A collective gasp spread through the surrounding crowd.
"Blue Pavilion?"
"The Blue Pavilion?"
"The number one designer empire in Averis?"
"No way..."
"The home of fashion," Ava continued lazily. "The nation where fashion, fame, prestige, popularity, and luxury are practically religions."
She shrugged.
"Even the beggars there have better taste than you."
Several people almost choked trying not to laugh.
The fashionable girl's expression twisted.
Ava wasn't finished.
"And you think the guy I'm chasing would leave me for you?"Her gaze slowly drifted toward Matthew before returning to the girl.
"He doesn't lack money You can't even afford one of his shoes."
A beat passed.
"And even if he suddenly wanted someone to spend money on him..."She smiled sweetly."It definitely wouldn't be you Lunatic."
The girl's face turned red, then pale.
Her fingers trembled so violently she almost dropped her handbag.
Matthew quietly lowered his head, hiding the smile tugging at his lips.
Without another glance, Ava opened the driver's door and slid into the seat.
The luxurious cabin sealed shut with a soft click.
Matthew opened the passenger door and paused.
He looked back at the frozen group.
"You people are actually pretty lucky..."
Everyone instinctively looked at him.
"...and pretty unlucky."He slipped one hand into his pocket."Lucky because she didn't beat the hell out of you."
A few people subconsciously glanced at the fourth boy still clutching his chest.
Matthew's calm voice continued.
"Unlucky because if she had....you'd at least get a few peaceful days in the hospital before spending the rest of your lives paying compensation."
He smiled faintly.
"She would've treated you like royalty Private roomBest doctors Excellent foodSo you'd recover nicelybefore walking straight into court."
A few nervous laughs escaped from the watching crowd.
Matthew's eyes remained indifferent.
" That awaits Generational debt and jail time."
He nodded thoughtfully.
"You would've had plenty of opportunities to discuss generosity, gaslighting, kindness, and public morality with the judge."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Matthew turned away as if he'd already lost interest.
He got into the passenger seat.
Before he could reach for the seat belt
Click.
Ava leaned over him, pulling the belt smoothly across his chest before fastening it with a crisp snap."ThereMy sugar baby."
Matthew sighed."...Hopeless."
The black sports car purred to life.
Its taillights flashed once.
The crowd instinctively stepped aside as the customized supercar rolled forward.
Within seconds It disappeared into the night, leaving behind nothing but stunned expressions, countless phone recordings... and eight people whose lives had just become far more complicated.
What finally snapped the group out of their daze was the sudden chorus of sirens echoing through the food street.
One police car.
Then another.
Then another.
Within moments, the entire road was surrounded by police vehicles.
Officers poured out in orderly lines while several luxurious black sedans stopped behind them. Men and women in tailored suits stepped out, each carrying holographic document cases emblazoned with the insignia of different law firms.
The once lively food street fell silent.
The influencers immediately turned their cameras toward the commotion.
Restaurant owners peeked from their entrances.
Customers stopped eating.
Everyone watched as the police and legal teams walked directly toward the group.
Before anyone could react—
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
The phones of the group members rang one after another.
Court notifications.
Official court summons.
The emblem displayed on the notification alone was enough to make their hearts stop.
It was a court they never imagined they would ever receive a summons from.
The kind of court ordinary people only heard about in the news.
The second girl's face instantly lost all color.
The first boy's livestream phone slipped from his hand.
The second boy's legs turned weak.
The third boy stared at the screen, unable to process what he was reading.
The girl with fashionable first girl froze in disbelief.
The fourth and fifth boys were no better.
The only person whose phone remained silent was the girl with glasses .
P.S.to my readers:The case was taken so seriously because both the nation and the country regarded anything rare with absolute importance.
Technology.
Weapons.
Culture.
History.
Ancient artifacts.
Artificial intelligence.
Virtual worlds.
National advancements in wealth.
Military strength.
Scientific development.
Security.
Even appearance and public image.
Everything that represented the country's prestige was heavily protected.
It was one of the reasons Elysia was known among other nations as "Earth's Paradise."
Meanwhile, Aurelion—the heart of Elysia—was famously called "The Oasis."
The country was both extremely modern and surprisingly old-fashioned at the same time, creating a unique civilization unlike anywhere else.
As expected...
The glasses girl never received a court summons.
She had merely been standing by the side.
If Ava truly wanted to drag her into court, she easily could have.
She simply...
Couldn't be bothered.
Too lazy.
The second girl, however...
The first boy.
The second boy.
All three officially received summons for charges including slander, defamation, illegal claims over another person's private property, misleading public statements, and several other civil offenses.
The fourth boy received a harassment charge.
The fifth boy escaped relatively lightly.
Only a heavy financial penalty.
The worst off.
..
Were the third boy and the girl fashionable girl the third boy's face became deathly pale when he saw the compensation amount attached to the property damage.
Simply stepping on the customized vehicle was enough to suffocate him under generations of debt.
As for the entertainment industry...
A joint notice had already been issued.
Blacklisted.
Three years.
Every entertainment association under Aurelion acknowledged the notice immediately.
Then came another notification.
The customized vehicle's driving license had originally been presented as a state gift from the President.
Disrespecting the vehicle...
Publicly damaging it...
And insulting it by calling it fake...
Could naturally be interpreted as disrespect toward both the institution that commissioned it and the national project behind it.
To make matters even worse...
The vehicle manufacturer officially joined the lawsuit as a co-plaintiff after being defamed as producing "cheap" and "low-grade" products.
The third boy's vision blurred.
He suddenly realized...
The most expensive thing he had stepped on...
Wasn't the car.
It was his own future.
P.S.
By now, you should already know this novel is fictional.
The political structure in this world is completely different from reality.
Especially within the Elysia nations where power is shared among multiple forces all the 20 country are united different types of rules for each
The President.
The Royal Family.
The Military.
The Court.
The Council of Elders.
Major Organizations.
And the great Families
Each possesses authority within its own domain, often balancing, influencing, or even competing with one another, making Elysia political system far more complicated than that of an ordinary nation.
The fashionable girl's face crumpled.
Tears burst from her eyes.
"This... this wasn't supposed to happen..."
She staggered backward, shaking her head repeatedly.
"Why... why..."
Her entire body trembled.
Her mind racing I was only supposed to take a few photos...
Upload them...
Gain followers...
Become more popular...
How...
How did everything become like this?
Meanwhile
The girl with glasses looked down at her own phone No court summons No charges.
Only a witness notification requesting her cooperation if needed.
She quietly let out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"..."
Without saying a word, she switched off her phone.
She walked to the roadside and gently placed the shopping bags and takeout she had been carrying the entire time onto the ground.
She dusted her hands together.
Looking at the group, she smiled it wasn't a happy smile it was the smile of someone who had finally given up.
"This may be the wrong time to say this..."
She looked directly at the young man in the denim jacket.
"We're breaking up."
Silence.
Then she slowly swept her gaze across the rest of the group.
"And We should all stay away from each other."
Her voice remained calm.
"You've shown me something today No matter how much I lowered myself No matter how hard I tried to fit into your self-righteous little world I was always expected to sacrifice more."
"I was always the convenient one The one who should understand The one who should apologize The one who should endure."
She laughed softly."In your eyes I'm just trash."
The second girl exploded.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
She rushed forward with her hand raised high. To slap
The girl with glasses calmly stepped aside.
The slap hit nothing.
The second girl completely lost her balance and crashed straight into the denim-jacket boy sitting on the ground.
He didn't even react.
His eyes were empty.
As though his soul had already left his body.
The fashionable girl's breathing suddenly became frantic.
She rushed forward, snatching the glasses girl's phone from her hand.
Her fingers moved wildly across the screen.
Her eyes widened.
"No no no no noo..."
She looked up in disbelief.
"Why? Why didn't you get a court summons?"
She grabbed the girl with glasses by both shoulders.
"Why are you the only one who wasn't punished?! That's not fair! Why should only we suffer?" You were part of the group too! You should take the blame with us by default"
"That's what friends do!"Her voice grew hysterical."Do you hear me?! Take the blame for me! Or I'll tell Third Brother to break up with you!"
The girl with glasses stared at her quietly.
For several long seconds at this point she was still trying to manipulate her using the lcoe she had for him against her what friend.
She gently removed the fashionable girl's hands from her clothes.
"So..."
She smiled bitterly.
"Even now The first thing you think about is sacrificing me."
The fourth boy suddenly roared.
"What?! So you didn't get a summons? This bitch!"
He pointed at her furiously.
"You're innocent while we're all finished? You think you can leave us now? You enjoyed everything with us! Our popularity! Our resources! Our connections!"
"And now you want to cut ties after seeing us fall? Dream on!" He roared pointing at her
The second boy's expression twisted violently.
He stormed over and grabbed the girl with glasses by the arm.
His fingers dug painfully into her skin.
"You'll suffer with us!"
He snarled.
"You don't get to walk away!"
The girl with glasses winced but didn't struggle.
The fashionable girl suddenly turned toward the approaching police officers and lawyers.
She burst into louder sobs.
"Officer! We're innocent! She's the one! She's the one who told us to do everything! She forced us! She's the mastermind!"
The fourth boy
immediately pointed at the girl with glasses.
"That's right! She always pretends to be the victim! But she's the real mastermind!"
The second girl hurriedly nodded.
"Yes! Arrest her! She's the one behind everything!"
The first boy quickly joined in.
"She likes Third Brother anyway! If she really loves him..."
He forced out a smile.
"She should take the blame for us We'll make sure Third Brother dates her "We promise."
The second boy tightened his grip before dragging the girl with glasses toward the line of police officers.
"Come on! Tell them everything was your idea! Tell the lawyers you're the mastermind!Do it!"
Around them, the watching crowd fell completely silent.
Not because they believed a single word...
But because they had just witnessed The moment disaster arrived. The group didn't unite.
They simply looked for someone weaker to throw into the fire.
The girl with glasses looked down at the hand gripping her arm.
She forcefully shook his hand off.
"Don't touch me."
The second boy stumbled back two steps.
A second later
She burst into laughter.
It started softly.
Then grew louder.
The laughter echoed strangely through the silent street.
Even the surrounding police officers frowned.
She laughed until tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
Then she slowly looked at every member of the group.
"Can..."She laughed again."Can you people actually hear yourselves right now?"
Her smile disappeared."You want me to take the blame? That's So fucking stupid."
She pointed at every one of them.
"It wasn't me who got you into trouble It was your own disgusting personalities I told every single one of you to stay away from that car You called me paranoid You called me mental You mocked me."
She let out another cold laugh.
"Called me the devil that standing right in front of your blessing..."
Her gaze became colder.
"As for helping me..."
She repeated softly.
"What exactly did you people ever help me with? Cyberbullying Making me feel small Ordering me around Treating me like your unpaid maid Your nanny Your errand girl Your substitute whenever someone needed to take the blame."
"Using me to gather resources Taking everything that belonged to me And calling it friendship." She added
She pointed at the fashionable girl.
"You took my ideas my boyfriend my friends."
She looked at the second girl.
"You took my time treating me like your unpaid Nanny your pinch and cause I date your brother."
She looked at the boys.
"You treat me like your source of joke the one to take the blame the one you bet on to see when she would have a breaking point "
Everyone went Silent.
She smiled bitterly.
"With personalities like yours..."
She slowly shook her head.
"...no wonder your fanbase became just as toxic."
She looked around theatrically.
"So Where are those fans now?"
No one answered.
"Where? Are those fans you have that gave you the guy to think you are important"She spread her hands.
"Aren't they supposed to save you? Aren't they supposed to protect their idols? Where are they?"
Only silence answered her.
She laughed.
"You people keep talking about your future Do you even know what future you're going to have after those court summons?"
She glanced at the police cars surrounding them.
"After today You'll have less freedom than a homeless man playing life on extreme difficulty Who'll want to help you?"
She folded her arms.
"As for dating Third Brother..."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"I'll pass."
The words landed like a slap.
The denim-jacket boy's face darkened.
He strode over and grabbed both of her shoulders.
His expression instantly softened.
His voice became gentle almost affectionate.
"I know you're scare I know you're angry But don't say things like that We're here for you We're your friends."
He smiled warmly.
"I'm your boyfriend Remember? I know you're still upset that I had to act like a couple with your best friend online But that was for everyone's good."
He gently squeezed her shoulders.
"This isn't the time to be jealous be the bigger person Be good, okay? Don't be stubborn."His tone sounded as though he were comforting an unreasonable child.
"If you just help us Take half the blame It'll reduce everyone's suffering I'll be grateful isn't seeing me happy what you ever wanted."
He smiled even wider.
"I'll even propose to you isn't that what you've always wanted? My parents are rich They'll help too So..."He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear."Don't be mad anymoreJust take the blame Okay?"
Behind himThe fashionable girl nodded desperately."Please..."
The second girl nodded too.
The first boy joined in.
The fourth boy looked hopeful.
Only...
The fifth boy stood silently at the back.
For the first time since all this began...
He couldn't bring himself to agree.