Chapter 4

Leon didn't disappoint me one bit.

The reading room was totally empty as closing time approached, making it way easier to catch someone in the act.

I told him I was heading upstairs to look for some materials and asked him to keep an eye on my stuff. He couldn't help himself; he went straight for the report.

I watched the live feed on my phone, and a grin crept onto my face.

Honestly, he and Anna were such a couple of fools.

I hid in the corner, waiting patiently. When he was almost finished, I pretended to hurry back as if I had just returned, then slipped the hidden camera back into my bag.

"Hope you didn't wait too long. I spent forever searching upstairs and still couldn't find what I needed. Guess I'll try again tomorrow," I said.

I linked my arm with Leon's, ready to head out, but he hesitated.

"Jane, I remembered there's something I need to handle. I can't go back with you," Leon said.

"Oh, you still have stuff to do this late? Can't it wait till tomorrow?" I asked.

Leon stood his ground. "No, I can't. And I'm going to be really busy these next few days, so unless it's urgent, don't reach out to me."

He didn't even wait for me to finish before slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking off.

I watched Leon's figure fade into the distance, and with that, the final piece of my plan fell into place.

Just like Leon said, he stayed out of touch for the next few days.

Meanwhile, Anna was already acting like she had won, humming to herself as she blocked my way.

She smirked, handed me a stack of papers, and lifted her chin at me.

"Go ahead, see if anything looks familiar," Anna said.

I lowered my gaze and replied, "This is my paper."

Anna let out a mocking snort and tapped her finger on the author's name at the top. "Sorry, but this is mine. I already turned it in to the faculty days ago.

"Wondering how your stuff ended up in my hands? Let me make it clear, not only your paper, but even your guy, they're both mine now.

"You really think Leon's been too busy for you lately? He's been with me every day, telling me again and again how dull you are and how he can't stand you.

"If I were you, I'd break up with him first. That way, you won't be the one dumped and left picking up the pieces."

Anna's laugh was shrill and nasty, like she couldn't wait to see me crack and make a scene.

I stayed cool, arched an eyebrow, and handed the paper right back to her.

I said, "If you want it so bad, take it. It's all junk anyway, different flavors of trash.

"The guy? He was some random dude I picked up. The paper? Something I tossed off for fun. Only you would treat this low-level stuff like treasure. Seriously, try raising your standards."

"You... you..." Anna never expected someone as soft as me to actually push back, and for a moment, she was left speechless, flustered, and unable to respond.

Her face turned bright red with anger, but then she pulled herself together and let out a long sigh.

Anna said, "I get it, you're trying to save face and act tough. Once the school gives me the recommendation slot, let's see if you can still pretend to be happy.

"Don't waste your energy trying to explain yourself. You have no evidence, and nobody's going to believe you anyway. Just wait and watch as I take everything you have."

She let out a cold snort and turned away, strutting off with her chin up; honestly, she looked like one of those big, arrogant geese one could see on TV.

I shrugged, unbothered, and tapped the stop button on my phone's recorder.

Trying to steal my stuff?

Let's see who was more ruthless this time.