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"And that would be all for today," the teacher announced as the shrilling sound of the bell rang through the room.

The Anatomy and Physiology class was finally over and Violet was the first to pop out of her seat, slinging her satchel over one shoulder like a soldier gearing up for war.

Her strides were brisk as she headed straight for the front of the class as if being anywhere near the back was suffocating. Because it was.

And it was because he was there. Alaric Storm. The very storm that had ripped her apart twenty-four hours ago.

After yesterday’s humiliation, where Alaric Storm had publicly degraded and shamed her, she’d expected a carryover of the same hostility today. Violet had expected him to sneer, and glare at her. That he would pretend like she didn’t exist.

Yet when their gazes met briefly, all she’d seen in those glacial blue depths was not ice, but regret. It jolted her so hard that a small, humiliating squeak slipped past her lips before she could catch it.

Violet had turned away instantly, her cheeks hot, and her heart thudding wildly like a trapped thing.

She hadn’t looked back after that. Not once.

Not even when she felt the intensity of his gaze on her nape like a ghost’s touch.

She sat ramrod straight for the rest of the class, overly conscious of his presence.

How dare he? How dare he look at her with remorse?

He didn’t get to do that. Not after yesterday. Not after he tore her down in front of the entire school. Not after he’d stripped her dignity and handed it to Elsie like a prize for a game well played.

He didn’t get to feel bad.

Violet wasn’t naive; yes, she hurt him with her shenanigans with Roman, but his stunt yesterday went too far.

If Alaric truly wanted to settle the score, he should’ve confronted her in private.

Instead, he’d conspired with Elsie to crush her.

He’d dragged out her darkest fear and presented it to a swarm of vultures.

So no. Violet didn’t want his apology, nor his regret. She wanted revenge. And to achieve that, she needed to keep her head clear and her heart cold.

Violet shoved the image of those regretful blue eyes deep, deep down where it couldn’t touch her, hardening her heart like steel around a fragile core. She had to hate him enough to see this through. There could be no softening, no second thoughts. They would all pay, every last one of them.

That was precisely why Violet didn’t hesitate to flee the classroom the instant the lesson ended—before anyone else had even stood up.

She refused to let Alaric or anyone else slow her down.

Not when she had more pressing business like tracking down Natalie.

Hence, there was no time to waste on distractions.

Violet had no idea how Asher did it, but stalking someone was not as easy as she had thought.

She needed Natalie alone without eyes on her, but it was proving near impossible to corner the girl.

Daisy and Natalie had the same class, and right now, her friend had just texted her that Natalie was heading toward the ladies’ restroom. Good. Just the place she needed her.

Violet rushed over to the restroom, nearly running into Lila, who caught her with a grin. "There you are," she said, clearly pleased with herself. "I emptied out the whole place. Don’t worry, it’ll just be the both of you in there. I’ll make sure no one else goes in while you’re talking."

Violet looked at Lila with gratitude. "Thank you, Lila." She hugged her quickly and hurried into the restroom.

Just as Lila had promised, the stalls were cleared out, except for one. Violet waited, listening. The moment she heard the flush of the toilet, she ran to the sink and turned on the water, washing her hands as casually as she could manage.

Natalie stepped out a second later, not even pausing when she saw her.

She simply moved to the sink beside her and began washing her own hands in silence.

Both of them stood there, wordless, the sound of running water the only noise between them.

Natalie was the first to finish. She dried her hands, pulled out her compact, and started touching up her lips without sparing Violet a second glance.

Violet glanced at her from the corner of her eyes, nerves crawling under her skin. How was she supposed to begin? Doubts began creeping in, was this a terrible idea?

"You’ve been washing your hands for over five minutes now," Natalie said coolly. "What do you want from me, fallen queen?"

Violet didn’t know what surprised her more, that Natalie knew she wanted something, or that she’d just called her fallen queen.

Violet snorted, brushing off the jab that, strangely, didn’t even sting. "Fallen queen. Is that what they call me now?"

"They call you a lot of things," Natalie replied with a shrug, still reapplying her lipstick. "But that’s the one that stands out for now. It’s better than the rest."

Violet’s jaw clenched, but she swallowed her rising temper. She wasn’t here to trade insults. "You’re right. I do need your help."

Natalie paused, slowly capping her lipstick and turning to face her. "What is it you want, Violet Purple?"

Violet swallowed, the weight of her request suddenly pressing on her chest. It was risky. But she had come this far.

"I need you to procure a recording device for me."

"Excuse me?" Natalie blinked, thrown off. "Why do you need a recording device? Who is it—?" Her eyes narrowed. "Oh."

"You intend to record Elsie. The rumors aren’t wrong about you, you really are going for an eye for an eye."

"I got intel Elsie is hiding something," Violet said, voice low. "A secret. And it might be exactly what I need to take her down for good. So, are you going to help me or not?"

Natalie studied her for a moment. "Of course I’ll help." She stepped closer, eyes gleaming with curiosity. "But what do I get in return?"