Hearing that, Lemira's head snapped up, her eyes locking onto Stella.

It was about his family?

She let out a slow breath and shook her head. "I don't want to hear anything about the Everharts."

"Okay, I won't say it. Since you guys are over, it doesn't matter anyway."

Stella was equally stunned to learn Orion had been in that fatal crash. Did he only approach Lemira with an ulterior motive to begin with?

The dark thought crossed Stella's mind, but she didn't dare say it out loud.

Yet, she had seen the way Orion looked at Lemira. That kind of devotion didn't look like a calculated lie.

But she knew Lemira was deeply hurt by the betrayal. Defending him now would only make things worse.

Janice walked over and threw her arms around Lemira. "Don't be sad! Look on the bright side—at least you got to sleep with a ridiculously hot billionaire. That's a win in my book. Keep moving forward! There are plenty of hotter guys waiting in line." Lemira cleared her throat. "We didn't actually sleep together."

The last time things had gotten heavy, they hadn't gone all the way because they didn't have protection.

Janice grinned. "Even better! The jerk didn't even get to seal the deal. Let him be the one crying about regrets."

Lemira stared at the floor, saying nothing.

"If he lied to you, you have every right to be furious," Janice continued firmly. "Be mad, scream, break something. But don't let it consume you. Right now, the only thing that matters is getting justice for your parents. Everything else is just background noise."

Lemira nodded slowly. "You're right."

Though Lemira looked remarkably composed, Janice and Stella exchanged a deeply worried look.

Who could have guessed that Orion Everhart was tied to her parents' tragic death?

Until the whole truth came to light, there was no telling what other dark secrets were hiding in the shadows.

But one thing was certain-Lemira had every right to be angry.

As Lemira walked to her first class, she noticed several students whispering and pointing in her direction.

Janice linked arms with her, leaning. in close. They're definitely gossiping about you and the Singlans. Since it hit the news everyone on campus knows exactly who you are now."

"I know."

Lemira kept her chin high. She knew Mrs. Waverly had leaked the story hoping to turn her into a public spectacle.

But the Sinclairs were the murderers. She was the victim. Why should she cower from people's stares?

Or perhaps Mrs. Waverly's real target wasn't the Sinclairs, but the Everharts.

With her high-society connections, Mrs. Waverly might have already Orion was in that

discovered that using the

car and she was was simply using t media to twist the knife.

She didn't have the guts to challenge the Everhart family directly, so she resorted to petty tricks to ruin Lemira's life.

As they approached the lecture hall, Lemira spotted Susanna Sinclair standing by

the doors. Her expression instantly hardened.

The last time Susanna came looking for trouble, Lemira had made her stance crystal clear.

She was never going to back down, and she would never settle.

Susanna's presence drew a crowd of onlookers, but given her reputation as a ruthless mean girl, no one dared to intervene.

Lemira stopped in front of her. "What do you want?"

"Did you leak the story to the press?" Susanna sneered. "Are you that desperate to turn my family into a laughingstock?"

"I didn't leak it, but I know you won't believe me regardless. So I'm not going to waste my breath explaining anything to you."

Lemira's tone was ice-cold. A collective gasp rippled through the surrounding students.

Susanna's eyes flushed with humiliated rage. "Lemira, if you really want to play hardball, you're going to regret it."

"I only believe in the law. The truth will come out, and justice will be served."

Lemira's unwavering confidence made Susanna both furious and intensely nervous. Stripped of her usual arrogance, the Sinclair heiress spun on her heerand stormed aff before she could embarrass herself any further. sŵnovels