Heart Me

Chapter 36

Simon had just dragged Grace into Emmy's mess. The whole thing—Lily's attack—could get anyone involved in serious trouble. It was a police case; Ben and his friends were nearly jailed afterward. That night of the attack, Ben and his crew had taken things far beyond control. They struck Lily’s head so hard that she was bedridden in the hospital for a week, losing a lot of blood. It was a miracle she survived. If the case resurfaced, Simon knew he’d be in big trouble.

He began to doubt whether Mia’s father was really the one who got Ben and his friends enrolled in other prestigious schools. He was sure Antonio Dawson had paid for their bail, but he wasn’t sure about the claim that Antonio was sponsoring them. Emmy had told him that Mia’s dad did it, but he needed to know for sure. Confronting Mia felt risky; still, he had to find out. “Maybe I should investigate who’s paying the tuition fees,” he thought.

Then, an idea struck him. "My brother could help," he muttered to himself and quickly dialed Ander’s number. Ander picked up almost instantly, his cheerful voice on the other end.

“Hey, bro! What’s up? How’s camp going?” Ander asked.

“Everything’s fine, Ander, but I need your help,” Simon sighed, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Help with what?” Ander asked, his tone turning serious.

“There are these five boys who got expelled from our school last semester. I’ll send you their full names and the names of their new schools. I need you to find out who’s sponsoring them,” Simon explained.

“Why do you want to know that?” Ander asked, sounding puzzled.

“I heard they got into prestigious schools, and I’m curious. They were troublemakers—they attacked my friend, and that’s why they got expelled. I just want to know who’s funding them,” Simon replied, trying to keep his voice casual.

After a pause, Ander agreed. “Okay, I’ll do it, but don’t ask me to do this kind of thing again. Hacking into school records is risky.”

Simon sent the details, his heart pounding. After what felt like hours, Ander called back.

“Thomas Prescott. That’s the name of their sponsor. He’s listed as their legal guardian,” Ander said briefly. Before Simon could ask more, Ander hung up.

Thomas Prescott. The name rang no bells. He knew it wasn’t Mia’s father. Could it be Emmy’s dad? If Emmy could afford to pay Ben 200,000 euros, then her father funding five boys wasn’t out of the question.

Simon called Ander back immediately, his voice urgent. “Can you check if there’s a student named Emmy whose father is Thomas Prescott?”

“What are you getting yourself into, Simon?” Ander sighed, sounding annoyed. “Fine. Give me a minute.”

Simon waited, his nerves on edge. A few minutes later, Ander’s voice came through, more clipped than before.

“Emmy Rose Prescott. Her father’s name is Thomas Prescott. Now don’t bother me with this again.” He hung up.

It all clicked into place—Emmy had orchestrated the entire attack, then pinned it on Mia. Simon felt a mixture of anger and relief as he pieced the puzzle together. He had to decide on his next move. For now, he needed to think.

Kayla's POV

I was walking back to the camp with Evie after canoeing when Grace’s voice suddenly cut through the air like a knife. “You are so unbelievable! What kind of friend are you?” she shouted, causing heads to turn.

I was stunned. “What? I don’t understand. What did I do?” I asked, feeling a mix of confusion and shock.

Grace’s face was flushed with anger. “You don’t understand? You knew all this time that Mia had a hand in attacking my sister, but you kept quiet! You even defended Mia when I tried to say she was involved!” Her voice was getting louder, catching the attention of Kyle and Amanda, the camp instructors.