**Chapter 4: Unmasking Deception**

The day hasn't began like any other for Arina Johns, with her father being arrest and a sudden phone call from the headmistress assistant but which would soon unravel threatened to shatter her world. The headmistress of Constance College summoned her, and a sense of foreboding cast a shadow over the crisp winter air.

Arina, her heart pounding with apprehension, entered the headmistress's office to find it teeming with members of the school board. Among them stood Mr. Collins, the man she had esteemed and admired, though his presence now filled her with disquiet. Why had this assembly convened?

Mr. Collins, his tone solemn, was the first to address her. "Arina, we confront a grave issue today. Troubling messages have surfaced, purportedly sent by you."

Arina's eyes widened in disbelief. "Inappropriate messages? I assure you, Mr. Collins, I would never engage in such behavior."

The headmistress, a stern yet fair figure, proceeded to read aloud the damning messages, their words hanging like a guillotine over Arina's reputation:

"I would go to any lengths for academic success. Even barter one night of my virtue for it."

Humbled, Arina's cheeks burned with humiliation and anger. "I swear upon my honor, these messages are not of my doing. Someone must have tampered with my phone."

Her protests, however, fell on deaf ears. The evidence appeared irrefutable, leaving the headmistress with no recourse but to take drastic measures.

"I regret this deeply, Arina," the headmistress lamented, "but we cannot tolerate such misconduct within these hallowed halls. You are hereby expelled. clean up your locker"

Arina's world crumbled around her. The dreams she had nurtured, her aspirations for a brighter future, all dissolved like sand through her trembling fingers. Desperate to clarify her innocence, she attempted to explain, yet her pleas echoed in a vacuum of indifference.

As she departed the headmistress's office, she searched for Aaron, the confidant she had come to rely upon. But he had vanished.

Desperation gripped her heart as she roamed the college grounds, her solitude complete. She had not only lost her education but also her standing and dignity, all in a blink of cruel fate.

---

In the Johnson residence, the unfolding drama continued. Arina's father, Thomas Johnson, had been incarcerated, and her mother, Linda, was exhausting their last savings to secure legal representation for the looming court trial.

Unbeknownst to them, the tentacles of the Whitemore family's influence extended even into the legal arena. The lawyer they had enlisted, a seemingly reputable advocate named Mr. Roberts, had already been co-opted by the Whitemores.

Within the dimly lit confines of her home, Linda sat huddled over the telephone, her voice quivering with desperation as she conversed with the lawyer she hoped would be her husband's savior. "Please, Mr. Roberts, you must understand the gravity of our situation. We have entrusted you with our every resource, our last penny."

Mr. Roberts, the legal puppet entangled in the Whitemores' machinations, donned a façade of empathy. "Rest assured, Mrs. Johnson, I shall employ every resource at my disposal to defend your husband."

Unbeknownst to Linda, Mr. Roberts was but a pawn in a larger, sinister scheme, where justice and veracity held no dominion.

---

As Arina vacated the college campus, her heart shattered by expulsion, Aaron finally unveiled his malevolent true self. He approached her with a malevolent smirk, the mask of camaraderie obliterated.

"You see, Arina," he sneered, "I never forgot that resounding slap. You humiliated me then, and now it is your turn to endure suffering."

Arina's heart plunged as Aaron divulged the depths of his duplicity. "You orchestrated all this? You manipulated everything?"

Aaron nodded, his eyes devoid of remorse. "It was all a calculated game, Arina. I relished watching your torment."

“You are sick".Tears welled in Arina's eyes as she grappled with the crushing reality. She had been ensnared, betrayed by one she had regarded as a friend.

The chapter concluded with Arina's world unraveling further, her father imprisoned, her mother's finances drained, and the revelation of Aaron's malevolent disposition.

---

To be continued

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***