Page 272 of A University of Betrayal

“But I can’t pretend I’m not curious either. After so many years...” Everyone present suddenly looked at him in alarm. “Next time, please remember that you can see the light from my officeveryclearly, especially at night... Or that my office door isn’t usually wide open.”

Julian cleared his throat and I reminded myself that the light did what it wanted at random anyway.

The three girls suddenly looked at me and I raised my eyebrows.

I didn’t have to justify myself for that. That wastheirproblem. If I hadn’t seen Julie, I probably never would have gone to check out Alarik’s office.

“We’re sorry. We were just leaving,” Larissa said quickly, pulling Bayla with her. Julie followed almost automatically and Miles also turned away from us, not without looking at me one last time and giving me that strange feeling of tension again.

“Don’t let me stop you,” Alarik said, gesturing toward the door with his free hand.

Bayla looked at him indecisively and Julie looked like she was in shock.

“Have a good night,” Alarik wished them.

What the fuck?

Julian nodded to Alarik, then joined him and followed the others.

“Good night,” he mumbled quickly, and then he was gone too.

I was left with my uncle, who paced around the desk and sat down, not even glancing at the open drawers, as if it was normal for him that students were here without permission.

“It’s funny,” he laughed softly, shaking his head and staring at one of his old bookshelves overgrown with plants, lost in thought.

“Have they been herebefore?”I asked quickly.

Alarik looked up at me and I felt uncomfortable, ready for his lecture.

“Bayla Adams, yes.”

He put the glass down and pulled out some papers before pulling out a pen.

How could he be working now? At this time of night? Andwhathad he just said?

“And I’m not blind. I can see that she can’t part with her Ruisangor friend and that Julian is keeping an eye on her.”

Keeping an eye on one of them... as if he had nothing better to do. Julian always chose the wrong side.

“I’m sure it’s Diana’s doing.”

“You know her mother,” I realized, remembering exactly the diary entry where he had met her in the library with that Alice girl.

“I know a lot of people in this town. You know me by now, I don’t make secrets out of it... not anymore.”

It sounded like he was tired of it.

I didn’t want to probe further, because I respected his past, so I brought up what I was really interested in. “Why didn’t you punish them for their misbehavior?”

“They all have enough problems with their families. Why should I burden them any further, especially when it’s only the student files they were going through? As long as it doesn’t happen again...” my uncle sighed.

Was he serious?He was just going to let them get away with it?

“They could find incriminating evidence and destroy your career.”

I hadn’t meant to say that, and now I was blushing.

Alarik looked at me in alarm.“Incriminating evidence...Emely, what do you think of me?”

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