring them to challenge her. Her stare lingered on the elites, each one of them watching intently.

Suddenly, one of the girls in the elite section stood up, clapping slowly. She was soon joined by another, then the entire section of elite students, followed by the rest of the students on the floor. Within moments, a cacophony of applause filled the room.

Violet should have been satisfied, even victorious, but all she felt was dread. This wasn’t an ordinary applause, not with that proud look on their faces. The elites were accepting her. Whatever just happened, it was like a twisted rite of passage, one that she had somehow passed.

No. Violet’s blood ran cold. This was not what she wanted. She didn’t want to be one of them.

With her heart pounding, Violet forced her legs to move. She had to get out of there. She needed to find Principal Jameson and drop out of this hell hole today.

As she made her way out, she caught a glimpse of the students descending on Sharon like vultures, recording her humiliation. Violet felt a pang of pity for her. Almost.

But Sharon had brought this upon herself, dragging her background into it. And Violet had bigger problems now than some petty former top twenty elite.