The clinic room was quiet and spacious, designed to feel comfortable without losing the clean, professional atmosphere of a medical facility.
The walls were a soft warm-white, broken by narrow panels of pale wood and smooth glass that gave the room a welcoming appearance.
Soft recessed lighting ran along the ceiling, gentle on the eyes.
Against one wall stood a large medical bed covered in fresh white sheets, its simple frame hiding a built-in health-monitoring system.
A slim transparent screen beside it remained dark.
On the nearby counter, bottles of disinfectant, healing creams, and disposable medical patches were arranged in neat, pristine rows.
Virtue sat on the edge of the bed.The door opened with a soft click, and Sophia stepped inside. She closed it smoothly behind her, shutting out the rest of the school, before walking over.
Pulling an armchair closer to the bed, she sat down, calmly adjusting the hem of her skirt with practiced elegance.
Virtue was wearing a strange-looking medical mask covering roughly half of her face—the side that had supposedly been swollen from Jane's attack.
It was a smooth, lightweight device that curved naturally along her cheek, leaving her eyes and mouth exposed. Thin metallic lines ran across its surface in a delicate pattern, while a faint, therapeutic blue light pulsed beneath the transparent material.
The blue light continuously scanned the area, releasing controlled wavelengths to reduce inflammation and accelerate healing.
But to use it safely, you were supposed to apply a base cream first to prevent skin irritation. There was even a secondary cosmetic function: when paired with approved beauty creams, the mask opened the skin's absorption pathways, acting as a high-grade treatment to make the skin flawless and radiant.
It was expensive, restricted medical equipment.And Virtue was using it for a tiny, insignificant bump.
Sophia tilted her head, her eyes locking onto Virtue's face. "Is your wound really that serious? You should have gone to the hospital," she said.
Her voice dropped into a soft, warm cadence, carrying a perfect, soothing empathy that sounded as though she could genuinely feel the girl's pain.
Reaching toward the small treatment tray beside the bed, Sophia picked up the tube of cream Virtue had been using.
Her fingers turned it over lazily. She didn't even need to read the label. It wasn't a wound-healing cream at all.
It was a high-grade, luxury skin treatment.Sophia didn't expose the lie. She knew Virtue's face barely had a scratch on it, and that a simple ice pack would have sufficed.
Virtue was just using a minor scuffle as an excuse to use a luxury facial treatment from the school clinic.
Virtue lowered her eyes, putting on a tragic display. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. Jane has her father backing her, and Jordan is backing her too. If I went to the hospital, my family would find out. I don't want them getting involved."
She sounded entirely reasonable and selfless.
But sitting there with half her face glowing under an advanced, high-tech beauty mask, the effect was almost ridiculous.Sophia set the cream back down on the tray with a soft clink.
She clicked open her handbag, her movements fluid and unhurried, and slid out a sleek, metallic card.
"Here," Sophia murmured, holding it out.
Her posture was the epitome of high-class poise—that flawless blend of noble detachment and warm, inviting softness. She wasn't overly delicate, nor did she look snobbish; she simply exuded a calm, breathtaking elegance that made her look entirely superior without trying.
"You can go shopping at Blue Pavilion Beauty Store."
Virtue's eyes immediately brightened, the tragic, selfless act vanishing instantly. "Really? Thank you. That's too much."Her hand shot out, taking the card almost immediately."
"You need it if you want to get your hands on their new products," Sophia said, her voice remaining perfectly sweet and encouraging as she watched Virtue's fingers grip the plastic. "Don't worry about paying. You have unlimited shipping privileges with it."
Virtue looked down at the card, her chest heaving with obvious, intoxicating excitement.Sophia watched her quietly. Her face remained a picture-perfect mask of gentle kindness, though a quiet wave of disgust rolled through her chest. It was pathetic.
Stores at the level of Blue Pavilion regularly issued VIP cards to members of the top gray families and the world's top twenty families. Those families already had enough wealth that they rarely needed such privileges for themselves.
Instead, the cards were often handed out as gifts, rewards, favors, or status symbols.
To the mid tier to low tier Gray family or the top tier to low tier prestigious family same goes to the true elite recipients, the privileges came with conditions.
The card could provide a specific spending limit, special access to products, VIP treatment, and a twenty-percent discount. Once the allocated amount was exhausted, the holder would have to pay a monthly fee to continue using the privileges.
For the original holders, however, the arrangement was different.
They received much higher privileges, including a fifty-percent discount and access to exclusive services without needing to worry about the card's spending limits.
The arrangement benefited everyone.
The stores gained wealthy customers and publicity.
The elite families gained special treatment and could distribute the cards however they pleased.
And the recipients received a taste of a lifestyle that made the card itself feel like a symbol of wealth and also it made some of this family that were not giving want it .
Virtue, belonging to a lower social grade, clearly knew the value of what she was holding.
She was staring at the plastic as if Sophia had just handed her a lifetime of untouchable wealth.Sophia kept her expression soft, elegant, and perfectly welcoming.
Externally, she was the perfect, comforting friend. But inside, her thoughts remained entirely different.
These worls social status was arranged
The top twenty family.
The top tier to low tier Gray family.
The top to low tier prestigious family.
Top to low tier Nobel family (won't use elite anymore to show rank) and crownside high and other four only accepts children from the too twenty family to mid tier elite family few times low tier are let in for Once a decade as for the other 15 top school they accept students to low tier Nobel and once in a while upper class .
The last in the social ladder are the upper class family consisting of celebrities top paid workers newly rich big family and so on while the lower class consist of the middle class and the poor the reason while is the upper class may have billions in their country or nation currency but their above him have millions and billions in the highest currency cu dollars.
So though virtue was a daughter mid tier prestigious family first of all Sophia father the vale are top tier Gray family and her mother family the Quinn are among the top twenty family so the difference was huge.
This is the little I can do," Sophia said, her voice dropping into a soft, melodic tone that practically forced Virtue to listen.
She reached out, her fingers gently covering the hand that wasn't holding the VIP card. "It is my fault you ended up like this in the first place. You were defending me and got hit."
Virtue's eyes squeezed shut beneath the glowing blue mask, completely taken in by the warmth. "No, it is not your fault at all! It was that annoying bitch Jane. Just because she has Jordan's help, she acts so superior—like everyone should give her special treatment." Hatred practically dripped from Virtue's words, her jaw tightening beneath the medical device.
Jane hadn't just hit her; she had exposed her deepest, most humiliating secret in front of everyone.
Sophia tilted her head, her noble, elegant expression shifting into one of innocent curiosity. "Do you really like Aiden?"
The question hung in the quiet room like a trap."What? No, no, no!" Virtue stammered, her heart instantly pounding against her ribs.
The blue sensors on her mask pulsed a fraction faster as her body temperature spiked. "Sophia, don't listen to Jane's words. I don't like Aiden at all. Who doesn't know Aiden likes you? I'm not the kind of friend who would betray you."She rushed to explain herself, her words tripping over one another in a panic.
The truth was burning a hole in her chest. She loved Aiden. She was entirely consumed by him. She had even tried seducing him once by acting exactly like Sophia—only to end up with a broken rib, a broken leg, and a month in recovery.
And the highest, most bitter insult of all? Aiden hadn't even recognized her. He was so utterly used to girls throwing themselves at his feet that he hadn't even bothered to look at her face before breaking her bones.
Sophia let out a soft, musical giggle, entirely unbothered by Virtue's panic."You don't have to be shy," Sophia murmured, smoothing her skirt with an elegant hand.
"If you had told me sooner, I would have helped you."She paused, her perfect features suddenly clouding over with a troubled, heavy expression.
She lowered her eyes, looking beautifully tragic. "Just... I don't think Ava would be happy."
Virtue blinked. "Ava?"
"You might not know this yet," Sophia whispered, leaning in slightly as if sharing a dangerous, high-class secret.
"But Aiden's family wants to select a fiancée for him. And Ava is their choice. She has the highest status among all of us, after all. She is Aiden's childhood friend. We all grew up together, and they've been paired together since we were young."Sophia's voice took on a wistful, saintly sadness.
"It may look like Aiden likes me, but he only treats me like a sister. That's why I've always denied it. You're my friend, but Ava is also my cousin... if you had told me sooner, I could have helped you." She looked up, her eyes swimming with deep, comforting sympathy.
"But tomorrow is the talent competition. If Ava wins and defeats the Averis representative, Aiden's family might use this opportunity to approach my second uncle and his wife. Winning that is a huge honor."
"What?" Virtue whispered, her voice cracking beneath the plastic mask. The shock hit her like a physical blow.
"I know the news hasn't spread yet," Sophia continued smoothly, her fingers lightly patting Virtue's hand to calm her down.
"I only heard some servants gossiping about it among themselves. I don't know whether it's actually true—it could just be a rumor."
She offered a soft, encouraging smile. "So... you still have time to try your luck before anything happens."Then, Sophia let out a heavy, controlled sigh, her expression turning into one of pure worry.
"You know Ava's character. She can be brutal toward anyone who doesn't go her way. Even as her cousin, I have to walk on eggshells around her."She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a sharp, confidential whisper.
"Look at what she did to Ella. That poor girl only liked Matthew, and Ava got her expelled. Her father almost went bankrupt, lost his chance to fight for the inheritance, and their family had to spend a fortune trying to save themselves. They even had her married off to a paralyzed man who already had children. Can you imagine?"
Sophia's face was a masterclass in cousinly concern, completely masking the truth—that Ella had nearly murdered Ava, and Ava had merely exposed the crime. Instead, she watched the poison take hold in Virtue's eyes.
."Forget about Ava getting engaged to Aiden," Sophia continued, shaking her head as if terrified for her friend.
"She would probably come after you for revenge just because you spoke badly about her today." Her hands tightened around Virtue's.
"But I would protect you. That's what friends are for."She sighed again, looking completely pure and heartbroken. "I don't agree with Ava's ways either. What she did to Ella only creates enemies. And if someone uses those enemies against her, she could get hurt. I'm just so worried about her."
Virtue's expression hardened into pure, rigid steel. The jealousy and fear had completely locked her mind into place. "Don't worry," Virtue said, clenching her fist around the Blue Pavilion card.
"You're too kind for this world, Sophia. Even having Ava as a cousin is a big stain on you."
She looked at Sophia with fierce loyalty. "I know how scared you must be. Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
Sophia's lips curved into a beautiful, teasing smile. "Get well soon. I'll call Aiden and arrange a small get-together. You can use the opportunity to get closer to him. I'm sure he would want to spend time with you. Seriously, you two would look good together." She gave her a playful wink.
"Just stay away from Ava."
Virtue blushed fiercely, the heat rising all the way to her eyes despite the glowing medical mask.
Sophia stood up with fluid grace, lifting her luxury handbag onto her arm. "Get some rest." She walked toward the door, stopping right at the threshold to turn and give a sweet, gentle wave.
"See you later."She stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind her.
The very second the heavy clinic door clicked shut, sealing Virtue inside, the gentle warmth vanished from Sophia's face.
Her features instantly flattened into a cold, dead stillness.She looked down at her hand—the one that had been holding Virtue's—and dusted it off against her skirt with a quiet, disgusted scoff, as if she had just touched something foul.
"It is very easy to manipulate someone without effort," she murmured to the empty hallway, a small, arrogant smirk cutting through her aristocratic poise.
"Even when they realize everything, they would never think you were the one who told them what to do. They truly believe it's their own brilliant idea... you just have to tell them exactly what they want to hear."
Virtue had desperately wanted to hear that Sophia didn't love Aiden. So Sophia had handed her that lie on a silver platter. She had fed her a fake, glittering future where Aiden would magically fall for her, wrapping the idiot in a fantasy just to keep her compliant.
And then came the final piece: the phantom enemy. Ava.Everything she had just whispered about Ava and Aiden getting engaged—the servants gossiping, the family pressure—was complete, utter bullshit.
She had spun it entirely out of thin air, and the brainless fool had swallowed it whole.Now, if things failed between Virtue and Aiden, Virtue would automatically blame Ava. By bringing up Ella, Sophia had subtly given her a blueprint—reminding her that Ava had dangerous enemies waiting to be used.
And by framing it as "self-defense," Sophia had given Virtue a moral excuse to do whatever disgusting thing she wanted to Ava, convincing herself she was just protecting her own future.Sophia smiled faintly, a dark, venomous glint in her eyes as she began to walk down the hall.
The thing about dumb, lovestruck fools was that they always thought they were the smartest people in the room. They thought they were the ones in control.
Sophia had known about Virtue's pathetic little crush from the very beginning—it was the entire reason she had allowed the girl to become her "friend" in the first place. Virtue would crawl through glass to please her if she believed Sophia held the keys to Aiden
.As for actually setting Aiden up with Virtue? Sophia almost laughed out loud.No
the real game was the talent show tomorrow. There was absolutely no way in hell she was letting Ava take that stage. Ava was going to win, and if she won, she would no longer be the "stain" on the family reputation that Sophia had worked so hard to paint her as.
Sophia had spent years carefully suppressing every single one of Ava's achievements, making sure none of her praise ever reached the school or overshadow her Luckily, Ava made it easy.
Ava was too arrogant, finding it entirely boring to brag because she viewed winning as completely normal, looking down on everyone else. Ava's quiet brilliance made her look detached and cold to the world—the perfect villain.
While Sophia, with her warm, noble grace, was always the golden child.
It had always been that way. And tomorrow, she would make sure it stayed that way.With that final, icy thought, Sophia turned the corner and melted back into the crowd of Crownside High.
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