Chapter 3Pay Me Back Mr Billionaire

The next morning, my advisor called me into her office.

She pushed a cup of lukewarm tea toward me. "Nina, your recent behavior has been... erratic. People are concerned about your mental state. Perhaps you should take a leave of absence? Just to get your head straight?"

I started to speak, but a knock at the door cut me off. Isabelle walked in, carrying an expensive-looking fruit basket.

"Professor, I just wanted to check on Nina. She’s been so volatile lately. I’m worried she might do something desperate." She turned to me, eyes brimming with tears. "Nina, I know you’re hurting, but you can’t keep lashing out at Grayson like this. Just delete the post. We’ll find a way to handle the money, I promise."

The advisor nodded in agreement. They were playing "good cop, bad cop" with practiced ease. When I refused to budge, the advisor’s tone shifted from "concerned" to "impatient." Every time I tried to argue, they talked over me.

So this was what Grayson’s mother meant by "ending this." Seventy-five thousand dollars to buy my silence, my exit, and a "mentally unstable" label to follow me for life.

Suddenly, the office door was shoved open with a loud bang.

Paige stood there, followed by a very grim-looking Dean of Students. She slammed her phone onto the desk. Grayson’s text was on the screen: [You have twenty-four hours... or there will be consequences.]

Paige tapped the screen again. An audio file began to play.

It was Isabelle’s voice from the group chat: "Aww, don't be mean guys. Nina is actually kind of pitiful."

Then, a different recording. A private voice note: "It's disgusting how broke she looks. Did she really think Grayson liked her? She’s just a walking ATM. My mom already talked to the advisor—she’s getting kicked out today. Who does she think she is, trying to take down a family like ours?"

The fruit basket slipped from Isabelle’s hand, apples and oranges rolling across the floor. The advisor froze, her lips trembling, unable to find a single word.

Paige tucked her phone away. "The evidence we’ve gathered is enough to prove that my client, Nina, is being subjected to premeditated, organized harassment and psychological coercion. And considering your role in this, Professor, we’ll be reserving the right to pursue legal action against you personally."

For the first time, I felt the true power of using the rules as a weapon.

As we left the office, the Dean called out to me. He looked at Paige, then at me, his expression complicated.

"The Grayson family... they have deep roots in this city, Nina. This isn't going to end easily."