Zed parked his car and met Felicity outside the cafeteria. She had already completed her breakfast with Jessica and Loren, so the three joined Zed.
"You did well," Felicity said with a nod of approval as they went towards the classroom, "You finally made me proud."
"Proud?" Zed looked at her in astonishment. What had he done to gain her approval?
"The way you taught that principal... the ex-principal, Owain, a lesson," Felicity replied, "Now I won't feel bad for being associated with you."
"..." Zed flinched. If he knew such a thing could make her feel better, then he would have played with the other teachers in a similar fashion.
Loren and Jessica listened silently. They had seen the commotion in the academy when Owain was beaten. While they didn't know the details, they knew most of the recent admissions were canceled and the principal 'resigning.'
Loren was luckily spared thanks to her father, but other transfer students weren't so lucky. She had seen how some of the students were called out publicly, informing them that their admissions were revoked.
Loren could pretty much imagine how insulting the whole episode had been for the students and their influential parents.
Many students and teachers had their own theories on how things took place, thanks to the rumors spread by the doctors and guards. The rumors blamed Zed, but most people didn't believe them.
After all, how can a student with no background be responsible for such things? Most people believed Felicity was the true mastermind, given her 'relationship' with Zed. Everyone knew her father was a senator, so that made it more obvious.
Loren knew better, for she was there when Zed informed Felicity that he was fired. She remembered him saying he had already taken action and everything would be solved in a day or two.
At that time, she thought Zed was just saying things to calm down Felicity, but now she knew she was wrong. In just a span of hours, much less a day, he was able to fire the principal.
Loren wondered how Zed was able to do such a thing. She wanted to ask him the details, but she didn't since they weren't even friends.
Jessica, on the other hand, wasn't much surprised by the events. She remembered how frightened Irina was when she met Zed at the gang headquarters.
Jessica understood there was more to him than what he let the world know.
------------
A house in the suburban area.
Owain stood outside his house, looking at a pickup van. Besides him was a middle-aged woman. She guided the helping staff in transferring the luggage from the house to the van.
"I never thought we would be asked to leave from our own house," the woman said in a bitter tone, "Things are turning worse for us."
"I'm sorry for this mess," Owain replied, "I never expected things to turn out this way."
They were new in the city, so they didn't own a permanent house of their own. The house they stayed in was rented, but now the landlord had unceremoniously asked them to leave. This was illegal, of course, but Owain knew there was no use in fighting. He was sure the landlord was working on Floyd's instructions.
Owain also knew things would turn even worse since many admissions were canceled. He had earned the wrath of not only Floyd but also new government officers.
"Everything is due to that slum bastard!" Owain gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Calm down, love," the woman placed a hand on his shoulder, "Surely that kid must have a powerful background given the mess we are in. Don't do anything disastrous; otherwise, our lives will turn to hell."
"I know," Owain took a deep breath to calm himself, "But are we supposed to just take this insult and move on?"
The woman let out a deep sigh. She was angry as well, for she had lost access to the elite clubs of this city.
"We can't take action," the woman answered after thinking for a moment, "But we can trigger others, and in the process, reduce the mess."
Owain looked at her in surprise. He understood that 'others' referred to the children whose admissions were canceled.
Maybe the parents would be able to think with a calm mind and not take a drastic step, but the same didn't apply to the elite children who were born with a silver spoon.
"I know you have signed an NDA," the woman continued, "That doesn't mean we don't have means to spread rumors. In fact, rumors are far more powerful tools than straight-up facts!"
"True!" Owain's eyes lit up.
----------
Evening.
Golden Fitness Centre was located in the Central District. It was a high-class gym, popular among the elites of the city, which also meant it was costly. This only increased the craze among the society for it turned into a status symbol.
The gym occupied a two-storied building. There were multiple rooms for people who wished to have individual training under the guidance of a personal trainer. The real money earned by the gym was from private sessions as they cost a good extra.
Having a personal trainer not only ensured proper guidance, but it also ensured that the gym enthusiast would keep their fitness commitment. It made sure that one would go to the gym at the right time and follow the schedule properly.
At the corner of the second floor of the gym, there was a women's locker room. In the room, two women changed into their gym clothes.
One of them was Suzane - the mother of Olly and Loren. She wore a red sports bra and blue shorts. The clothes complimented her curvaceous figure, especially her large breasts.
"How is your stay so far?" a brunette woman in her late thirties asked. The woman was wearing a white bra and black shorts. Her body was no less seductive than Suzane's.
"Good," Suzane replied, "I'm grateful for your help, Rubie."
"No help at all," Rubie said, "I'm glad to have a new friend."
Suzane gave a smile but inwardly she scorned at the word friend. She knew very well that Rubie was trying to earn her favors.
After all, she was the wife of the 'temporary' main chief investigator of wasteland incident. The entire high society was curious about the incident, and Rubie believed Suzane would have a lot of juicy secrets to share.
Suzane didn't mind though, for everyone was selfish in one way or the other. She was also enjoying Rubie's arrangements so she was happy to have her acquaintanceship. The gym was her idea, and so far she has liked it.
"There is a very good spa center nearby!" Rubie said while giving a naughty wink, "It is very popular among women! You should give it a try!"
"No, the gym is enough for me," Suzane's face turned red. She obviously understood why the spa was popular.
"Your loss," Rubie said, "Let us start the gym session."
They left the locker room and entered a large room consisting of various gym equipment such as machine fly, stability ball, reformer pilates, treadmill, hyperextension bench, smith machine, and so on.
This room was for private sessions, and for the next hour, it was reserved for the two of them. They both were under the guidance of a single trainer.
"You are late," a male voice entered Rubie and Suzane's ears. Suzane was surprised by the masculine voice since their trainer was a female.
She turned around and saw Kiba. He was wearing nothing but gym shorts, and Suzane couldn't help but glance at his chiseled torso and fit abdomen.
"Kiba?" Suzane muttered.
"Don't waste time," Kiba looked at them with a stern gaze, "Start the warm-up."
"You are not our trainer!" Suzane told him. From last week, she had been undergoing her training under a female trainer, so how can Kiba instruct her?
"Actually, he's the special trainer!" Rubie corrected her with a smile, "We are lucky he would be guiding us... because he rarely gives personal sessions!"
"What?!" Suzane was startled. She had heard he was a mercenary of a sort, so how did he become a trainer?
What does the special trainer mean anyways?
"Your trainer is on leave for a week," Kiba informed them, "I am filling in for her."
"We will be in your experienced hands!" Rubie's voice contained some obvious excitement, "Please take good care of us!"
Seeing Rubie's excitement, Suzane truly believed he might be a good trainer...