There was a saying at Elite Crest Academy:
*"The school wears a crown — and Daniel Anderson holds the scepter."*
Captain of the debate team. Straight A's. Son of the school's biggest donor. The teachers loved him. Girls adored him. Boys feared him.
But Nara?
She remembered what he really was.
*A coward. A bully. A killer.*
He was the one who locked the dormitory doors the night of the fire.
He watched her burn, turned the key, and smiled.
Now, it was her turn.
---
*That Morning – School Assembly Hall*
The school gathered for the usual Friday announcements, but the tension in the room was thick. Mr. Adewale's suspension was all anyone talked about. Rina had stopped attending school "for mental health reasons." The Royal Circle was cracking.
Daniel still stood tall.
He wore arrogance like a designer jacket. A smirk on his lips. Hands in his pockets. Nara watched from three rows behind, quiet, steady, calculating.
She didn't need to rush him.
She just needed to loosen one stone in his pedestal — and the whole statue would fall.
---
*Later That Day – The Boys' Dormitory Wing*
Nara slipped in during lunch hour. The student guard recognized her — she smiled and said she was dropping off a note for her "study partner." He nodded, clueless.
Daniel's dorm was unlocked. Of course. Why would a king fear a break-in?
She stepped in and paused.
Everything screamed money — LED lighting, custom shelves, a sleek speaker system quietly playing a trap beat. But behind all that… dust.
*He was sloppy. Untouchable. Careless.*
She walked to the desk and opened the top drawer. Nothing useful.
The second?
Bingo.
A private USB stick, labeled with masking tape:
*"DU-Proof-Backups."*
She slipped it into her pocket and walked out unnoticed.
---
*That Night – Nara's Room*
She plugged the USB into her laptop, breath held.
Files. Videos. Screenshots.
Chats with Mr. Adewale about "handling the scholarship girl."
Photos of Rina planting jewelry in Nara's bag.
A recording — grainy, low-quality — of Daniel laughing outside the dorm the night of the fire.
**"Did she scream?" someone asked.
"She begged," Daniel answered.
"Bet she's crispy now."**
Nara's hand clenched the mouse so tightly it cracked.
She could upload it now.
Ruin him. End him.
But no — not yet.
She didn't want him expelled.
She wanted him exposed.
Humiliated.
Destroyed from the inside.
This needed to be public.
*Live. Loud. And irreversible.*
---
*The Next Day – Debate Finals*
The entire school packed into the auditorium to watch Daniel defend his regional title. He was flawless, of course — charming, brilliant, theatrical. He loved the spotlight.
Nara waited until the final round.
As Daniel delivered his closing statement, the stage projector flickered.
Then played the audio file.
*"She begged."*
*"Bet she's crispy now."*
Gasps. Screams. Phones out. Teachers rising.
Daniel froze mid-sentence, color draining from his face.
Nara stood quietly at the back, arms folded.
Zayne turned to her and whispered, "That was you?"
She didn't answer.
She didn't need to.
The flames had returned.
And Daniel…
*was choking on the smoke.*