The academy's charity event was supposed to be low-key damage control after the gala apocalypse—students demonstrating civic responsibility, parents seeing their children engaged in philanthropic work, everyone pretending the past few weeks of scandal hadn't happened. The event featured student performances, donation pledges from wealthy families, and the kind of orchestrated wholesomeness designed to repair Ashwick's reputation.
Nick and Roni were scheduled to present a joint donation from their families, a carefully choreographed appearance meant to show unified support for educational initiatives. They'd been back from their Manhattan escape for less than a day, still looking slightly stressed from avoiding parental confrontations.
"Just smile, present the check, say something appropr
