Chapter 28
Sadie exhaled, her shoulders finally relaxing.
She pressed her lips together, a quiet smile forming.
Rhett’s expression cracked. He snatched up the test to check for
himself. The score didn’t lie.
Sadie had done incredibly well.
Lorena stretched up on her toes and caught a glimpse of the
paper–and her stomach twisted with jealousy. ‘When did Sadie
get this good?
‘This can’t be happening!
Nathan smiled warmly. “Well, that clears things up. Sadie
achieved her results through her own hard work.”
The homeroom teacher nodded. “She really has been putting in
the effort lately.”
Rhett’s expression shifted like a spinning color wheel–shock,
confusion, guilt. Eventually, he set the paper back on the desk,
speechless.
Chapter 28
He hadn’t expected this outcome at all. Sadie… really hadn’t
cheated.
For the first time, the girl in front of him felt like a stranger.
Nathan cleared his throat. “Now that the truth has come out, I
think it’s only fair the people who falsely accused Sadie
apologize.”
Lorena’s face froze in embarrassment.
Sadie was a little caught off guard by Nathan’s words.
She hadn’t expected him to actually bring this up.
She glanced over at Rhett and Lorena, her expression calm and
unshaken.
Rhett, on the other hand, looked visibly uncomfortable. In the
past, Sadie had always been the one chasing after him, never
doing anything that might put him on the spot.
As her older brother, he’d long been used to having the upper
hand.
Now being told to apologize? That was more painful than
swallowing his pride–it was unbearable.
Lorena quickly stepped in, trying to smooth things over. “Sadie,
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when did you get so amazing? You must’ve been secretly
studying at home–we had no idea. Your results were so good, of
course people got suspicious. That’s why Rhett rushed to school
to help you. He really cares about you.”
She was trying to give Rhett a way out.
Rhett took the cue and said coolly, “That’s enough, Lorena. Some people are just too ungrateful to understand.”
He looked at Lorena with approval. Now that was how a little sister should behave.
Sadie gave a half–smile and looked at them. “Right–Rhett rushed to school, and then what? Told the teacher I definitely cheated, tried to force me to write a self–criticism, and wanted me to apologize in front of the whole school. If that’s what you call ‘caring, you’re welcome to it.”
Lorena was instantly speechless.
Rhett flushed with anger and snapped, “You were studying behind our backs and didn’t say a word. Of course I thought you cheated. Sure, your scores went up–but is this little act supposed to be funny?”
Nathan interjected again, turning to the homeroom teacher.
“Who were the first ones to accuse Sadie of cheating? Call them
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- in. They owe her an apology.”
The teacher immediately brought over the two girls who’d
started the rumors.
Still oblivious, the lackeys walked in looking smug. One of them
said, “We told you she must’ve cheated to get that score. Did the
investigation prove us right?”
The teacher looked at them calmly. “Yes, the investigation is
complete. Sadie did not cheat. Now the two of you need to
apologize to her.”
The girls froze, stunned. ‘Sadie didn’t cheat? How is that even
possible?‘
Lorena quickly slipped into her good–girl persona. “See? I told you two not to make wild accusations. You really should
apologize to Sadie now.”
With that one sentence, she cleanly distanced herself from the
blame.
The two lackeys muttered their apologies reluctantly. “Sorry.
We shouldn’t have said what we did.”
The teacher turned to Sadie. “Do you have any other requests?”
Chapter 28
Sadie shook her head. “No, that’s enough.”
The teacher nodded in approval. “Sadie has been working hard
lately. On the other hand, Lorena’s performance has taken a
serious dip.”
Lorena’s face flushed. Being called out right after Sadie’s success.
was humiliating.
