Chapter 5 - PEYTON TALKS
Victoria grabbed Peyton’s arm.
“We’re leaving.”
Peyton did not move.
“Mom.”
“Now.”
“No.”
The word was barely audible.
Victoria stared at her daughter as if she had spoken another language.
“What did you say?”
Peyton looked toward Lila.
Then toward the sandwich in the trash.
“I said no.”
Elliot stayed silent.
This was not his moment to interrupt.
Victoria tightened her grip.
Peyton pulled free.
“You told me they weren’t like us.”
The cafeteria became completely still.
Victoria’s face hardened.
“You are upset.”
“You told me scholarship kids were lucky to be here.”
“Peyton.”
“You said if they complained, I should remind them who paid.”
Elliot’s stomach turned.
Peyton wiped her eyes angrily.
“You said Lila was pretending to be poor because rich people sometimes do weird experiments.”
Elliot looked at Victoria.
“How did you know who Lila was?”
That question hit harder than anything else.
Lila stared at Peyton.
“You knew?”
Peyton nodded.
“Since September.”
Lila’s face collapsed.
The entire reason she used her mother’s name was gone.
Her experiment had never been real.
Victoria had known from the beginning.
“Who told you?”
Elliot asked.
Victoria said nothing.
Peyton answered.
“My mom.”
Elliot turned toward Victoria.
“How did you know?”
“I sit on admissions.”
“Her file was sealed.”
“I have appropriate access.”
“No.”
Dr. Avery said.
“You don’t.”
Victoria looked at him.
Avery continued.
“Her identity was restricted to me and the registrar.”
The registrar was summoned.
She arrived ten minutes later, trembling.
She insisted she had never disclosed Lila’s identity.
Naomi requested access logs.
Someone had opened Lila’s confidential file fourteen times.
The username belonged to Dr. Avery.
Avery looked stunned.
“I didn’t do that.”
The technology director checked login locations.
Most access occurred late at night.
From an IP address connected to the Hargrove residence.
Victoria’s expression finally cracked.
“That proves nothing.”
“It proves your house accessed a confidential student file using stolen credentials.”
Naomi said.
Peyton whispered.
“I saw Mom using his account.”
Victoria turned sharply.
“Enough.”
Peyton stepped backward.
“No.”
She was crying now.
“You told me to make Lila quit.”
Lila stared at her.
“What?”
Peyton could barely look at her.
“My mom said if you hated the school, your dad would stop funding it.”
Elliot felt something cold settle inside him.
Victoria had not merely tolerated bullying.
She had weaponized it.
“Why?”
He asked.
May you like
Peyton answered before Victoria could stop her.
“Because Mom said your foundation asks too many questions about where the scholarship money goes.”
