Chapter 25 " The forum ? " Sarah paused , looking a bit puzzled , and shook her head . Mia opened her phone , bringing up the post that had gone viral and handing it to her . " It's this thread . Someone's claiming you only have a high school diploma and used … other means to get hired as a counsellor here . " Mia bit her lip , her face filled with worry . Sarah glanced at the post , and suddenly , the curious glances from the office earlier made sense . Seeing Sarah's calm reaction , Mia's anxiety grew , her voice becoming even more concerned . " Sarah , a lot of people have seen this , and the comments … they're really harsh . If this keeps going , it'll be hard for you at school … " Mia's voice trailed off , but Sarah only smiled and reassured her , her tone gentle . " Don't worry about it . It's just a post - nothing that can hurt me . Right now , lunch is the only thing that matters . " Sarah suspected Lucy was behind the post , but she didn't give it much thought . She'd faced far worse , and these petty rumors couldn't hurt her . With a serene expression and a quiet confidence , Sarah's calmness seemed unshaken by the forum's venomous words , which helped to ease Mia's concem . Mia let out a small smile , following Sarah into the cafeteria to get their food . But as soon as they stepped in , people immediately took notice . Mia was already a topic of interest as the little " princess " of the Reynolds family , and Sarah , the newly hired and increasingly controversial counselor , was currently at the center of gossip thanks to the forum . " Look , isn't that Sarah with Mia Reynolds ? How are they together ? " " Yeah , what's the deal ? Why would they come to the cafeteria together ? " " What connection do Mia and Sarah have … ? " As they murmured , someone suddenly remembered the thread on the forum and couldn't help but speculate . " Do you think Mia might be the reason Sarah got hired ? Maybe the princess pulled some strings . " " Come on , Sarah herself said she got in on her own . Probably just using Mia's family background as a way to get close and win favor . " " Yeah , she did claim she got in here by her own qualifications , but we all know what that probably means … " The insinuations led to even more whispers and assumptions .. 1/2 Chapter 26 . " Ha ! What else could she have used ? Her looks , her legs … maybe even more . Using ' her body ' counts as using her own ' qualifications , ' right ? " " True . I mean , does it really matter if she's qualified ? So long as she's pretty … " As the crude comments grew louder , Mia couldn't take it anymore . She looked at Sarah , who was quietly eating her meal , feeling more and more upset on her behalf . " Have you said enough ? Sarah's nothing like what you're saying ! " Mia stood up , angrily glaring at the group around them . Though Mia's voice wasn't loud , the conversations halted immediately , and everyone glanced at each other , eyeing Sarah and Mia with uncertainty . After a moment , someone spoke up , casting a doubtful look at Sarah while addressing Mia . " Mia , don't let her fool you . A high school grad getting hired as a university counsellor ? She's probably got some hidden agenda . You shouldn't be so naive . " " Exactly ! She may look harmless , but who knows what she did to get in here . Probably slept her way in . " " That's right , Mia . We're not trying to offend you ; it's just hard to watch someone so unworthy take advantage like this … " Mia'was fuming , about to protest , when a mocking voice sounded from the crowd .. " Mia , Sarah's reputation is already in the gutter , and you're still hanging around with her