True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee Episode 15

📖 The Story Continues

True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee — Episode 15

The boy with the raised phone took a slow step toward Hailey. “Need help drying off?” he asked, drawing another laugh from his friend. Hailey held the towel tighter and kept her clothes pressed against her chest. Fear and fury competed beneath her forced composure.

“I’m just here for my clothes,” she said. She pointed toward the door and ordered them to move out of her way. The nearest boy spread his arms with exaggerated hospitality, inviting her to come and take whatever she wanted. His phone remained angled toward her.

Hailey calculated whether she could knock it away without losing the towel. She had handled physical threats before, but the vulnerability of the situation made every movement risky. One captured image could circulate through school before she reached class. Candice had chosen the trap with vicious precision.

The uncertain boy glanced at his friend and suggested they stop. Before either acted, a firmer voice cut across the room. “What are you guys doing?” The question carried enough authority to erase the laughter.

A tall student stepped from between the locker rows, already dressed for class except for the shirt hanging over one shoulder. His expression hardened when he saw Hailey cornered in a towel and the phone pointed at her. He told the boys to knock it off and get out. Neither argued.

The phone disappeared into a pocket, and both boys retreated with embarrassed muttering. The newcomer waited until the door closed behind them before turning back to Hailey. He kept his eyes on her face rather than the towel. That small courtesy eased some of the tension from her shoulders.

“I’m sorry about them,” he said. There was no teasing in his apology and no demand for gratitude. He moved aside, opening a clear path to the exit, then offered his shirt as additional cover. Hailey declined because her own clothes were finally within reach, but the gesture mattered.

He introduced himself as Luke. Recognition flickered in his eyes as he asked whether she was the dodgeball champion everyone had been discussing. Hailey had not expected the victory to earn a title, particularly while she stood barefoot in the wrong locker room. The absurdity pulled a reluctant laugh from her.

“Hailey,” she replied. She added that she usually wore more clothes when meeting someone, hoping humor could restore a fraction of control. Luke looked down at his bare chest and said he usually did too. The answer was ridiculous enough to make her smile despite everything.

For a brief moment, the room stopped feeling like a trap. Luke’s easy expression held curiosity rather than judgment, and he did not appear impressed or repelled by what he believed about her social status. He had intervened before learning her name. That distinction had become important to Hailey.

Luke handed her a clean athletic jacket from his locker. She slipped it over the towel, grateful for the coverage and the fresh scent of laundry. Their fingers brushed as she accepted it, creating an awkward pause neither acknowledged. Hailey wondered whether ordinary attraction always arrived in the least dignified circumstances.

He joked that next time she wanted to see him without a shirt, she only had to ask. The confidence should have annoyed her, yet his grin made it clear he was trying to lighten the situation rather than exploit it. Hailey replied that she would keep the offer in mind. Luke’s smile deepened.

Outside, CeCe heard footsteps approaching and glanced down the corridor. Candice, Gail, and McKenna were advancing with phones ready, their expressions bright with anticipation. CeCe immediately understood that the boys had been only the first layer of the plan. She pushed the locker-room door open.

“Hailey, watch out. They’re here,” she warned. Hailey turned toward the entrance just as Candice appeared. Luke’s jacket covered her shoulders, but the towel and bare legs still supplied the image Candice wanted. The false heiress lifted her phone with triumphant speed.

“Gotcha,” Candice said as the camera captured Hailey and a shirtless Luke together in the boys’ locker room. Gail crowded beside her, filming from another angle. Context disappeared inside the frame. All anyone would see was the school outcast half dressed with one of Western High’s most attractive boys.

Hailey grabbed her clothes and moved behind Luke, but Candice had already taken several pictures. She accused Hailey of sneaking in for attention and loudly questioned what kind of girl behaved that way during school. Gail added insults while McKenna blocked CeCe from reaching the phone.

Luke stepped between Candice and Hailey. He explained that the clothes had been planted there and that he had found Hailey being harassed. Candice ignored him, directing her performance toward the growing cluster of students in the hall. Facts again threatened the story she wanted to sell.

Hailey saw the cruel satisfaction in Candice’s eyes and understood the real purpose. The photos were not merely revenge for dodgeball; they were designed to discredit anything Hailey said in the future. If she became known as a liar and troublemaker, her claim to the Kaplan name would sound even more desperate.

CeCe pushed past McKenna and reached Hailey’s side. Her presence, together with Luke’s, prevented the isolation Candice expected. Hailey drew the jacket closed and told Candice to delete every image. Candice only raised the phone higher.

More students appeared as the argument spilled into the corridor. Candice turned the screen outward, eager to display her trophy, and demanded to know why Hailey had been half naked in the boys’ locker room. The trap had succeeded in creating a scandal, but Candice had failed to anticipate one thing: Luke had witnessed the truth, and he did not look afraid of her at all.