Just Another Stranger in the Crowd      

In high society, gossip was a double-edged sword. It was one thing to whisper in shadows, but if anyone found out, especially men of power, it could destroy a woman's prospects.

No one wanted a wife who schemed and backstabbed. And these girls, still on the hunt for eligible suitors, knew all too well how easily their reputation could be ruined if the recording circulated around campus.

Their reputations would be shattered, and the other women harboring grudges against them would seize the opportunity to blow the situation out of proportion, using it to elevate themselves.

With Guinevere's well-known status as a school bully, it wasn't just me she had made enemies with—there were plenty of others waiting for a chance to take her down.

"Eve! You dare!" Guinevere shouted, fury trembling in her voice.