CHAPTER 447: CHAPTER 447: DIANA’S SUSPICION

Diana shook her head firmly and let out a slow breath before she spoke again, trying to keep her voice steady.

"It’s impossible for Aurora to be the culprit. If Aurora had done something like this, she would have admitted it openly. Yes, she likes to play dirty sometimes, but she never hides her hand once she plays her game. And even though there were hints pointing toward her, anyone could see from her reaction just now that she wasn’t the one behind this incident."

Shelly immediately interjected, "Maybe she was pretending. Maybe that’s why none of us could catch her."

Hearing those words, Diana’s brows furrowed. She slowly turned to look at Shelly, only to freeze when she saw a faint flicker of excitement shining in Shelly’s eyes, subtle, fleeting, but unmistakable.

It was a look Diana recognized instantly. It was the look of someone waiting... waiting for Diana to slip, waiting for her to take just one more wrong step so Shelly could use it against her... or escape from something.

Escape? From what? Diana wondered, confusion and dread tightening inside her chest.

And then Aurora’s earlier words replayed in her mind... her calm voice, her quiet warning, saying that the enemy she had made might have been inside her own camp all along.

A chill ran through Diana. For the first time, she felt her heart turn cold.

This woman beside her, the one acting chummy and overly friendly, the one who claimed to be her closest companion... she might be one of the people holding a grudge against her.

Diana swallowed. She knew why. She had to admit it to herself.

There had been many times, too many, during their teenage years, when she had stolen Shelly’s boyfriends just for the thrill of it, simply because she wanted to prove she could.

She had enjoyed making Shelly’s admirers turn toward her, basking in the attention and the praise. It wasn’t out of love. It wasn’t out of interest. It was pure vanity.

Who would have thought that it would someday invite Shelly’s jealousy? Diana thought with a hollow ache.

And now, for the first time, regret washed over her.

She had always believed that her actions would fade away without consequences.

But today, she realized that even the poems she used to quote, poems about consequences, karma, and retribution, carried a voice.

A voice that could roar and crush her sand-castle life within minutes.

Meanwhile, Aurora returned to her classroom. The first thing she saw was Mia and Selena half-dozing at their desks, looking like two exhausted cats.

Aurora rolled her eyes. This had become such a routine that she almost didn’t react anymore.

She walked over and sat beside Mia. At once, Mia perked up, excitement lighting her face.

"Aurora! Are you free today? I was thinking... maybe we could go to a movie?"

Aurora shook her head gently. "I can’t. I’m preparing for the university entrance exam."

Mia blinked, her excitement fading. Aurora had told her before that she planned to take the exam early and enter university ahead of everyone else.

And though Mia secretly felt sad, because it meant fewer memories together, she still respected Aurora’s choice.

After all, Aurora’s intelligence was on a completely different level from theirs. Every class test, every exam, the semester ranking had proven that. Holding Aurora back would be the same as binding the wings of someone destined to fly higher than the rest.

Mia nodded quietly. "Alright then. If you’re busy, I won’t disturb you."

Aurora glanced toward Selena, who was staring out the window with a distant expression. Mia followed her gaze and shrugged. "She’s just throwing one of her tiny tantrums."

From her position, Selena suddenly chuckled. "If I were really throwing a tantrum," she murmured, "you’d see it tonight during our nightly sports."

Mia’s face flushed bright red. Aurora rolled her eyes again.

She was fed dog food every single day at this point and was dangerously close to applying for a transfer to the opposite corner of the classroom.

They chatted for a while until the next lecture began. After class ended, Aurora left to fetch lunch, something she and Mia usually took turns doing. But after Mia and Selena confirmed their relationship, it was Aurora and Selena who started to take turns, while Mia stayed behind.

Aurora bought a few snacks quickly and began walking back. But halfway to the classroom, she overheard something.

Two girls were whispering behind a pillar, their voices dripping with malicious delight.

"Aurora is sleeping around with that old man..."

Aurora stopped walking. Her brows lifted. Then her eyes turned ice-cold.

Who started this? Diana? Or one of her minions?

She even had the urge to storm straight into Diana’s classroom and confront her. But she forced the impulse down.

Instead, she took out her phone and began recording.

The girls startled when they realized she was filming them. "W-What are you doing?!"

Aurora let out a soft laugh. "Since you’re slandering me so confidently, I thought I should collect evidence. You know, so I can sue you for defamation."

The two girls paled instantly. "W-We weren’t slandering you! We were just repeating what we heard!"

"Oh?" Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Repeating defamation is still defamation. It’s also bullying. And doing it right in front of me, hoping I’d feel inferior or ashamed, shows exactly how malicious you are."

Both girls froze, their expressions stiffening. Because everything Aurora said was the truth.

Once upon a time, Aurora had been the girl many women hated, because she had dated Spencer.

Spencer, the heartthrob who never spared a glance at anyone until Aurora came along. His fan club had practically combusted with jealousy.

When Aurora broke up with him, their jealousy turned into outright hatred.

How dare she break up with Spencer?

How dare she act innocent afterward?

Some girls had even whispered about her dating multiple boys, hoping to isolate her, hoping to humiliate her.

But Aurora stood before them now, calm, sharp, unshaken. Her confidence left them stunned.

"We’re sorry, Aurora," one of the girls said weakly. "It was just a harmless prank..."

Aurora laughed lightly. "If it was harmless, why did it hurt? If someone feels hurt, it’s not harmless."

The girls bowed repeatedly, apologizing, begging her not to take it further.

Aurora thought for a moment, then said,

"Since you seem sincere, I’ll let this go. But if you dare to spread another rumor about me, thinking I won’t do anything, you’re wrong. I already know about your group. I just don’t know the mastermind yet. But if I catch any one of you, or the person directing you, I will show you what it means to cross Aurora."

The girls trembled as if ice water had been poured over them.

After they fled, Aurora stood still for a moment, tapping her fingers lightly. She had suspected Diana at first, but judging from these girls’ behavior, the puppet master was someone else.

She would investigate later.

When she returned to the classroom, she stopped abruptly.

Diana was sitting in her seat.

Aurora’s expression instantly darkened. She strode forward. "What kind of trouble are you looking for now?"

Diana looked up at her, her eyes earnest and hopeful. "I... want to be friends with you."

The classroom fell silent.

Aurora felt her ears ring. Mia stared with confusion plastered across her face.

Selena rolled her eyes and took Mia’s hand possessively, reminding her who she belonged to.

After all, she knew about the crush Mia had on Diana once, and it was one of the reasons why she sent death glares to Diana during the entire time.

Mia gave her a silent look but didn’t move away.

She kept her eyes on the unfolding drama, prepared to intervene if Diana showed hostility, but Diana wasn’t hostile at all. She genuinely looked like she wanted to make amends.

Diana met Aurora’s gaze with a hopeful, almost desperate expression.

Aurora stared at her for a long second and finally asked, "Did someone poison you?"

Diana’s lips twitched. "I’m serious. I truly want to be your friend."

Aurora remained calm. "I’m not interested. Move. You’re in my seat."

But Diana shook her head stubbornly. "I won’t move until you agree."

Aurora’s patience snapped one thread at a time.

And the classroom watched, breathless, waiting to see whether Aurora would drag Diana out bodily... or whether Diana truly meant the change blooming in her eyes.

Aurora leaned slightly closer, her voice dropping to a quiet, dangerously controlled level. "Diana, I’m telling you one last time. Move."

But Diana didn’t flinch. She sat up straighter, clutching the edge of the desk like it was her last anchor. "No. Not until you hear me out."

Mia’s eyes widened. Selena’s brows shot up. The entire class seemed to freeze.

Aurora’s frown deepened. "I don’t want to hear you out."

"I know," Diana said softly. "I know you have no reason to trust me. And you have every reason to hate me. But..." Her voice trembled slightly.