But before we could even leave the campus grounds, the situation had already exploded.
Parents from the Elite Track had banded together, launching a livestream. They issued a joint statement demanding police involvement, threatening lawyers, insisting the school hold Samantha and Roger accountable.
A scandal breaking during the college entrance exams? The internet went nuclear.
Netizens flooded Roger's social media, calling him a "life-ruiner," a "parasite," worse.
Then Roger—who'd been radio silent all day—suddenly went live.
Samantha sat beside him, her face pale and drawn.
His expression was mournful, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea things would turn out like this. We just wanted to have some cake. It was my classmate Daryl who insisted on ordering drinks. He said they were non-alcoholic, that we could drink as much as we wanted."
He paused, swallowing hard. "Yes, people had a bit too much last night—but they got to the hospital in time. They should have been fine. It was Daryl. He wanted revenge, so he had his father—he's a department chief at that hospital—deliberately botch the treatment. That's why everyone ended up with alcohol poisoning."