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Student @ Student, Lead City University
Echoes of Mercy; Whispers of Love (Episode 3)
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Episode 3: The Price of a Gift</em></p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Mercy sat in the library, the expensive leather bag tucked hidden beneath her desk. She felt like everyone was staring at it and at her.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"I know you didn't buy that, Mercy," Sarah whispered, leaning across the table. Her voice was sharp. "That bag costs more than three months of our cafeteria meals. Did you find it? Did you... steal it?"</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"No! I told you, it was a gift," Mercy replied, her heart racing.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"From who? You don't have 'designer-bag' friends. Unless..." Sarah’s eyes widened. "Is it a guy? Is it one of those rich boys from the Delta House?"</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Before Mercy could answer, the library doors swung open. A group of students walked in, led by Bella. Bella was the university’s fashion icon and the girl everyone expected Daniel to marry one day. Her family was just as rich as his.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Bella walked straight to the table where Mercy and Sarah were sitting. She wasn't looking for a book; she was looking for trouble.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"I heard someone found a bag just like the one I lost yesterday," Bella said, leaning over Mercy. She looked at the leather bag on the floor. Her eyes turned into ice. "Wait. That is my bag. Why is it under your dirty desk, scholarship girl?"</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">The library went silent. Students started pulling out their phones to record.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"I... I didn't steal it," Mercy said, her voice trembling. "It was given to me."</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"By who? The air?" Bella laughed, and her friends joined in. "Give it back, or I’m calling campus security."</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Mercy looked around the room, desperate. She saw Daniel sitting at a desk a few rows away. He was looking at her. His face was like a mask—cold and emotionless. He knew he had given her that bag. He knew it wasn't Bella’s.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Help me, Mercy’s eyes pleaded. Tell them the truth.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Daniel stood up. The room held its breath. He walked over to the group.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"Is there a problem here?" Daniel asked, his voice smooth and dangerous.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"Dan! This girl stole a bag that looks just like mine," Bella said, grabbing his arm. "Tell her to give it back."</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Daniel looked at Mercy. He looked at the bag. Then, he looked at Bella.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"Bella, don't be dramatic," Daniel said coldly. "That bag is a limited edition. Yours had a gold clasp. This one has silver. It’s not yours."</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Bella blinked, confused. "But... where would she get it?"</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">"Maybe she has friends you don't know about," Daniel snapped. "Now, stop making a scene. It’s embarrassing."</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">He turned and walked away without looking at Mercy again. Bella huffed and stomped off with her friends, leaving Mercy shaking with relief—and a new kind of pain.</p><p style="text-align: justify; ">Later that night, as Mercy walked to her hostel, she found a small piece of paper tucked into her textbook. It was a note in that same messy handwriting:</p><blockquote style="text-align: justify; ">Meet me at the old amphitheater at 9:00 PM. Come alone. We need to talk about the bag.</blockquote>
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