Kevin didn't sleep that night.
He sat at his desk, laptop glowing in the darkness, going through everything he could find on Lucian Park. Social media profiles (surprisingly sparse). Transfer records (clean, almost too clean). Family background (vague mentions of business, nothing concrete).
But it was the photo that stopped him cold.
Buried six pages deep in a Google search, a corporate event from three years ago. In the background, barely visible: a younger Lucian standing beside a man in an expensive suit. The caption identified the man as James Park, executive director of Park Holdings—a firm that had been in a legal battle with Langston Enterprises for over a decade.
Kevin's blood ran cold.
This wasn't about Zion. This wasn't even about the academy.
This was corporate warfare, and Kevin had been the target all along.
7:30 AM – Campus Courtyard
Kevin found Lucian at the coffee cart, chatting casually with Isla, his smile warm and effortless.
"Lucian," Kevin said, his voice cutting through the morning chatter. "We need to talk. Now."
Lucian turned, his expression shifting to mild concern. "Kevin. Everything okay?"
"Alone," Kevin said flatly.
Isla frowned. "Kevin, what's—"
"It's fine," Lucian said smoothly, touching her arm. "I'll catch up with you later."
She hesitated but eventually walked away, glancing back with worry.
Kevin led Lucian to the empty music hall, slamming the door behind them. He pulled out his phone, showing the photo.
"James Park. Your father. Park Holdings—the same company that's been trying to bury my family's business for years." Kevin's voice was deadly calm. "You're not here for Zion. You're here for me."
Lucian studied the phone for a moment, then smiled—cold, calculated. "Took you long enough."
Kevin's jaw clenched. "How long? How long have you been planning this?"
"Six months," Lucian said casually, leaning against the piano. "Maybe longer if you count the research phase. Your family's academy branch has been a thorn in my father's side for years. Discrediting you? Destroying your reputation? That's just business, Kevin. Nothing personal."
"Nothing personal?" Kevin's voice cracked with rage. "You ruined my life!"
"No," Lucian corrected, his smile widening. "You ruined your own life. I just documented it. The manipulation, the lies, the people you destroyed—that was all you. I just made sure everyone finally saw it."
Kevin stepped forward, fists clenched. "Zion doesn't know, does he? He thinks you're his friend."
"Zion's a useful ally," Lucian said simply. "Angry, motivated, and too focused on you to see the bigger picture. Perfect cover."
"And Isla?"
For the first time, Lucian's expression flickered. "Isla's not part of this."
"She will be when she finds out who you really are."
Lucian's eyes hardened. "Don't."
"Don't what?" Kevin laughed bitterly. "Expose you the way you exposed me? Why not?"
"Because," Lucian said quietly, dangerously, "I have contingencies. Evidence I haven't released yet. Things that would destroy you, your family, and everyone associated with you. You go after me, and I bury you so deep they'll forget you ever existed."
The threat hung in the air like a blade.
Kevin's hands shook with rage, but he knew Lucian wasn't bluffing.
"So what now?" Kevin asked, his voice hollow. "You win? Is that it?"
"That was always going to be the ending," Lucian said, straightening. "You just didn't see it coming."
He walked toward the door, then paused. "For what it's worth, Kevin? You made this too easy. A better man wouldn't have given me so much to work with."
And then he was gone.
Kevin stood alone in the empty hall, the weight of his defeat crushing him.
10:00 AM – Administration Building
Kevin's last card to play was desperation.
He stormed into the headmaster's office without knocking, a folder of printed evidence in his hands.
"Mr. Harrington, I need to report a conspiracy."
Harrington looked up from his desk, exhausted. "Mr. Langston, you're supposed to be—"
"Lucian Park is a corporate spy," Kevin interrupted, slamming the folder down. "He's been working to sabotage me as part of a business vendetta between our families. This whole forum post, the investigation—it's all orchestrated."
Harrington opened the folder, scanning the contents. "This is... serious. But Kevin, even if this is true, it doesn't erase what you did. The testimonies against you are real."
"I know that!" Kevin snapped. "But if Lucian's been manipulating everything from the start, doesn't that matter?"
Ms. Rowe, who'd been sitting quietly in the corner, spoke up. "It matters for Lucian's status here. But not yours. Your actions speak for themselves."
Kevin felt the walls closing in. "So that's it? He gets away with it?"
"We'll investigate Lucian separately," Harrington said firmly. "But your hearing is this afternoon. Three o'clock. I suggest you prepare."
Kevin left the office feeling like he was walking to his execution.
2:00 PM – The Cracks Spread
News of Kevin's accusations against Lucian spread through campus like wildfire.
The friend group gathered in the library, voices hushed but tense.
"He's lying, right?" Isla said desperately. "Kevin's just trying to drag Lucian down with him."
Celeste exchanged a look with Mikey. "I don't know. Remember I said Lucian's timing was suspicious? What if Kevin's actually right?"
"No," Isla said, shaking her head. "Lucian wouldn't—he's not like that."
Mabelle stayed quiet, her mind racing. She thought about Zion, about Nyra, about how carefully orchestrated this whole takedown had been.
What if they weren't the only ones orchestrating?
Her phone buzzed. A message from Zion.
Zion: Did you hear about Lucian?
Mabelle: Yeah. Is it true?
Zion: I don't know. But I'm about to find out.
2:45 PM – The Confrontation
Zion found Lucian in the empty gymnasium, shooting baskets alone.
"Is it true?" Zion asked, his voice echoing.
Lucian caught the ball, turning slowly. "Is what true?"
"That you're working for your father. That this was never about helping me."
Lucian's expression was unreadable. "Does it matter? Kevin's finished either way."
"It matters to me," Zion said, stepping forward. "I thought we were friends."
"We are," Lucian said. "Or we were. This doesn't change that."
"Bullshit," Zion snapped. "You used me. You saw how angry I was and you used it."
Lucian sighed, setting the ball down. "Zion, listen—"
"No, you listen," Zion cut him off. "I knew what I was doing was dark. I knew I was crossing lines. But I thought I was doing it for the right reasons. Now you're telling me I was just a pawn in your corporate game?"
"You wanted Kevin gone," Lucian said coldly. "I helped make that happen. Don't pretend you're innocent in this."
Zion's fists clenched. "Get out."
"What?"
"Get out of my life. We're done."
Lucian stared at him for a long moment, something almost like regret flickering across his face. Then he nodded once and walked away.
Zion stood alone in the gym, the echo of bouncing basketballs haunting the silence.
He'd won.
But it felt like losing.
3:00 PM – The Verdict
Kevin sat in the disciplinary hearing room, flanked by his parents—both looking furious, but not at the academy.
At him.
The panel deliberated for less than twenty minutes.
"Kevin Langston," Harrington announced, "due to the severity and scope of your misconduct, you are hereby expelled from Goldridge Academy, effective immediately."
Kevin's mother closed her eyes.
His father stood. "We'll be transferring him to our Switzerland branch. He'll finish his education there."
Kevin felt numb.
As he walked out of the building for the last time, students watched from windows, doorways, courtyards.
No one cheered. No one gloated.
They just watched.
And then Nyra appeared at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, her expression calm.
Their eyes met.
She didn't smile. Didn't speak.
She just nodded once.
And Kevin understood: this was her victory.
He turned and walked away, and Goldridge Academy closed behind him like a door that would never open again.