Chapter 273

The two girls froze in their tracks.

"Where's Rachel?" Evelyn's icy stare pinned them in place.

One girl swallowed hard before answering. "Earlier...we saw Winifred and her friends take Rachel somewhere. We don't know where."

'Winifred again!'

Evelyn's eyes turned glacial.

Winifred lounged in her dorm with two cronies, laughing about their cruel prank on Rachel as if it were some hilarious joke.

The door exploded inward with a violent kick, making all three jump.

Winifred scrambled to her feet when Evelyn stormed in. "Hey! You can't just—"

The sharp crack of Evelyn's palm meeting Winifred's cheek echoed through the room. The other two girls gasped as Winifred stumbled back, clutching her face.

"You hit me?" Winifred's voice trembled with disbelief.

Evelyn grabbed her collar and shoved her against the wall. "Where. Is. Rachel."

Winifred's eyes flashed with defiance despite the stinging cheek. "After attacking me, you think I'll tell you anything? You'll regret this!"

She lunged forward, nails aimed at Evelyn's face.

Evelyn caught her wrist mid-air and delivered another stinging slap that sent Winifred crashing to the floor.

Tears welled in Winifred's eyes as she cradled her swollen face. "You—"

Evelyn snatched a steel fork from the nearby table.

The other girls scrambled backward, but Evelyn only had eyes for Winifred. She hauled the sobbing girl up by her shirt collar, pressed her against the bed frame, and held the fork's sharp tines against her jugular.

"Having fun tormenting people?" Evelyn's voice was deadly calm.

Winifred's breath came in panicked gasps. "E-Evelyn Vanderbilt, if you dare—"

Evelyn's cold laugh cut her off. "Try me. I've never backed down from anything. Today's your lucky day - you've managed to piss me off at just the right time."

She twisted Winifred's wrist painfully against the mattress. "Let's see how brave you feel now."

The fork flashed downward.

Winifred screamed.

The other girls covered their eyes, expecting blood.

But the fork embedded itself in the mattress between Winifred's splayed fingers, missing flesh by millimeters.

Winifred went deathly pale, her entire body shaking.

"Now you understand fear," Evelyn whispered, pulling the fork free. "Consider this your warning. Next time, I won't miss."

When Evelyn released her, Winifred collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

Evelyn found Rachel locked in a bathroom stall, her weak knocks barely audible. The moment Evelyn removed the jammed broom, Rachel tumbled out, shivering violently in soaked clothes.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel." Evelyn caught her before she hit the floor.

Rachel burst into tears at the sight of her rescuer. Evelyn quickly helped her back to their room, where Rachel changed into dry clothes and huddled under blankets, still trembling from hours of cold and hunger.