The rest of the college day passed normally.

Adam sat in class, but his mind was not there.

He opened his notebook when others opened theirs. He looked at the board when the teacher spoke. He even wrote a few lines, but he was not really studying.

The foreign trip was still in his mind.

If he wanted to solve the chip problem, he had to leave the country soon. Darien had his part to prepare, and Adam still had work on his side too.

When classes ended, a few students tried to come near him.

Some were curious. Some only wanted gossip.

One boy called his name from behind. Another asked if the suspension had really been removed.

Adam did not slow down, he ignored them.

He did not look back once. He left the classroom quickly and moved toward the hostel side.

John saw him go.

He did not stop him.

Right now, stopping Adam was not important. John wanted to know who had helped him return to college.

That was the first thing he wanted to find.

Then Monica moved from beside him.

At first, she walked fast.

Then she almost ran.

John watched her go after Adam and let out a quiet breath.

He could not stop her directly.

If he told Monica not to go after Adam, she would ask why. If he pushed too much, his own image in front of her would suffer.

So he let her go.

For now, he would watch.

The right moment would come later.

Adam had already left the main building when he heard his name.

"Adam!"

He stopped and turned.

Monica was coming after him. She had run a little, so her breathing was faster than usual. She stopped a few steps away from him and put one hand near her chest for a second.

Adam looked at her in surprise.

He had not expected her to follow him this soon. Then he saw her face.

He understood.

The question from lunch was still inside her. Monica looked around once.

A few students were passing at a distance, but no one was close enough to hear them clearly. She opened her mouth. Then she closed it.

Adam waited.

"Adam, I..."

She stopped again.

Her face showed that she was still trying not to ask.

Adam almost smiled. This was very Monica.

She wanted to hold herself back, but she was not the kind of person who could keep a question buried for long.

Finally, she asked it directly.

"Do you know about my background?"

Adam stared at her for a moment.

’You are asking me that directly?’ he thought.

If he only had a small doubt before, this question itself would have made that doubt stronger.

But Monica was like this.

If something stayed in her mind, she asked.

Adam let out a slow breath. Then he smiled a little. Monica became more nervous when she saw that smile.

"You know, don’t you?"

"Not exactly," Adam said.

She became quiet.

Adam continued, "I do not know which family you come from. To be honest, I am not interested in that."

Monica looked at him carefully.

"Then why did you say that earlier?"

"Because of how you act," Adam said. "You do not feel like someone from a middle-class family."

Monica’s face changed.

No one had said that to her before.

She had tried hard to hide it. She had earned her scholarship with her own marks. She had not used her family name to enter this college.

Her family knew where she was, but the college did not know who she really was.

She had learned how to live quietly here. She ate in the canteen like everyone else. She walked to class without guards. She kept her expenses small enough that no one looked twice.

She could have gone to a more famous college if she wanted. This college was still good, and she had chosen it because she wanted to prove herself here.

So Adam’s words hit her harder than she expected.

If Adam could see it, could others see it too?

"Does everyone think that?" Monica asked. "Do others also know that I..."

She stopped before finishing the sentence.

Adam shook his head.

"No," he said. "I do not think so."

"Then how did you notice?"

"You spent more time with me," Adam said. "That is why I noticed a little more."

Monica looked away for a moment.

She felt a little embarrassed. Then another thought came to her. She had spent time with Adam. But recently, she had also spent a lot of time with John. Her two female friends did not know. She was sure of that.

John was different.

She looked back at Adam.

"Does John know?"

Adam did not answer at once. He thought about telling her. The answer sat on his tongue for a moment.

Yes....John knew.

Adam was almost sure of it.

If Monica knew that John might already know, she would become careful around him. John’s plan would not move the same way anymore. That would help Adam.

But it could also hurt him.

If this reached John, John would understand that Adam knew too much. Adam could not explain how he knew John knew. He had no proof. He could only give an opinion.

And that opinion would point back at Adam.

It would tell John that Adam already saw him as an enemy. Adam did not want that yet.

He let out a slow breath. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Honestly," Adam said, "I do not know."

Monica did not look relieved. Her face became more uncertain. Adam knew what she would think next. She would ask John.

So he spoke before she could run with that thought.

"But do not ask John directly."

Monica looked at him in surprise. He had read her mind again.

She lowered her head a little.

"I kept telling myself not to ask," she said softly. "But I still could not stop myself."