Karma Wears DesignerChapter 2

"Harper, I hand-picked that for you! You can refuse it, but why do you have to trample on my feelings like this?"

Bella’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. The switch was flipped; she was now the tragic heroine in a soap opera.

"I treat you like my sister, and you just toss my gift to a stranger? That is so incredibly cold-hearted!"

She suddenly clutched her chest, stumbled backward, and collapsed gracefully onto the linoleum floor.

Roxy freaked out. She yelped and threw the LV bag back onto my desk like it was a live grenade.

Chaos erupted. The boys in the class surged forward, eager to play the hero for the fallen princess, but hesitating to actually touch her.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the noise like a whip.

"The bell rang two minutes ago. What is going on in here?"

Standing in the doorway were the Hall Monitors—specifically, the Student Council Disciplinary Board.

At the front was Chase Montgomery.

Tall, leaning against the doorframe with an air of bored aristocracy, he had pale skin and dark, intense eyes that seemed to analyze everything they touched.

The guy behind him, holding a clipboard, scowled and scribbled something down before handing it to Chase.

"President. Room 302. Disorderly conduct during study hall. Minus ten points."

The class went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Even Bella, currently staging a faint on the floor, cracked one eye open.

It wasn't just about the points. It was about Chase Montgomery.

He was the Golden Boy. His father was a Senator, his mother was a tech mogul who owned half the prime real estate in the city. And Chase? He was a prodigy, already scouted by USC’s School of Cinematic Arts for directing.

Chase took the pen, his expression unreadable, and signed the violation slip.

Just as the group turned to leave, Bella "miraculously" found the strength to stand up.

"Chase! Wait! This isn't the class's fault. It’s all my responsibility!"

In full view of everyone, she pushed through the crowd and stood before him, looking up with wide, teary eyes.

Silence stretched for a few seconds. Chase instinctively took a step back, turning his face slightly away.

His voice was low, almost raspy. "Reason?"

Bella took a breath, ready for her close-up.

"I fainted because of a personal shock. The class was just trying to help me. The noise was... unavoidable."