Chapter 38 Consequences II

Liam gave a small nod, signaling that he understood, and just like that, the principal dismissed him. Without another word, he turned around and headed for the door, his steps steady and unhurried. There was no hesitation in his movements, no sign of regret or distress. If anything, his expression remained completely unreadable, as if nothing that had just been said mattered to him in the slightest.

The teachers seated in the office exchanged brief glances with one another, clearly surprised by his lack of reaction. They had expected something—anything. Perhaps an outburst of anger, maybe some form of regret, or even a desperate attempt at negotiation. They thought he would at least try to argue, to plead with them to reconsider the punishment, but instead, he simply walked out as if their words had no impact on him at all.

Idiots.

Did they think that cutting his test scores would be enough to make him fail?

Did they really believe that removing thirty marks from his total would be enough to break him?

They clearly had no idea who they were messing with.

At first, he had thought about only using the system occasionally during his exams, just to get by when necessary, but now? Now he didn’t care anymore.

Now, he was going to use the system for everything.

If they wanted to play dirty, then fine. He could play dirty too.

As he walked out of the office and stepped into the hallway, his expression remained calm, but inside his head, his thoughts were anything but.

So what if Kane’s father was the mayor?

So what if he held political power?

Liam didn’t give a fuck about any of that.

His son had crossed a boundary he never should have, and if he was stupid enough to do it again, Liam would be more than happy to give him another round—this time, even worse than before.

Thinking back to how he had felt for that brief moment of fear when the principal had first mentioned Kane’s father, Liam almost laughed.

He actually let himself be worried for a second.

Ridiculous.

That man could do whatever he wanted—file complaints, make threats, push his weight around. It didn’t change the fact that Kane had gotten what he deserved.

And if anyone thought Liam was going to back down because of some politician breathing down his neck, they were sorely mistaken.

As soon as he stepped out of the office, his gaze landed on Amanda, who was standing nearby, clearly waiting for him.

The moment she saw him, she didn’t waste any time.

"So?" she asked, crossing her arms, her tone laced with both concern and frustration.

Liam exhaled through his nose and shoved his hands into his pockets before giving a small shrug. "Well, I’m suspended. And apparently, my test scores don’t matter anymore."

Amanda’s brows furrowed instantly, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"What?!" she nearly shouted, causing a few students passing by to glance in their direction before quickly minding their own business. "That’s insane! How do they expect you to pass if they’re completely erasing your test scores?"

Liam merely shrugged again, completely unconcerned.

Amanda, on the other hand, looked visibly upset. She had left the meeting before the final decision was made, but it was clear to her now that things had gone exactly as she feared.

The entire meeting had been a joke.

Even after knowing exactly what Kane had done, they still insisted on giving Liam such a harsh punishment.

It was obvious that most of them were just bootlicking the mayor, trying to stay on his good side instead of making a fair judgment.

She clenched her fists at her sides, frustration clear on her face.

But then, as she looked at Liam again, she suddenly noticed something that made her pause.

He wasn’t upset.

He wasn’t angry.

In fact, he didn’t even look remotely worried.

Instead, there was something else on his face—something familiar.

Amanda knew that look.

She had seen it before, countless times.

It was the look Liam always had whenever he was about to do something reckless.

Her frown deepened, and she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Liam..." she started, her voice slower this time, her gaze sharp. "I really hope you’re not thinking of causing more trouble."

Liam immediately shook his head. "What? No."

Amanda didn’t look convinced.

Liam sighed and ran a hand through his hair before rolling his eyes. "Look, I’m not going to do anything, alright? You’re misunderstanding my expression. I’ve already caused enough problems as it is."

Amanda studied him carefully for a moment, searching his face for any sign of a lie.

After a few seconds, she finally let out a small sigh and relaxed her arms, but she still looked skeptical.

Liam smirked slightly at her reaction but didn’t say anything.

If only she knew.

A brief silence passed between them before Amanda suddenly spoke again, her voice slightly lower than before, filled with curiosity and concern.

"Did any of those thugs give you trouble?"

Liam blinked at her question, and for the first time in a long while, he hesitated.

His first instinct was to lie—to tell her that everything had been fine, that nothing serious had happened, that they were nothing more than a minor annoyance. But before the words could leave his mouth, he stopped himself.

Umm... about that...

He rubbed the back of his neck, his hesitation only making Amanda narrow her eyes at him suspiciously.

He knew that lying to her was useless.

If he tried to brush it off now, she would eventually find out the truth on her own. She had too many connections, too many ways of getting information, and more importantly, she wasn’t stupid.

She would know.

And when she did, it would only make things worse.

Amanda’s expression grew serious as she furrowed her brows, her sharp eyes locked onto him. "Liam... what is it?"

Liam exhaled quietly, realizing that there was no way out of this.

His voice was calm but firm as he cleared his throat and said, "We can’t talk about this here."

Amanda’s expression shifted slightly, her suspicion deepening. But she didn’t argue. Instead, she nodded once and gestured for him to follow her.

"Come with me."

Without another word, Liam followed her down the hallway.

They walked through the school in silence, passing by students who barely paid them any attention. It wasn’t long before they reached Amanda’s office.

The moment they stepped inside, Amanda closed the door behind them and locked it, then quickly moved to the windows, pulling down the blinds until the room was completely shut off from the outside.

Only when she was satisfied that no one could eavesdrop did she finally turn around and face Liam, her arms crossed over her chest, her gaze expectant.

"Alright," she said firmly. "Talk."

Liam sighed and leaned back against the nearest desk, crossing his arms. But before he said anything, he looked her dead in the eyes and spoke in a tone more serious than usual.

"Before I tell you anything, you have to promise me that you won’t freak out."

Amanda’s eyebrows shot up slightly, and she tilted her head in confusion.

"Freak out?" she repeated, sounding unimpressed. "Why would I freak out?"

Liam stared at her for a long moment before finally exhaling and shaking his head.

"Fine," he muttered.

He straightened up, unfolded his arms, and finally began speaking.

His voice was steady, but there was a weight to his words that made the air in the room feel heavier.

"They came to my house."

Amanda’s body tensed instantly, but she didn’t interrupt him.

"Five of them."

Her eyes darkened.

"And they brought weapons."

Amanda’s lips parted slightly, her breath hitching for a split second, but she still didn’t say anything.

Liam continued. "They attacked me. Their goal was to take me out permanently."

The silence that followed was almost suffocating.

Amanda’s face paled slightly, her eyes sharp and filled with shock.

She knew the type of people they were.

She had been involved in things like this long enough to understand just how dangerous they could be, and she also knew that they weren’t the kind of people to make empty threats.

If they had gone to Liam’s house with weapons, then there was no doubt in her mind that they had truly intended to kill him.

The realization made her stomach twist unpleasantly.

She had known that something like this might happen.

She had even warned Liam about it.

But she hadn’t expected them to make such a bold move this soon.

And now, hearing it directly from Liam himself, the reality of the situation hit her much harder than she anticipated.

For a brief moment, she didn’t know what to say.

Her mind raced with countless questions, but there was only one that came out of her mouth first.

"How... how did you get away?"

Liam blinked.

For a second, he just stared at her, and then, before he could stop himself, a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

Escape?

Did she really think he ran away?

Did she think he was the type of person to turn his tail and flee at the first sign of danger?

Hmph.

She underestimated him.

Amanda, who had been closely watching his every reaction, immediately caught onto his expression.

And the moment she saw that smug look on his face, she already knew the answer.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes darkening slightly as she spoke in a grim voice.

"You didn’t escape, did you?"