Page 3 of Veil of Lies

I flicked through the news on my phone. Many of the stories were about Dad and the scandal. The comments below the articles were vile. All of them threatened to do bad things to me, blaming our family for their troubles. Dad’s lawyer had warned me this would happen. He’d advised me to delete all my social media accounts, which I’d done immediately.

It wasn’t as if I had any friends left anyway. Everyone had deserted me. Some, because they’d lost money, others because associating with me was akin to social suicide. Even my boyfriend, Brody, hadn’t stuck around for long. As soon as the news broke, he’d ghosted me. Our two-year relationship meant nothing. I probably should have been devastated, but there was too much else going on.

It wasn’t as if I’d loved him. Mostly it was a relationship of convenience. He liked being associated with me because of my father, and I needed…I don’t even know what I needed from him. Sex? Perhaps. Not that he had been terrible at it. He’d just been more concerned with his pleasure than mine. Still, sometimes it was nice to have another human being around, just for a while. I spent so much time on my own in our apartment that days would pass without contact with anyone other than Mack the doorman.

Mack was probably the only person I missed from my old life. He’d always looked out for me in his own way. Making sure I was OK while Dad traveled for business. I hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye.

I continued scrolling through the vicious comments, not reading many of them. I was numb to it all now. Eventually, I tossed the phone on the floor and switched off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. I lay there listening to the rain. Inevitably, my thoughts meandered back to the guy from earlier, Brax.

My mind was more than happy to conjure up images of his ripped abs, beautiful face, and hard cock. Fuck me, that cock deserved its own fan site. I wondered if Rowena was still out there, trying to suck him off. I snorted with amusement. Given the way he’d spoken to her, he’d probably dumped her shortly after my run-in with them. What an asshole. I thanked all the deities that I wasn’t dating someone like him. In five minutes, he’d shown me more red flags than a Chinese military parade.

If Rowena thought the way to his heart was via a BJ, she was sorely mistaken. Guys like him treated girls like trash. Which was why I intended to steer clear of all the hot guys on campus while I was here, but most especially him. He was dangerous.

???

My phone alarm jarred me awake at 7 AM. My head throbbed and I felt vaguely sick, like I was coming down with the flu or something. I couldn’t decide if it was the soaking from last night or all the stress of the last few weeks. Maybe both. My immune system was probably fucked to the point not even mega doses of vitamin C would help.

Since I had a meeting with the dean at 9 AM, I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. The hot water helped and by the time I had pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a loose gray sweatshirt, I felt a little more human.

The sweatshirt hung off me, hiding all my curves. Thanks to the hideous hair dye I’d bought and a pair of glasses with jam jar lenses and ugly green frames, I was unrecognizable. If anyone looked close enough, they might see my distinctive turquoise eyes, but I felt certain none of the kids here would know who I was.

I’d spent most of my life avoiding scrutiny. As an introvert, parties were not my thing. I’d been raised by a succession of nannies, none of whom stuck around for more than a year. To say I had attachment issues was probably an understatement, but at least I had self-reliance down to a fine art. Which was just as well given I was well and truly on my own now. Dad was facing life in prison with zero chance of parole. His crime may have been white collar, but it had impacted a lot of important people, and none of them were the forgiving type.

I was hoping that none of the people at this school were intimately aware of the Caestellan fraud scandal. But that was too much to hope for. Chances were high that at least someone’s parent had invested in Dad’s scheme and paid the price for their greed. But as long as none of them knew who I was, I’d survive the next two years.

With a final glance in the mirror, I scraped my dull brown hair into a low ponytail and pulled on my now-dry baseball cap. My new persona was complete. Nobody would look at me twice in this garb. I was instantly forgettable.

Hopefully.

It was now 8.45 AM, and I had no clue where the dean’s office was in relation to my dorm. The map I had downloaded to my phone wasn’t very helpful, but it appeared to be in an adjacent building. Picking up my bag containing my laptop, I headed out.

There were more people around this morning. A few gave me curious glances, which I ignored. I had no issue with appearing rude. I preferred it when people gave me a wide berth. Wearing headphones helped, as they assumed I couldn’t hear a word they said. This morning I’d forgotten my earbuds though, so I had no defense against the girl with the pink hair and bright eyes who tagged along as I headed outside.

“You’re new, right?” she chirped breezily.

I nodded and put my head down as I speed-walked. Sadly, she didn’t take the hint.

“I’m Avery. I think I’m on your floor.”

I ignored her but she wasn’t giving up that easily. “What’s your major? I’m doing journalism. I’m hoping to get an internship at the New York Times this summer. I work on the student newspaper here. Not a lot happens to be fair, but we try and publish something once a month. If you have any ideas for stories or features, just let me know. Anything goes!”

My mood took a massive nosedive. Fuck my life. The first person who wants to be my friend is a fucking snoopy journalist. The universe must really have it in for me.

“Yeah, I’m new,” I muttered, hoping she’d lose interest if I didn’t engage. “Just on my way to see the dean.”

“Oh perfect, I’m going that way too! I can show you the way!”

“Thanks,” I gritted out. Avery was oblivious to my unfriendly vibes. She carried on chattering away as we walked inside the main building, where many of the classrooms and administrative offices were located. Avery barely had time to draw breath as she escorted me upstairs to the second floor and pointed me in the direction of Dean Johnson’s office. At that point, she thankfully left me alone.

The dean welcomed me in and closed the door firmly behind me.

“Take a seat, Estella,” he said, using my full name.

I sat in the worn chair and looked around his office while he fiddled with a pile of papers. There were books and files everywhere, and the walls were covered in framed photographs of students, school events, and what I guessed were family trips. It was cozy but chaotic. I hoped he was a better administrator than he was at organizing his office.

“As you’re aware, I know your identity, but I can assure you none of the other staff are aware. I’d prefer it if you remained incognito, as we don’t want negative publicity or a press presence at the college.”

“Of course.” Not sure why he felt the need to say that given I didn’t exactly want people to know who I was either.

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