My father clenched his teeth and turned toward Valerie’s parents.
“We’ll settle this privately. This matter cannot get out. We can’t afford this disgrace!”
“How do you plan to settle it privately?” Valerie’s father asked coldly. “Didn’t your family want that piece of land on the west side of the city?”
“I’ll give it to you,” my father replied. “But on the condition that this matter is never made public.”
“Fine,” Valerie’s father agreed. “But he must kneel and apologize to my daughter.”
Not long after that, I was left alone in the mediation room.
They had all gone to negotiate the terms of reconciliation.
I had nowhere to go.
I sat in a chair, charging my phone, completely motionless, like a corpse.
After a while, the door to the mediation room opened.
Lucas walked in.
I glanced at him indifferently, then slipped my phone back into my shirt pocket without saying a word.
“Marcus… Marcus,” Lucas said as he sat down across from me, a dark smile slowly spreading across his face.
“You never expected things to turn out like this, did you?”
“The evidence isn’t solid,” I said suddenly.
Lucas shot me a sharp glare. Then he laughed.
Without warning, he reached out and scratched my arm hard, using all his strength.
It was already very late.
But I had nowhere to go.
Home was not an option. I did not want to go back there at all. My parents were twisted, distorted people. The moment I saw them, I could not stop myself from wanting to kill them both.
School was no longer an option either.
The group chat was overflowing with nothing but curses aimed directly at me.
[Did you hear? Marcus forced himself on Valerie!]
[Wasn’t it said he just stood by and did nothing?]
[It wasn’t standing by. He hired street punks! Those punks already turned themselves in.]
[Marcus, come out and die, you bastard!]
[If he dares come back to school, I’ll beat him to death. Anyone in?]
[Count me in!]
[Me too!]
[Good looks, good grades, and from a good family background. How did he turn out to be such an asshole?]
I let out a bitter smile, closed the group chat, and slipped my phone into my pocket.
At that moment, the door to the mediation room opened.
It was the female police officer.
When she saw me, she sighed softly.
“You… you… Are you alright?” she asked gently.
“I’m fine,” I replied.
“Thank you for protecting me.”
I was in miserable shape, yet I still forced myself to give her the brightest smile I could manage.