madelein | ✔

eleven

"Ms. Revalo," Duke held his hand out to the woman, which she gladly shook, "Nice to finally meet you."

"Same to you," then her eyes darted to the woman accompanying Duke, "Oh, you have company..."

"Ah, yes," he removed his grasp from her hands and it flew against her back, just above her waist, "This is Ms. Sian Avelino."

Sian tried to remain composed and held her hand out to Liana, hitching her breath as she felt the way Duke slightly pushed her forward.

"Titus told me that you were looking for a  journalist, right?" Liana inquired as they were walking through the halls of the school. They decided to just stroll around while talking.

Duke and Liana were walking side-by-side while Sian stayed at their back, following them. She felt that she wasn't needed because the two before her were the ones who should've the private time talking to each other.

Besides, she felt uncomfortable now that she blatantly admitted to Jennie and Rus that she was the girl Duke was looking for for the past three years.

"So, Titus was the one who told you about my pitiful search," Duke answered with a glint of smile on his face.

Liana slightly slapped his shoulder with an obvious giggle. "It's not pitiful, and both Titus and Zero told me. They both approached me the other day."

So both of his friends did tell her, Sian thought of as she awkwardly followed the two around the campus, not having the courage to speak up and remind the two that she was behind them all these time.

Looking at them from the back, they look good together. One was an heir and a future successor of a big business and the other is a well-known personality among the broadcasting world. With those sleek suits both are wearing, one could say that they look good together.

It pains her. Her heart clenching at the thoughts that she could never be the one beside Duke because... just because.

She was going to do something that Duke may be happy about but for her, it will pain her too much. All she could assure herself was it was for the better... It was for the better for him.

Duke handed Liana his tablet and showed her the picture of the certain article that was written by Madelein. The reporter held the device and read the article.

His heart was thumping against his chest, his hands sweating. He doesn't know why but seeing the former editor-in-chief that published their school paper was his one good lead.

They both stopped walking in front of the former news room of Colton. Liana was standing in the middle of the hallway while Duke was leaning against the side of a locker. Sian was also leaning against a locker but have a good distance from Duke.

"I remember this article," she have spoken after a fee minutes of reading the article, "But I, to be very honest, don't remember the one who sent this..."

Sian was looking straight ahead where the school field was in view. There were some students who were running around the track, maybe practicing. She tried to focus on those students but her ears were straight in the conversation.

"What do you mean?" she heard Duke spoke and from the corner of her eyes she could see him approach Liana and pulled his tablet back to him.

Liana didn't answer for a bit. Sian avoided her eyes and looked down on her flats but she could feel the intensity coming from the look her former EIC was giving to her.

"Sadly," Liana's eyes darted back to Duke's, her hands clasped against each other through its gaps, "We accept articles coming from students anonimously. This means that the article was most probably sent through e-mail or any other form without us knowing who it was from..."