After Dumping the CEO, I Went Back to Being the Billionaire

A sudden, sharp kick sent Lucas Campbell stumbling forward-he nearly crashed face-first into the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" Lucas froze in place, utterly stunned.

He barely managed to catch himself by grabbing the edge of a nearby desk.

The remaining students who hadn't yet dispersed slowed their exit, casually observing the unfolding drama.

Lucas's face flushed crimson-a mix of pure rage and searing embarrassment. He shot to his feet, whirled around, and glared daggers at Evan Sterling. "Have you lost your mind?! You actually kicked me? Are you insane?!"

Fuming, he raised his fist and lunged at Evan, aiming straight for his face.

"Who I'm interested in is none of your damn business! Since when do I need your permission to pursue a girl?!"

Stella Dawson relaxed her stance slightly, her brows furrowing in bewilderment at the two men about to brawl directly in front of her.

...

"Our Megan will not be treated this way!"

Principal's Office. Megan Lindley's parents were causing an uproar.

Her finger had been treated and reset-it wasn't fully severed and was expected to heal in time. But her family was deeply dissatisfied with the school's handling of the incident. Merely giving Stella a standard disciplinary mark was utterly unacceptable to them.

The principal pressed his fingers against his temples, the noise giving him a splitting headache.

He frowned and stated, "Megan did initiate the verbal harassment and crossed a line with her remarks. She is not without fault in this matter. I cannot place the entirety of the blame on Stella Dawson."

They hadn't publicized Megan's role in the official notice, but that didn't absolve her of responsibility.

"Oh, come on! They were just words! It's not like the girl actually dropped dead because of them!" Megan's father shouted. "My daughter is the one with a broken finger! She plays the violin, for heaven's sake! What are we supposed to do now?!"

"If her future is ruined, is the school prepared to take responsibility?"

The principal knew exactly what they were after-compensation. Under the relentless pressure and shouting, he eventually capitulated.

The school paid out a settlement but imposed no further punishment on Stella.

Megan's parents left, still huffing with dissatisfaction.

But before the principal could catch his breath, another bombshell dropped-Lucas and Evan had gotten into a serious physical altercation over Stella at the Fine Arts building.

The two were notorious troublemakers, and no one had dared to intervene. The fight escalated, resulting in both being sent to the hospital. The principal was so stressed he felt he was losing hair by the minute.

Meanwhile, Stella was calmly having lunch in the cafeteria.

She had just picked a spot with her tray and was about to sit down when she found herself surrounded-by more than a dozen of Megan's relatives.

Megan's mother violently slapped the tray off the table.

"You shameless little witch! How dare you sit here and eat as if nothing happened?! Why don't you just go die?!"

"You can still hold chopsticks, can you?!" Megan's father bellowed. "But thanks to you, Megan can't even hold a violin bow anymore! She's twenty years old, and you've ruined her! How vicious can you be?!"

The relatives joined in, hurling foul insults without hesitation.

Most of the students in the cafeteria had grown curious and gathered around to watch.

Some frowned at the vulgar language from Megan's family, and a few considered intervening.

But the rumor about Stella breaking Megan's finger was still fresh, and many assumed she must have provoked it somehow.

Samantha Tate had been quietly spreading narratives about Stella's volatile nature, and those stories were beginning to take root.

No one stepped forward to defend Stella Dawson anymore.

Standing at the back of the crowd, Samantha Tate wore a smug expression, lifting her chin slightly. "Let's turn up the heat. Give the Lindleys a hand. Stella truly has no shame."

The girls around her immediately stepped forward, weaving through the crowd until they reached the front and began whispering pointedly.

"Megan is honestly such a sweetheart. She was always looking out for Stella-even fetched water for her sometimes."

"Right? Everyone in the dorm said they got along fine. Stella is just something else."

"Bet you didn't know this-Megan has a crush on Lindor Mitchell. Guess who else does? Stella. And she's convinced Lindor likes her back. So she just snapped. Went full psycho on Megan."

"Wow, that's some tea."

Their whispers weren't loud, but they were perfectly audible within the gathering crowd.

Feeling increasingly justified and emboldened, Megan's parents seemed to believe public opinion was shifting in their favor.

Mrs. Lindley stood with her hands on her hips, pointing directly at Stella. "I heard you're just some wild child with no parents! No wonder you turned out like this!"

"You owe us! Medical bills, emotional damages, and a formal apology-we want it all!"

"Pay up, or we're calling the police!"

"Every last penny-you will compensate us!"

Sitting calmly in her seat, Stella lifted her gaze. Her pale face was cold and detached-almost numb, like a shadow. She didn't utter a word.

The stark contrast between her composure and the family's hysteria tugged at the heartstrings of some onlookers... but the girl simply yawned, looking profoundly bored.

"Are you seriously pointing at me?" she finally spoke, her voice sharp with impatience. "Trying to end up in the hospital bed next to your daughter? A little mother-daughter bonding over shared injuries?"

Mrs. Lindley froze, her face twitching. She opened her mouth to yell again, but the way Stella looked at her-so chillingly composed-sent an involuntary shiver down her spine. Her hand dropped without conscious thought.

She moved her lips slightly but ultimately said nothing.

Somehow, the entire scene fell into an abrupt silence. Not a word from the crowd. Just... dead quiet.

"What's going on here?"

A security guard's voice cut through the strange hush. Quickly, he escorted the Lindley family out of the cafeteria.

Someone must have reported the disturbance to the school authorities.

Honestly, Stella almost wished Mrs. Lindley had been kicked hard enough to join her daughter in the hospital. They could have kept each other company while Megan's finger healed.

The students were instructed to disperse. As they drifted away, Stella glanced down at her spilled lunch, sighed, then trudged off to get a new meal, choosing a quieter spot this time.

No one approached her again.

Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick message: "Kevin, dig up everything you can find on Megan Lindley."

She wasn't one to take hits lying down. What the Lindleys had pulled today? She would ensure they paid for it-dearly.

-

At the Hospital.

Megan's parents came to visit her. She was lounging in bed, scrolling through videos on her phone, her hand essentially fine.

"That principal must have a screw loose," Mrs. Lindley scowled. "Just a demerit? That's it? The settlement doesn't even begin to cover the emotional distress. We'll go back again. If Stella refuses to pay, we'll drag this out indefinitely!"

A knock at the door cut short her tirade.

"Is Megan Lindley here?"

Hearing her name, she slowly looked up.

Emily Dawson stood in the doorway, holding a fruit basket, peering inside with a delicate, concerned expression.

Megan Lindley's eyes widened as she suddenly recognized Emily-the young lady of the Dawson family. She scrambled up and rushed to open the door. "Emily! What brings you here? Please, come in, have a seat."

"Mom, this is Emily Dawson, from the Dawson family," she said excitedly, glancing back at her mother.

The Dawsons were one of the capital's elite families, and as their heiress, Emily was undoubtedly a valuable connection.

Mr. and Mrs. Lindley quickly stood up with respectful smiles, ushering Emily inside.

Emily sat down with a gentle smile, inquiring warmly about Megan's condition. But when the topic shifted to Stella Dawson, her expression darkened. "Trying to reason with someone like her is a waste of breath. The most effective way is to deal with her privately-give her a taste of her own medicine."

"But the school has already handled it," Megan said, bitterness seeping into her tone. "They won't punish her further."

Emily shook her head. "Ugh. I have a class this afternoon, I should get going."

She stood, placed the fruit basket on the table beside Megan, and discreetly slipped a few hundred-dollar bills underneath it.

After Emily left, Megan sat still for a long moment, then touched her face as if a thought had just crystallized. "She's right."

"That bitch Stella is just a parentless stray! What are we even afraid of? She broke my finger-I should've broken every single one of hers! And that face of hers..."

"Let's see if she has anything left to seduce Lindor with then."

She let out a cold, ugly laugh, jealousy practically radiating from her.

...

Sterling Corporation.

Alexander Sterling was in a foul mood all day.

He'd presided over five consecutive meetings. Every member of upper management looked ready to collapse, the atmosphere in the room heavy and strained.

A few individuals made minor mistakes and were torn apart by him in front of everyone. No one dared make a sound.

Only when he finally adjourned the meetings did the executives breathe a collective sigh of relief and flee the room.

Alexander remained in his seat, motionless.

He pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen to check his messages-nothing but spam. No message from the one person he was hoping to hear from. Nothing from Stella.

Jack Holden stood quietly behind him, unsure how to position himself. His expression said it all.

Is Mr. Sterling finally losing his grip?

BANG! Alexander violently hurled his phone into the trash can.

The loud crash made Jack flinch, his face tightening with tension.

As long as that wasn't my phone, we're good...

Just then, a soft ringtone chimed from Alexander's other pocket-his personal phone.

He retrieved it, glanced at the screen, and answered with a frown.

"Mom, I'm in the middle of a meeting."

Jack closed his eyes in silent agony. The same excuse. Every. Single. Time.

Couldn't Mr. Sterling come up with a new line?

"Your grandfather is unwell," Mrs. Sterling stated.

Alexander paused. "What happened? How did-"

"It's because of you and Stella. He misses you both terribly."

"I-"

"No excuses. For your grandfather's health, you are both coming home this weekend, no matter what!"

Mrs. Sterling hung up before he could utter another word.

His chest rose with a sharp, frustrated breath. Rage burned in his eyes.

Stella hadn't replied at all. And now his mother had delivered an ultimatum.

He clenched his jaw, the words a low, determined growl. "Stella Dawson, just you wait. If I have to resort to kidnapping, I will drag you back myself."