Elara’s POV

The first bell hadn’t even rung when my name flashed across the academy blog.

Gossip Girl.

Her words burned from the screen of every phone around me.

“Elara Winters spotted sneaking out of the music hall with Professor Lucien. Is he giving her more than piano lessons?”

Gasps. Snickers. Fingers pointing as I walked down the hallway. I felt the whispers sink under my skin like knives.

I clenched my books tighter.

Pearl rushed to my side. “Ignore them, Elara. They’re just jealous.” But her smile… it lingered too long. Her eyes sparkled like she was enjoying the show.

“Jealous, huh?” I muttered, not trusting her.

At lunch, I couldn’t sit without hearing the same thing. “Sleeping her way to the top.” “Professor’s pet.” “Slut.” Every word made me smaller.

I left my tray untouched.

Noah found me by the stairwell. His hand brushed mine, soft, protective. “Don’t let them win. Focus on the competition.”

I nodded, but his hand stayed too long, warm against my skin. My chest tightened. He was supposed to be safe, someone I could trust. So why did it feel… different?

By the time I reached music class, the whole academy was buzzing. Mikhail stood at the front, arms crossed. His eyes pinned me like a hawk.

“You.” He pointed. “Play.”

The blood drained from my face. He shoved the most complex piece of music into my hands. Everyone smirked, waiting for me to fail.

I sat at the piano, hands trembling. Notes blurred on the page. My chest heaved.

And then—I closed the sheet.

Gasps filled the room.

“Improvising?” Mikhail’s voice dripped with mockery.

My fingers touched the keys. I let the sound rise from my heart, raw and sharp, not perfect but mine. The room fell silent. For the first time, even Mikhail’s mask slipped. His lips parted, eyes narrowing in surprise.

When I stopped, no one laughed. They only stared.

But the silence broke too soon.

“Show-off,” someone hissed.

“Cheater.”

I grabbed my bag and ran out before they could crush the tiny spark of pride still burning inside me.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. The whispers wouldn’t stop, even in my head.

I walked past Damien’s study. The door was cracked, his voice low but firm.

“No, she doesn’t know anything yet. I’ll make sure she stays under control.”

My heart stopped.

Under control?

He wasn’t just protecting me. He was planning something.

Maybe he had another reason for making me stay even when he said he i’m going back to the street, and somehow changed his mind wanting me to be his daughter.

I stepped back, my breath caught in my throat. Damien’s voice had always been steady, calm, reassuring — but now it carried something colder. Something secret.

“Under control,” he said again, his words curling like smoke through the half-open door.

“Are you sure?” another voice asked. Not his. Deeper. Male. I froze, straining to hear.

“I’m sure,” Damien replied. “She won’t question me. Not yet. She thinks I’m on her side.”

My blood turned to ice. Were they talking about… me?

The floor creaked beneath my foot, and I panicked. I stumbled back into the shadows just as the door swung wider. Light spilled into the hall. I pressed against the wall, holding my breath.

Damien stepped out. His expression was unreadable, sharp like carved stone. For a moment, I thought his eyes flicked toward me, like he knew I was there. But then he turned down the other corridor. His footsteps faded.

I didn’t move until the silence swallowed me.

My chest ached. First Gossip Girl, now Damien’s whispers. Who could I even trust anymore?

I went back to my room, curling under the blankets though sleep felt impossible. The academy wasn’t just suffocating me with gossip — it was hiding something. And I was right in the middle of it.

The next morning, the whispers hadn’t died. If anything, they’d gotten louder. Screens flashed with my name, pictures edited to make me look guilty, headlines bold and cruel.

Lucien’s secret lover.

Teacher’s pet exposed.

How far will she go to win?

Pearl slid into the seat beside me in class, smirking like the rumors were dessert. “You should own it, Elara. Bad girls get noticed.”

“Bad girls get destroyed,” I snapped.

Her smile didn’t falter. If anything, it deepened. “Or crowned.”

I turned away, my fists clenched.

By the time music practice ended, I was ready to scream. Noah caught me at the lockers. His jaw tightened when he saw my expression.

“They won’t stop until you fight back,” he said.

“And how do I do that? Print my own blog?”

His lips quirked. “Maybe.”

I stared at him, ready to tell him this wasn’t funny — but the way his eyes softened, the way he looked at me like I wasn’t broken, made me stop.

“Don’t let them define you,” he whispered.

Something inside me melted, just for a second. But before I could respond, the sharp echo of heels cut through the hall.

Sabrina.

Her red lips curved into a cruel smile. “Poor Elara,” she purred. “Can’t even walk through the halls without scandal clinging to her. I almost feel bad for you.”

Almost.

Her posse giggled. My jaw ached from clenching.

“You think this is funny?” I asked.

“I think it’s predictable.” She leaned close, her perfume thick and suffocating. “Girls like you don’t last long here. Not when you make enemies so quickly.”

Her words hit deeper than I wanted to admit.

That night, I sat at my desk, trying to focus on the music sheets scattered in front of me. But Damien’s words kept replaying.

“She doesn’t know anything yet.”

“I’ll make sure she stays under control.”

My pen dug into the paper until it snapped.

What didn’t I know?

Why was I the one being controlled?

I pushed the sheets aside, pacing. Every corner of this academy felt like it was closing in. I needed answers.

A soft ping lit up my phone. My stomach dropped.

New post. Gossip Girl.

My finger trembled as I opened it.

“Looks like Elara isn’t the only one sneaking around. But who’s keeping secrets now? Damien Winters spotted with the Headmaster after hours. Documents exchanged. Whispers of a plan that could ruin everything. Don’t believe me? Watch closely, darlings. The game is just beginning.”

My heart pounded. Damien. Headmaster. Documents.

Gossip Girl wasn’t just coming for me anymore. She was coming for him.

I shut off my phone, throwing it onto the bed. My chest heaved.

If this was true… then what I heard last night wasn’t just paranoia. Damien was hiding something.

And if Gossip Girl knew… then I wasn’t safe at all.

Sleep never came. By morning, my eyes burned, and my head felt heavy. I dragged myself into class, ignoring the stares. But the whispers followed me anyway.

“She looks guilty.”

“She knows something.”

“She’s cracking.”

I wanted to scream at them all — but before I could, Mikhail slammed a folder onto my desk.

“Winters. Stay after class.”

The entire room hummed with interest.

My throat went dry.

When the bell rang, everyone filed out, casting curious glances over their shoulders. Mikhail didn’t speak until the door clicked shut. Then he turned, his sharp gaze cutting into me.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he said.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

He stepped closer. “Don’t lie to me. The gossip. The rumors. Damien. You think I don’t notice?”

My blood froze.

He leaned in, his voice low. “Whatever you’ve stumbled into, it won’t end with whispers. It will end with blood.”

My breath hitched. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because,” he said, straightening, “I don’t like pawns who don’t know they’re pawns.”

Before I could ask more, he turned and left, the door slamming behind him.

I sat frozen in my seat, heart pounding.

Blood. Pawns. Games.

Everything was spinning too fast.

And then my phone buzzed again. Another notification. Another post.

“Tick-tock, Elara. Time is running out. Tonight, the truth comes out — whether you’re ready or not.”

I dropped the phone, my hands shaking.

Tonight.

Whatever was happening, whatever Damien and the Headmaster were hiding — Gossip Girl was about to expose it.

And I wasn’t sure if I’d survive it.