Part 3Miu Miu And Mistaken Love

Before he could ask me anything, a burly man with heavily tattooed arms stormed into our classroom, heading straight for my desk.

"Are you Sylvia Carter? You are the one who scammed my money, right?"

He claimed to be my online boyfriend, pulling out a tablet to display several explicit, highly inappropriate photos of a girl who looked exactly like me. He claimed I had sent them to him and had recently demanded a large bank transfer from him before agreeing to meet him at a hotel.

I stared at the screen, my heart dropping. I did not even recognize this man.

"That is not my account. You have been scammed."

But he refused to believe me, and the surrounding students began to murmur.

"I cannot believe she is actually like this."

"She is the complete opposite of her sister. Having a sister like that must be so embarrassing."

My desperate protests of "It wasn't me" were quickly drowned out by the rising tide of whispers.

The man sneered, leaning over my desk.

"Sylvia Carter, Class Two, Senior Year. How many Sylvias do you think there are in this school?"

"Either you come to a hotel with me right now, or you return every single cent I spent on you!"

As he reached out to grab my wrist, a hand suddenly shot out, intercepting him and shielding me behind a broad shoulder.

It was Austin.

The bullet comments reacted with sheer shock:

Why is the male lead protecting her? Did he figure out she is the online friend because of the apple?

If he actually falls for this side character, I am dropping this book.

Here we go again, slandering female characters with zero proof. There is literally no evidence she actually did any of that.

The homeroom teacher arrived quickly, and the police were called to escort the man out of the building. To minimize the disruption, the school administration asked Violet to contact our parents so I could be taken home for the afternoon.

Austin walked with me to a bench in the quiet courtyard.

Clutching my cold hands, I looked up at him, clinging to a desperate shred of hope.

"Do you believe me?"

He cracked open a bottle of apple juice and handed it to me.

"Violet cares about you very much. For her sake, I will help you find the truth."

His help had nothing to do with me. It was merely an extension of his affection for my sister.