At Harrington University’s honors ceremony for outstanding freshmen, Lily stepped onto the stage when the big screen flashed her so‑called flirty chats with football captain Ethan: “Send me 500, I’m broke,” “I’ll crash at your place tonight.” Madison, vice president of the student union, publicly accused her of being a gold‑digger preying on men, stunning the whole school.
Only Lily knew Ethan was not her lover, but her maternal uncle. On her first day of enrollment, Ethan set rules: never call him uncle or reveal their kinship, for “I’m only a junior; uncle makes me sound old.” Worse still, Ethan was away for a football match and unreachable for three days.
With her uncle out of contact, Lily faced public humiliation alone. She defended her innocence amid Madison’s relentless attacks, waiting for Ethan’s return to clear her name.
