Chapter 69

Fortunately, this was a society governed by law. George now had status and power, and with that came constraints. So he hadn't killed him, just delayed him. Joshua took a deep breath, frowning. But then again, he wasn't so sure. It was hard to say what George was truly afraid of—the law, or what Marguerite would think of him if she found out.

He had never met anyone as dark and twisted as George, but his weakness was glaringly obvious.

The student he had questioned was still standing there, staring at him. After a few seconds, she recognized his features. "Are you... are you Joshua Spencer?" she asked, her voice trembling with excitement.

Lost in his thoughts, Joshua absentmindedly replied, "Yes."

The student's excitement exploded. "Oh my god! Joshua! I'm a huge fan! Can I have your autograph?"

By the time Joshua snapped back to reality, a crowd of students was already forming around him. His head throbbed with irritation. He was alone, without his bodyguards or assistant, and was completely unprepared to handle this. All he wanted was to see Marguerite, to confirm with his own eyes that she was truly alive. But the game was over, the crowd was massive—how could he possibly find her? Was she with his brother?

His mind was a chaotic mess, and he had no patience for fans.

He made a split-second decision, turned, and bolted. "I'm not him! You've got the wrong person!"

It was a ridiculously unconvincing denial.

Did he really think a bunch of star-struck high schoolers, with the stamina of wild animals, would let him get away? Soon, a chase scene straight out of a movie was unfolding across the Pinecrest campus.

It ended with Joshua's capture, his mask torn from his face.

"It is you! Joshua! Why are you running? We're not going to eat you!" a male student yelled, wrapping him in a bear hug.

Joshua was really starting to hate male fans. They had no sense of personal space.

He closed his eyes and managed a weary smile. "Let me go. I'm here on personal business and didn't want to cause a scene. Please just go back to what you were doing."

"You're already here, just take a picture with us!" the boy insisted.

"Aren't you supposed to be filming in Oakfield? Why are you here all by yourself?” a more serious fan asked.

Joshua was at his wit's end. "I told you, it's personal! Everyone, please disperse!"

As if they were going to listen to him. They swarmed him like zombies, demanding autographs and photos.

In the end, it took the school administrators showing up to disperse the crowd.

In the dean's office, Joshua

apologized. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Zade.

My brother Joseph had a basketball game today, and I wanted to surprise him: I never expected this to happen."

A near-stampede had occurred, and Mr. Zade was not pleased, but he maintained a professional smile

understand dust rest here for a bit. and you can slip out quietly later."

Joshua nodded. “I arrived late and missed my brother's game. Is there a video recording I could watch?"

A recording wouldn't just show the court; it would pan to the audience.

Mr. Zade took a sip of his coffee. "Pinecrest lost today. They played pretty badly."

Joshua forced a smile. "That's fine. You win some, you lose some."

Pinecrest recorded all of its major events. Soon, Joshua was watching the game footage on Mr. Zade's computer.

It didn't take long for a beautiful girl in the front row to appear on the screen.