Chapter 29 – The Crack Within The Storm (2
After Principal Aiden, Principal Rowan, Miss Irena, Violet, Jeff, and Emery were done reviewing the footage in the CCTV room, they all stepped out together towards the waiting area.
The moment they reached it, everyone froze.
Dannon was standing there, gripping a man's arm tightly, twisting it behind his back.
The man was Mr. Hales.
The same man who had been quick to call Violet a thief.
The one who interrupted both the principals conversation earlier.
The head of Migan City College's event committee.
How did this happen?
Let's rewind a little.
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A few minutes earlier, back in the waiting room, Andrea was still seated.
Quiet.
Still.
But his mind was anything but calm.
He was thinking about Violet.
Was she alright?
Was she just pretending to be strong?
Did all of this hurt her more than she was letting on?
Those thoughts refused to leave him.
Beside him, Dannon was scrolling through his phone, half-bored.
Then Andrea noticed movement from the corner of his eye.
He turned slightly.
A man stepped out of the teachers' office.
Mr. Hales.
The man glanced around before quickly slipping something into his pocket, his movements stiff and uneasy.
Andrea's eyes narrowed just a little.
"Dannon," he said quietly. "That must be one of the teachers.
Go ask him where violet and the others are."
Dannon stood and walked over.
"Excuse me, sir," he said politely. "We're here for Principal Aiden and Violet. Do you know where they are?"
Mr. Hales startled , felt irritated.
"I don't know," he snapped. "Am I their nanny? Why are you asking me about the thief and the one who helped her steal?"
Then his gaze dropped to Dannon's uniform.
"Oh," he scoffed. "You're from the same school as that thief. Are you one too?"
Dannon's jaw tightened, but his voice stayed controlled.
"Sir, please watch your words. Nothing has been confirmed yet. You can't just call someone a thief. And no—I'm not."
Mr. Hales sneered.
"And if I don't?" he said, stepping closer. "What will you do, you useless kid—"
He raised his hand, trying to hit Dannon.
But before it could land—
Dannon caught it.
And twisted it firmly behind Mr. Hales' back, and that's what happened.
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Back to the present.
The moment Mr. Hales saw Principal Rowan and the others, his tone changed completely.
"Mr. Lee! Mr. Lee!" he cried. "Please help me! Look at what this kid is doing to me!"
Rowan frowned. "What's going on here?"
Andrea stood up.
He walked forward calmly.
He saw Violet.
For a brief moment, his heart stumbled—but he didn't rush to her.
He wanted to.
But he held himself back.
He caught her eyes and gave her a small wink.
Then he turned to Rowan and extended his hand.
"Rowan Lee," Andrea said warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Andrea Mist."
Rowan paused when he heard the surname.
His expression shifted, and he quickly shook Andrea's hand.
"Mr. Mist," he greeted.
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Meanwhile—
The moment Violet saw Andrea, her heart skipped.
And when he winked at her, it felt like her heart completely lost its rhythm.
Vira chuckled inside her head.
Host, calm down. At this rate your heart will run away.
Violet felt her cheeks heat up.
Shut up, she replied mentally.
Mr. Hales, on the other hand, had gone silent.
The moment he heard the name Mist, his face drained of color.
His idol Julia has warned him about the Mist, especially Andrea Mist.
He gulped,if he could disappear he would, so he chose to keep quiet, thinking it will keep him out of their sight
His free hand moved into his pocket, instinctively trying to hide whatever was inside.
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Andrea turned toward Aiden then greeted.
"Uncle."
"What are you doing here?" Aiden asked, surprised.
Andrea's gaze softened as it flicked briefly to Violet.
"If I'm not here," he said calmly, "then who will be—when my wife is being framed?"
Rowan stiffened. "Your wife?"
"Yes," Andrea answered simply. "Violet."
Rowan looked shocked. "She's thirteen… and you're sixteen. You're married already?"
"Not yet," Andrea replied honestly. "Though I wish we were. We're engaged."
"Engaged?" Violet blurted out before she could stop herself, turning towards him. "Engaged to you?"
Andrea smiled faintly.
"You accepted my proposal when you were four. Don't deny it now."
Violet froze when she heard that.
…She indeed accepted it.
She accepted the whip.
Even Vira sighed.
Host… he's not lying.
Completely flustered, Violet turned her face away.
"Mmm," she muttered softly. "Shameless."
Meanwhile when Rowan heard that they are engaged , he was completely lost for words,was it arranged he thought.
But the only thing that came out of his mouth was—
"Congratulations."
Andrea, completely shameless, smiled faintly.
"Thank you. When it's time for the wedding, I'll make sure to send the invitation."
The moment Violet heard that, her face visibly turned red.
So red she felt like digging a pit and burying herself inside it.
Aiden, who was clearly tired of his nephew's antics, raised his hand and smacked Andrea squarely at the back of his head.
"Enough," he said coldly. "Before your wedding even happens, you'll lose your wife."
At first, when the principal hit Andrea, Violet thought the principal was about to stop him.
But the moment she processed what he actually said—
Her face turned completely crimson.
Vira inside her couldn't help but laugh then started humming the classical wedding song happily.
Emery, standing beside her, even nudged her lightly with his elbow, wiggling his brows teasingly at her.
That was the final straw.
Violet felt embarassed both inside and out.
"I— excuse me," she muttered quickly.
Before anyone could stop her, she turned around and ran out of the waiting area, heading straight for where she was staying—the dorms at Migan City College.
For a brief second, the room was silent.
Then—
Laughter burst out.
They couldn't help it as they watched her flustered figure disappear down the hallway.
Emery running after her and Jeff slowly walking behind.
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The moment Violet , Emery and Jeff disappeared down the corridor, the lightness they left behind vanished with them.
Laughter faded.
Smiles dropped.
The air in the waiting area shifted—heavy, tight, alert.
"Ahem."
Aiden's voice cut through the silence.
"Dannon. Let him go now."
Without hesitation, Dannon released his grip. Mr. Hales stumbled forward slightly, clutching his twisted wrist, his face red—not just from pain, but panic.
Rowan stepped forward, his expression no longer polite.
"What exactly is going on here?" he asked calmly.
Before Dannon could speak, Mr. Hales straightened himself hurriedly, forcing out a laugh.
"It's nothing, sir—just a misunderstanding," he said quickly. "Kids these days are too sensitive." I only said a few words, and suddenly I'm being attacked—"
"Careful," Andrea said softly.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried.
Mr. Hales froze.
"I asked what happened," Rowan repeated, slower this time.
Sweat beaded at Mr. Hales' temples.
"I—I merely told him to mind his business," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "He came asking about miss violet who wasn't even my responsibility. I might've raised my voice, but nothing more."
As he spoke, his body moved restlessly.
Too restlessly.
Something slipped from his pocket.
Clink.
A small object hit the floor.
Everyone looked down.
Silence crashed into the room.
It was tiny.
Black.
Barely the size of a fingernail.
A microphone.
A listening device.
No one spoke.
Rowan's face darkened instantly.
Aiden's gaze sharpened.
Andrea slowly crouched, picked it up between two fingers, and examined it with unsettling calm.
"A recording device," he said lightly. "Interesting."
Mr. Hales' face drained of color.
"I—I don't know how that got there!" he blurted
Rowan turned to him, his voice ice-cold.
"Mr hales, why are you with this" he asked.
"I really don't know sir, Someone...yes, someone must have planted it to frame me, you know me sirl."
"Indeed I know you,I thought I did, but I guess I'm wrong, that's why I will deal with you, security"
Two guards appeared almost immediately.
"Escort Mr. Hales out," Rowan ordered. "And keep him under supervision. He is not to leave campus."
"But sir—!" Hales protested.
"I said go."
He was dragged away, still shouting excuses, his voice fading down the hallway.
The door shut.
Hard.
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No one moved for a few seconds.
Until Andrea spoke up
"Mr. Rowan, I'd love to borrow him for a moment. I'm quite curious about a few things, you see." he paused "Dont worry,I will return him in one piece, though it shouldn't matter how the one piece looks like "
I'm sorry,mr mist, I can't do that, it's against the schools system .
"Oh,ok, it's such a pity though"replied Andrea shrugging.
Then Aiden changed the topic
"If someone could plant a listening device inside the college," Aiden said quietly, "then this is no longer about an exam scandal."
Rowan nodded. "This was premeditated."
Aiden folded his hands . "They wanted information. Reactions. Names."
Andrea leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, eyes dark.
"Or confirmation," he added. "They wanted to make sure Violet's fate is sealed with this cheating scandal."
That sentence settled heavily in the room.
Rowan exhaled slowly. "From this moment on, this investigation is internal. No staff enters restricted areas without clearance. CCTV access logs—every single one—will be reviewed."
Aiden stepped forward. "Imperial High will cooperate fully. But understand this—Violet De'ora is not a suspect. She is a victim, if this affects her negatively, I promise I will bring Migan City college down with her."
"Understood," Rowan replied immediately.
Miss Irena soon spoke up. "what about Julia Crescent?" she asked carefully.
Andrea replied. "Her. Don't worry about her."
His lips curved faintly.
"For now," he echoed.
Few minutes later,they were done with their conversation.it was finally time to leave.
Andrea who wanted to see Violet again, was stopped by his uncle who dragged him out.
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The next day.
At the De'oras mansion.
John had returned.
The man who had been sent to look into Julia Crescent now stood in the living room, a thin file held neatly in his hands.
Lily and Kingsley were already seated, tension hanging heavily in the air.
John stepped forward and handed the documents to Kingsley.
"Sir," he said respectfully, "as you can see, Julia Crescent was indeed adopted. She came from Grace Orphanage."
Kingsley flipped through the papers slowly.
"She was abandoned by her parents one week after she was born," John continued. "On the fifteenth of September."
Lily's fingers curled tightly against the sofa.
"And sir," John added, "her recorded birthday is the eighth of September."
Lily's heart skipped.
"The same day as Miss Violet's birthday."
For a moment, no one spoke.
"And there's more," John said after a brief pause. "Though this part hasn't been fully confirmed yet."
Lily looked up immediately. "More… what is it?"
"There have been rumors," John said carefully, "that Miss Julia may possess… unusual abilities."
"Unusual abilities?" Lily repeated softly. "What do you mean?"
"Miss Victoria's parents once told their relatives that Julia Crescent hypnotized them years ago," John explained. "They claimed that if it hadn't been for a perfume Miss Violet once gave Victoria, the situation could have been much worse."
"Violet?" Asked Kingsley
"Yes sir", answered john,he lowered his head slightly before continuing.
"But sir, this isn't confirmed. I can't be completely sure."
Lily felt a chill run down her spine.
"And sir," John added, "there's one more thing."
Kingsley looked up sharply. "What else?"
"The maids working in the second branch of the Crescent family's home have reported strange behavior," John said. "They say Joe Crescent and his wife act… differently around Julia."
"Differently how?" Kingsley asked.
"They say Julia practically rules the house," John replied. "If she tells them to go left, they go left. If she tells them to go right, they obey. It's as if they're being pulled by invisible strings whenever she's around."
John hesitated.
"I haven't been able to find where she learned such behavior from."
Kingsley's expression darkened.
"Hypnotizing powers…" he muttered.
He closed the file slowly.
"Thank you, John. You may go."
"Yes, sir," John replied, bowing before quietly leaving the room.
When the door closed, Lily turned toward her husband, fear clear in her eyes.
"Kingsley," she said softly, "that girl is obviously the twin. And this talk of hypnotism… where would she even learn something like that?"
Her voice trembled.
"What if she uses it on Violet?"
Kingsley pulled Lily into his arms, the file slipping from his hands and landing on the table.
"Don't worry," he said gently, holding her close. "I'm here."
His voice grew firmer, steadier.
"I'll take care of it."
"I promise."