Lilly sat on a small office couch near the Principal’s Office.
She crossed her legs. Then, she blew on the hot mug of coffee offered to her by the staff. It seemed that Steve Parker received a call that needed immediate attention. Since the time before it could finish was undeterminable, she was advised to try another time.
Sadly, she couldn’t do that.
She sipped, letting the caffeine wake her senses. Her schedule was packed over the next few weeks. Her concern couldn’t wait that long. It didn’t matter what time she’d see him, it had to be today.
“Kich” Steve Parker said, opening his office door, “Has Ms. Greenwood left?”
He stood at the doorway in an unruly posture, indicating that he was in a hurry. His appearance was disheveled a bit as well. His staff member widened her eyes. She thought he wouldn’t be free for over an hour, at least. The person on the line had been persistent in speaking with him.
“Mr. Parker” Lilly set down the mug. She folded her arms over her legs. When he turned his attention to her, she offered him a polite smile.
The Principal gulped at the sight of it. His palms became sweaty. It had been days since they set up the appointment. Those days included his sons spending the weekend with his guest’s family. He could only pray that neither of them got into trouble for her to speak up about it as well.
“Ms. Greenwood” he finally replied. He cleared his throat, composing himself, “I apologize for the delay. Kindly step inside.”
Lilly stood up and brushed off the wrinkles on her skirt. She took the mug of coffee and raised it in Ms. Kich’s direction, “I’ll be taking this.”
She didn’t wait for a reply and walked over to the office. Steve stepped aside to let her in first. She seemed quite relaxed. He wasn’t sure if it was a good sign or not. Then, he closed the door behind him.
Ms. Kich frowned at her computer screen. The woman hadn’t mentioned her last name when she came. Now that Ms. Kich heard it, she could guess that she was probably here about the cross-dressing student. She hadn’t been part of the staff for long but she’d never seen anyone come by about Ms. Carter. She also hadn’t heard anything of the sort.
Were they in trouble?
Her heart began to race. She bit a nail and peeked at the Principal’s door. The temptation to listen rose high. She shook out the thought and focused on her work. As much as she’d want to, the risk would be too much for her to handle if she got caught.
“Please, take a seat” Steve gestured to the two empty chairs in front of his desk. He tucked his hands in his pockets, wiping off the sweat.
“It will be my pleasure” Lilly replied. She chose the seat on her right which faced the door. She felt more comfortable having it in her line of sight. Then, she placed the mug on a spot near her.
The Principal sat in his chair and tugged it a bit closer to the desk. The wheels rolled quietly. He clasped his hands together, saying, “My boys told me that they had a wonderful weekend. I’d like to thank you for inviting them. Would it be alright if you please thank the rest of your family as well?”
“The pleasure was ours” Lilly stretched the smile on her face, “We’d also like to thank your family for looking after her.”
Steve waved a hand, “It’s nothing. We’re only doing our part.”
“I wouldn’t say your youngest was part of the agreement. Yet, he handled the situation better than we expected” Lilly pointed out, “You’ve raised him well.”
“Ah, yes” the Principal sighed, “About Logan being Alex’s friend.”
The news still shocked him. Earlier in the year, he wondered if Logan found a girl. All those weeks and he didn’t have a clue that his son literally found a girl—underneath a male disguise.
After his initial surprise, he realized that Logan already knew about it when Alex visited him. The worries he had back then flooded his mind for the rest of the weekend. He could only imagine what may happen during the getaway.
Then, the others also started to make sense, such as their English presentation. Their close proximity showed him how comfortable they were with each other.
When Steve couldn’t take it anymore, he ranted his frustrations to his fiancee. Tim gave him little comfort and mostly laughed at his previous miseries.
“I’m sure it came quite as a surprise” Lilly snapped the Principal out of his thoughts, “Know that everyone in our family is delighted to see her have such wonderful friends.”
“Including Jae?” Steve blinked, clear disbelief in his voice.
“Why, of course. Both of your sons had been welcomed warmly.”
“Huh…”
Lilly squeezed her hands together on her lap. The pleasantries couldn’t go on forever. She came here with a goal in mind. It was time to address it, “Thank you for your time today, Principal Parker. I have a concern about Alex’s stay here in the academy.”
Steve’s senses shot up in high alert. He felt like he was in a room with a ticking bomb, waiting for it to explode. The past years had been peaceful. Both he and Ethan thought about everything and eliminated most troublesome risks. After he found out about Logan, he speculated if the matter involved him.
Judging by their exchange so far, that possibility had been eliminated.
“Has something happened without my knowledge?” He asked, the word ‘again’ lumping in his throat.
“I’ve only found out about it the day before I sent you that email” Lilly sighed, “It seems like my niece wanted to keep it under wraps because she could be sent home.”
Alarm bells rang in the Principal’s head, “Has someone else found out about her secret?”
“Before I proceed, I’d like to ask you to refrain from mentioning it to my brother. It would be under my judgement whether it needs his attention or not.”
Lilly drummed her fingers on her thigh. Truth be told, Steve had every right to mention it to Ethan. It was part of their agreement. Anything that concerned Parthenos’s heirress must be alerted to him.
When the Principal didn’t say anything, she continued, “This matter could have escalated if Alex hadn’t told me about it. She mentioned it under strict confidentiality that her father must not find out. The casualties of the incident had been minimal so I’ve agreed to her terms. Would you be able to as well?”
Lilly watched Steve’s body language. His hands and his feet betrayed nothing. His face, however…, twitched in certain areas. Redirecting her question as a favor from Alex had him backed to a corner. She showcased that two people asked this of him. The risks now weighed differently.
She bluntly told him that neither her nor her niece had the intentions to inform the business tycoon. If the Principal would refuse to help, he’d also be uninformed. He could mention her visit to her brother but it would be easy for her to come up with a different reason. In the end, she and Alex would be left alone to handle the matters themselves. If Steve kept himself away and things became worse, he’d be damned with poor judgment and receive severe consequences.
The Principal sighed defeatedly, “I agree to not speak a word of this to her guardians other than you, Ms. Greenwood.”
Lilly hid a smile. She was quite impressed that he was able to analyze the situation quickly.
“I actually came here to ask for your help,” she admitted.
She came here for a favor? Steve wondered, “My help?”
“I’d like to review some security footage of your staff room” Lilly hardened her stare. Her eye contact with the Principal didn’t waver. Her voice also didn’t leave him any room to negotiate.
“What about the staff room?”
“A few days ago, my niece discovered a folder that contained her personal information as Alexandra Carter-Greenwood” she began to explain, curtly speaking each word, “That folder came from the staff room, mixed in a bundle of club portfolios. From my understanding, those portfolios are open for viewing if someone asked for them. If Alex hadn’t been able to discover it, anyone from this school could have known about her identity. Not only that but we are unable to be certain that no one else has seen it before she did.”
“Her information?!” Steve exclaimed, turning towards his computer. He began checking his private files, “Any information about her had been locked safely in this device. Never have I sent it through email nor have I saved it in any portable disks/drives.”
“I’m not accusing you, Mr. Parker” Lilly clarified before he could faint from panic, “I’m simply stating that there might be a mole somewhere in this school. It could be anyone. I know it would take time to gather the security footage which is why I placed it on top of the priorities. Until then, I’ll investigate any clues on the matter. Based on my niece’s story, it may not all be a coincidence.”
“How so?” The Principal slowly backed away from the keyboard. He eyed the woman in front of him. She said the casualties had been minimal. Yet, she was here for help. That could only mean the mole she mentioned was still on the loose.
“How much time do you have? It’s quite a story.”
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