Billionaire Villainess (Unedited)

Emergency Meeting (Edited 8/31/24)

It was early morning when Judith stormed out of the computer lab and made her way back to her dorm. Normally, she would get straight back to sleep once her head hit the bed, but her mind kept racing. Her pulse was still elevated from the confrontation, and she knew she couldn't let Gabriel's actions slide. They had gone too far, and now she needed to act quickly to protect their project.

As Judith hurried down the quiet corridors, she replayed the events in her head. She had never seen Gabriel like that before—so desperate, so reckless. His actions made no sense to her. Any relations with him were over. How did he know about the project she and her friends had been working on? Why was he fixated on her?

The campus was still, the early dawn light just beginning to paint the sky with streaks of pale orange and pink. Judith glanced around nervously, half-expecting Gabriel or one of his friends to emerge from the shadows, but the campus was deserted. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and quickened her pace, eager to reach the safety of her dorm.

When she finally made it back to her room, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins made sleep impossible. Judith paced her small dorm room, glancing repeatedly at the clock on her nightstand. She knew she had to do something, but she also knew she couldn't do it alone. The project was too important to risk any further setbacks.

Judith: Emergency meeting, ASAP.

Her hands trembled slightly as she typed the message into the group chat. Almost immediately, her phone buzzed with a reply.

Zayden: Why? What happened?

Judith stared at her phone, the words Gabriel had said to her echoing in her mind. How he had looked so smug, so sure of himself, as if he thought he could intimidate her into giving up. Well, he had another thing coming.

Judith: Gabriel and his minions broke into the computer lab. We need to secure the project and decide on our next course of action. We moved the project to a laptop to avoid using the school computers.

She hit send and took a deep breath. She knew the team would take this seriously, but she was still anxious about how they would react. What if they were angry at her for not reporting Gabriel right away? What if they thought she was overreacting? Judith shook her head, dismissing those doubts. There was no time for second-guessing herself.

Judith hurried back to the computer lab, her footsteps echoing in the empty halls. The walk felt longer than usual, each step weighed down by the burden of what she had to do next. But she knew that she couldn't let fear or hesitation dictate her actions. The project was too important to all of them, and she couldn't let Gabriel's interference jeopardize their work.

When she arrived, the lab was empty, just as she had left it, offering a brief moment of calm before the storm she knew was coming. The familiar hum of the computers and the soft glow of the screens felt oddly comforting. Judith took a seat at one of the workstations and stared at the laptop, which now housed their project files. This was her work, her contribution to the team, and she was not going to let Gabriel or anyone else take it from her.

She paced the floor, going over everything in her mind. Gabriel's intrusion had been a wake-up call—he was out to get back at her. But why? For what reason? Judith thought wildly. We have no business with each other anymore!

The door creaked open, and Judith turned to see Zayden, Liam, Charles, and Xavier filing into the room, their faces a mix of concern and determination. They could tell from the look on Judith's face that something serious had happened.

"Judith, what happened?" Liam asked, his voice full of concern as he stepped closer, his brow furrowed.

Judith took a deep breath, steadying herself before she spoke. "Gabriel and his friends broke into the lab tonight. I caught them going through our project files."