Chapter 4

The prestigious university campus felt different to Ava now. In her first life, it was a place of naive friendships and eventual betrayal. Now, it was a chessboard.

Brooke Ashley was a pariah.

News of the gala incident, despite Lawrence Chenault' s attempts to keep it somewhat contained, had spread like wildfire through their elite social circles. The security footage, though not publicly released, was the stuff of legend.

Brooke tried to maintain a brave face. She still attended classes, her head held high, but the whispers followed her. Invitations dried up. Former friends suddenly remembered urgent appointments when she approached.

Ava, in contrast, was seen as a figure of quiet strength, a victim who had elegantly defended herself. She did nothing overt.

She simply empowered others.

Sofia Ramirez, Noah' s younger sister, was a bright, ambitious student in the same program as Brooke. In Ava' s first life, Brooke had subtly sabotaged Sofia' s scholarship application, a piece of casual cruelty Ava only learned of much later.

This time, Ava sought Sofia out.

"Sofia," Ava said one afternoon in the campus library, "I admire your work on the sustainable tech initiative. It' s brilliant."

Sofia, surprised by the attention from the heiress, blushed. "Thank you, Miss Chenault."

"Ava, please," Ava smiled. "I was wondering if you' d be interested in an internship at Chenault Corp. We' re looking for bright minds like yours."

She also made sure Sofia received a new, fully-funded scholarship, anonymously, of course.

Sofia became Ava' s eyes and ears on campus, and a willing, if unwitting, instrument.

Small "misfortunes" began to plague Brooke.

A crucial presentation file corrupted moments before class.

An embarrassing photo from a past drunken party mysteriously circulated.

Her carefully curated social media posts were met with floods of negative, anonymous comments.

During a group project, Brooke' s contributions were "accidentally" deleted by a clumsy teammate Sofia had befriended. Brooke' s furious accusations were met with wide-eyed innocence.

"Brooke, I' m so sorry!" the teammate wailed. "My laptop has been so glitchy!"

Ava would then appear, offering "support."

"Brooke, are you alright?" Ava would ask, her voice full of concern. "You seem to be having such a string of bad luck. Let me know if there' s anything I can do."

Brooke' s complaints to university officials about targeted harassment were dismissed. There was no proof. Just a series of unfortunate coincidences. And Ava Chenault was always there, offering sympathy, making Brooke' s accusations seem increasingly paranoid.

"She' s obsessed with me!" Brooke shrieked at a dean after a particularly humiliating incident involving a spilled tray of food in the cafeteria, an incident Sofia had "accidentally" triggered by bumping into someone.

The dean looked at Ava, who stood nearby looking concerned. "Miss Ashley, Miss Chenault has expressed nothing but worry for your well-being."

Brooke' s frustration mounted. She became erratic, her grades slipped. The composed, ambitious girl was unraveling.

Ava watched, her expression serene, her heart cold.

This was just the beginning.