"That's way too humiliating. Everyone here tonight is Graham City's young elite; he'll have to face them in the circle eventually."
"Could you have held it in? Janelle looked completely insane just now. I have zero doubt she would have hit him." Only those present understood how terrifyingly real the danger had been.
Janelle's gaze shifted to Lillie beside him. Erik shoved Lillie next to Nelson. Lillie's face was deathly pale. She thought coming here tonight would be a simple apology at worst. She never imagined it could descend into such utter degradation.
"I was wrong, Janelle. I know I was wrong. Please, let us go," Lillie pleaded.
A mocking smile touched Janelle's lips. "Let's go," she called out to Erik and Sara outside the car.
Seeing Nelson and Lillie's abject state filled Sara with deep satisfaction. They deserved every bit of it.
"Okay, you guys head back. I'll drive myself home," Sara said, having driven her own car. Not wanting Janelle to worry, she hummed a tune and got into her car, driving off.
Erik walked over to Nelson and kicked him hard in the calf. "Trash." He spat the word, then yanked open the passenger door and got in. Inside, he tapped a cigarette from the pack and placed it between his lips. A sudden, uncontrollable urge to smoke seized him.
"If you're feeling resentful, come find me anytime. Whatever game you want to play, I'll see it through to the end." Janelle, however, wasted no words. However Nelson and Lillie planned to retaliate, she would make them taste despair.
Janelle drove off immediately.
"Bruce, that girl is way too wild!" the buddy couldn't help exclaiming. "But seriously, she looked incredibly cool like that."
"Cool? She just pissed off the Hills. Her life won't be easy from now on." Bruce Aleen felt his chest tighten. He didn't understand why. Seeing another man in her passenger seat just made him intensely uncomfortable.
"Have someone keep an eye on her," Bruce ordered, heading towards his own supercar.
The buddy was confused. "Bruce, that girl has a boyfriend. What are you planning? You're not thinking of... snatching her, are you?"
"So? Can't I?" If Bruce Aleen wanted something, taking it wasn't out of the question, was it?
"Sure, sure," the buddy quickly agreed, though inwardly wondering if Bruce was truly a match for that man, who looked equally formidable.
The video of Nelson wetting himself, captured by someone unknown, rocketed to the top of trending searches within an hour. And it was crystal clear. There was no way to spin it.
Back at the Hills mansion, Nelson locked himself in his room, smashing everything he could get his hands on. Mrs. Hill and Lillie stood outside the door, both feeling powerless. Especially Mrs. Hill. She'd only asked him to apologize and retrieve the video. She never imagined it would end like this. Nelson had never faced real adversity. The humiliation he'd suffered today, in front of so many... it must be unbearable.
"Auntie, what do we do? Nelson values his pride so much. And now that video is everywhere!" Whether it was the public kneeling or the wetting himself, it was the kind of shame that would haunt him forever.
"Did you get the video?" Mrs. Hill seethed, but forced herself to stay calm. Janelle's return wasn't just about Blue Whale Co., Ltd. She was here for revenge.
"Not yet." Janelle hadn't given it to them.
"Fine. I'll have someone take the flash drive back by force. Once we have it, we'll deal with that little bitch." Just two nobodies, daring to strut around in front of her? Mrs. Hill made a call. "I don't care how you do it. Get that video. Name your price afterwards." After receiving confirmation, she hung up. "Alright, you go home. I'll handle getting the video back. You focus on preparing for the Institute assessment. As for the online videos, I'll have them removed."
Lillie nodded, having no choice but to leave. Nelson was too ashamed to see anyone right now.
After leaving Nightfall, Janelle didn't head home. She drove the car onto a winding mountain road, treacherous with its sharp bends. She pushed the Cullinan to its limits. Only its exceptional performance could withstand such punishment. The extreme speed brought Janelle a fierce sense of release.
Finally, she stopped the car at a cliff edge overlooking a vast abyss. She pushed open the door and got out.
Seeing this, Erik grabbed his cigarette pack and lighter and followed her. He lit a cigarette, shielding the flame from the wind with one hand, and took a few deep drags.
The young woman stood near the cliff edge, silhouetted against the void, looking eerily lonely, as if she might step off at any moment. He didn't know what was in her mind, but he wanted to be there. He hated the chilling desolation radiating from her; it made his heart ache.
He stepped closer and offered her the lit cigarette. "What is it? Feeling conflicted now?"
Janelle took the cigarette from him, inhaling deeply. The nicotine jolted her nerves.
"Erik, what if I really had killed him?" It was a society ruled by law. Some lines couldn't be crossed.
"Trash like that? Dead is dead." Erik pulled her into his embrace. "You hate them, don't you?" He didn't know the specifics of what happened five years ago, but he'd seen her photos from before. A bright, confident, radiant girl who seemed to own the world. The aura she carried now – that profound weariness – was far too heavy for her age. If it weren't for her mother needing her, if it weren't for the need for revenge... she might not have kept going.
"Yeah. Hate," Janelle answered bluntly.
"Then destroy them, Janelle. Follow your heart. Whatever you want to do, I'll support you."
Janelle looked into Erik's eyes. They were beautiful, and right now, they held only her. In this moment, she didn't doubt his words. He truly supported her. However crazy, however twisted she might be.
Janelle knew she wasn't normal now. But so what? If madness was the only path to feeling alive, why suppress it?
And right now... she wanted him. She wanted his burning warmth.
And Janelle Rovella had always been a creature of impulse. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulled him close, and kissed him.