They Hated Me in My First Life, But Now I Have the Love System-Chapter 426: The Perfect Pawn

The same spot where Nnenna had first sat and continued to sit in every lecture.

Every time his eyes wandered there, he saw a girl in front of Nnenna, sitting tall with a proud smile like she owned the place.

Was it a coincidence? Definitely not.

Jana kept sitting in the same seat, lecture after lecture, acting as if it were her birthright. It wasn’t subtle either, she made sure to flick her hair, flash her smile, and bat her lashes every time Carl so much as looked in that direction.

At first, Nnenna tried to ignore it.

But after a few more days of awkward tension and whispered comments from her classmates, she had had enough.

Without warning, she picked up her bag and changed seats to the back corner of the hall.

But by then, the rumor had already spread like wildfire.

"Prince Carl is in love with Jana."

It was all anyone talked about.

To them, it made sense, Jana was beautiful, smart, and bold. And Carl kept looking in her direction during lectures. To the students, it was practically a royal love story unfolding before their eyes.

Nnenna simply rolled her eyes.

If only they knew the truth.

In fact, Jana was now simply waiting, waiting for the day Prince Carl would confess his undying love for her. She had already planned her reaction: a graceful smile, a slight blush, and a soft "Yes, Your Highness."

She was sure it was only a matter of time.

The only person who knew the truth, that Carl’s glances had nothing to do with her, was Ava. But of course, Ava said nothing.

Why would she ruin things for Jana? A better life for that girl meant more competition for her. No, Ava would stay silent and watch things unfold.

Besides, Ava had her own admirers and loyal followers. She was no ordinary student, she was the Princess of Prigrian.

Even Jana, as prideful and bold as she was, knew better than to mess with Ava. Not when Ava was in the mood to ruin lives.

So while Jana terrorized other students with her growing sense of power, she never so much as raised her voice at Ava.

As for Nnenna, life seemed to finally settle into a peaceful rhythm. The stares, the whispers, the tension, it all seemed to fade for a little while.

But of course, peace never lasted long.

She had completely forgotten something important, texting George.

And George had been patiently waiting everyday. One of his classmates had asked casually, "Hey, what happened to that girl you were always talking about? Haven’t seen you texting her."

George shrugged, his tone light and still patient "She probably just forgot. I’ll remind her when I see her again."

He was calm and hopeful but someone wasn’t.

Linda was pissed.

Furious, actually.

To her, it was bad enough that George had started liking someone else. But now that someone had gone quiet, probably playing hard to get, he seemed even more obsessed. Linda’s jealousy flared like wildfire.

If Nnenna thought she could walk around untouched, she had another thing coming.

Linda had once pictured a life with George, a shared apartment after graduation, matching rings, the quiet kind of happiness people envy.

He was the kind of man who loved deeply, with patience and respect. He even forbade any sexual intimacy until the day they get married which showed that he had the right kind of love for her. He was her safe place.

And she destroyed it.

She had cheated, stupidly, selfishly, carelessly. She told herself it was a mistake, just one night, but George hadn’t even yelled. He had looked at her once with those disappointed eyes, and left without another word.

It was over.

And Linda? She couldn’t let go.

No matter how many times she told herself to move on, her heart clung to the memory of what they had had. George had been the best thing in her life, and now she couldn’t bear the thought of him giving that kind of love to someone else.

When she saw how excited and patient George was with that new girl and overheard a conversation in the library, about George possibly being interested in some new girl, something in her snapped.

If he thought he could replace her, he was wrong.

Linda decided right then: she would erase every single girl he even looked at. Quietly. Strategically. Until he realized the truth, she was the only one for him. No one else would love him like she did.

The problem was, she was in Year Five, and George was too. The girl he was rumored to be interested in now? A Year One.

That made things trickier. Different class schedules. Different hangouts. Less overlap.

But Linda was nothing if not resourceful.

She started asking around, and before long, she learned the name of someone who could help her, Jana. She was among the most popular year one students, the same one involved in all those strange rumors with Prince Carl.

Linda felt a bit jealous because at first, she had thought of aiming higher. Prince Carl, Arthur and Mr. Somto, were the dream of nearly every girl on campus.

But the competition for them was ruthless and full of actual royalty. Compared to them, she barely stood a chance.

So she returned her focus to what she could still control.

George.

And Jana?

She was just the next name on the list.

Linda needed someone to do the dirty work for her. She wasn’t about to get her hands messy, not when there were people like Jana around. Ruthless, insecure, and always hungry for power. The perfect pawn.

She found Jana during break and pulled her aside.

"I need a favor," Linda began calmly.

Jana crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You need my help? Why should I help you?" Her tone dripped with arrogance. "In case you’ve forgotten, I’m going to be the future queen of Riverum. So tell me, what can you possibly offer me?"

The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on fr(e)𝒆webnov(e)l.com