Karlie returns to campus and is publicly confronted by a woman claiming to be the real heiress, taunting her about Gael and calling her a fake. Rumors explode when someone admits to tampering with Karlie's device connected to her genetic marriage, causing scandal. Jerome Scott, Luprea's Chief Instructor, steps in, condemns the hacking, forbids further gossip and demands accountability. He offers to walk Karlie back to her dorm but stops at the gates. Karlie smells an unfamiliar scent; the scene ends with a student asking, "Karlie, who is he?"