The choice hung heavy.
Julian sat in the dark of his dorm, rain battering the window like fists begging to be let in. Miss Alina's cries still echoed in his head—real, raw. But raw didn't mean right.
The watch ticked.
[Decision Time Remaining: 02:41:23]
He pressed his palm against it.
He had three hours to decide whether to save her or ruin her.
And in that time, everything else kept spiraling.
---
Meanwhile – Science Lab, Second Floor
Chaos was just another day now.
Two students were fighting—Luke Patel and Jared Maine—over Eva Liu, the Chinese-British heartbreaker from Stream Club.
Books flew. Desks cracked. Blood spilled.
Eva just stood there, sipping from her thermos like nothing mattered.
She was used to boys fighting for her.
She was bored of it.
And her eyes… kept finding Julian.
Not Luke.
Not Jared.
Julian.
---
The school had called for a mandatory assembly. One of the teachers, Mr. Daire, had been caught with a senior girl—on video. Another teacher was being blackmailed. Parents were threatening to sue.
Principal Gloria Moretz, 49, known as "The Ice Queen," stood on stage, gripping the microphone with fury in her veins.
"We are investigating every student and teacher. This ends now. This poison in our system—this filth—will be purged."
But her hands trembled.
Because she knew what Julian had.
And she didn't know what he'd do with it.
She made eye contact with him for one second too long.
That was all it took.
---
Volkova Penthouse – Evening
Serena was in silk.
No bra.
Legs tucked under her as she sat on the sofa, glass of wine untouched.
Her phone lit up with a dozen unread messages.
Max Kade was calling.
She ignored it.
Instead, she stared at the screen where a news article had just leaked:
> "Julian Rivers: The Boy Exposing Henderson's Rotten Core."
Her jaw clenched.
He was becoming something.
And she didn't like not knowing what.
---
The timer hit 00:00:01.
He tapped the screen.
Decision: EXPOSE ALINA.
The watch buzzed cold.
A file unlocked.
Alina Rowe wasn't her real name.
She used to be Amber Cresswell, a fallen heiress from a scandalous teacher-student case in another country. Her real age? 32.
She had disappeared from public records five years ago—until now.
Julian uploaded it.
No hesitation.
No goodbye.
---
12 Hours Later – Newsroom
> "Breaking: Teacher at prestigious Crestmont Academy exposed for hiding criminal past under alias!"
> "Multiple former students come forward. Civil suits pending."
> "Julian Rivers, anonymous source behind the leak."
The world was watching.
And Julian was officially more than just a student.
---
Julian stood alone on the rooftop.
Wind harsh.
Sky bruised.
He held the watch in his hand.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: You're waking the city, kid. But how long before it bites back?
He looked up.
Far across the city, the tallest tower blinked red.
KadeCorp HQ.
And for the first time…
He smiled