Another girl whispered, "I saw one of Sloane's friends standing over here a moment ago."

Hearing the name "Sloane," my heart grew eerily calm.

It was her.

No one else would use such a low and vicious method.

She knew that coming at me directly might not work anymore, so she started using rumors, slander, and character assassination.

She was even willing to use a photo with such clear sexual humiliation.

I dug my nails deep into my palms, forcing myself to suppress the nausea and the shivering.

Lucas had already turned to head out.

I grabbed him. "Where are you going?"

"To find her."

"No."

"Why not?" There was irrepressible ferocity in his eyes. "She’s gone this far, and you’re still going to endure it?"

"It's not about enduring." I looked up at him. "It's about not going like this."

If Lucas went to find Sloane now, regardless of whether he found evidence, they would just flip the narrative to call it "emotional instability" or "resentment from unrequited love."

And I would still be carrying that filth without being cleared.

I had suffered too much from that kind of loss in my past life.

I wouldn't suffer it a second time.

I took a deep breath and stood up. "Let's go to the teacher."

Lucas paused.

I carefully picked up the remaining scraps of paper, my voice light but steady.

"She likes playing with public opinion, doesn't she?"

"Then this time, let's bring everything out into the open."

In the office, Mr. Sterling’s face darkened severely after looking at the fragments.

"Who did this?"

I didn't name names directly, only saying, "Someone in our class saw a friend of Sloane's near my seat at noon."

The veins on Mr. Sterling’s temple throbbed.

"Absurd."

"Utterly absurd!"

He clearly saw the malicious nature of the photo—it wasn't just a rumor; it was a blatant personal humiliation.

If left unaddressed, it wouldn't just destroy a girl's reputation at school; it would crush her already fragile psychological defenses.

The grade director was also alerted.

The investigation wasn't difficult.

There was surveillance in the hallway outside the classroom. While it couldn't capture the details of the desk, it was enough to prove who had been at my seat and when. Combined with the testimony of classmates, Sloane’s two followers quickly panicked.

Before school ended, the matter reached the Disciplinary Office.

Sloane was called in.

But to my surprise, Caspian came too.

Standing by the office door, I saw him leaning lazily against the wall. His expression showed no ripples, as if he were just stopping by to enjoy a show.

However, when his gaze landed on my face, my whole body stiffened.

Seeing my pale face, his eyes flickered slightly, then his gaze bypassed me and landed inside the office.

Sloane was red-eyed, denying everything: "It wasn't me, I don't know anything."

Her two friends were on the verge of tears, but they still kept their mouths shut.

Standing at the door, I suddenly felt very tired.

The drama was always the same.

They hurt people without restraint, and when things got big, they started acting innocent and aggrieved.

Mr. Sterling was beyond furious.

"Do you have any idea how serious this is?"

"School is not a place for you to run wild!"

Sloane bit her lip, her tears falling on command, looking pitiful.

"Sir, I really didn't..."

As she spoke, Caspian, who had been silent outside the door, suddenly spoke up slowly:

"What are you crying for?"

Everyone looked at him.

He straightened up, walked in, and let his gaze rest on the photo fragments on the desk for two seconds.

Then, he said indifferently:

"You already did it, so why bother acting innocent?"

15

The office went silent instantly.

Not only was Sloane stunned, but even I was dazed for a moment.

No one expected Caspian to speak at this time, and no one expected his first words would be to expose Sloane directly.

Sloane looked at him in disbelief, tears still clinging to her lashes.

"What do you mean?"

Caspian’s expression was flat, as if he were truly annoyed by her act.

"Exactly what I said."

"Didn't you have someone put the photo there?"

Sloane’s expression shifted, and she instinctively argued, "I didn't!"

"Oh." Caspian raised an eyebrow slightly. "So your friends acted on their own initiative then?"

This sentence was even more ruthless than saying she did it.

It effectively blocked her exit.

The two girls panicked on the spot. One of them burst into tears: "It wasn't me... I was just, just helping—"

As soon as the words were out, she realized she had made a mistake, and her face went deathly pale.

No one in the office was a fool.

The grade director’s face was livid. "So it really was you?"

The girl broke down completely, crying that Sloane couldn't let things go and had told them to find a way to "show Lynn her place." They had just found a similar photo online and purposefully stuffed it into the desk, never expecting things to blow up like this.

The last bit of color drained from Sloane’s face.

"You're lying!"

"It was clearly you—"

"Enough!" The director slammed the table heavily. "Everyone, shut up!"

Standing by the door, watching this farce, I only felt a wave of nausea.

It wasn't because the truth was revealed.

It was because when they did these things, they truly never considered the consequences.

They just thought it was fun, satisfying, a way to step on me and make me unable to hold my head up.

As for how a girl would break down seeing such a photo, whether it would leave a lasting shadow, or whether it would destroy the opportunities she had fought for—they simply didn't care.

My fingers were icy, but my heart became strangely peaceful.

Because finally, I wasn't the only one trying to defend myself with words.

The evidence and their own slips were enough to lay the matter bare.

The Dean of Students was soon called in, and the matter moved toward severe disciplinary action.

I thought it would just be a matter of procedure from there, but then Sloane suddenly seemed to go mad, turning her head sharply toward me.

"Are you satisfied now?"

Her eyes were bloodshot and her voice was shaking, but it wasn't out of grievance; it was the loss of control after being pushed to the limit.

"Lynn, are you very proud of yourself?"

"Watching me make a fool of myself, watching Lucas turn against me over and over for you, and now even the teachers are on your side—you're very happy, aren't you?"

I looked at her quietly without saying a word.

It wasn't that I had nothing to say.

It was that at this moment, I suddenly felt some people didn't deserve any further explanation.

But Sloane wouldn't let it go.

In her high heels, she almost tried to rush at me, but was held back by a teacher.

"Do you know what I hate most about you?"

"It's not that you're poor, and it's not your fake nobility."

"It's that you clearly have nothing, yet you always act like I'm the one who lost to you!"

She was a mess from crying, her makeup was ruined, and her voice was so sharp it was almost ear-piercing.

"By what right?"

"By what right would Lucas rather stay with someone like you than even look at me?"

The office was dead silent.

Looking at her distorted face, I finally spoke softly:

"Because you have never truly respected him."

Sloane froze.

I continued: "You don't love Lucas."

"You love the version of yourself that feels a sense of conquest because he refuses to bow to you."

"You don't care what kind of person he is, and you don't care if he's willing. You just want to win."

I had said these words before.

But never was there a more suitable moment than now.

Because she had personally laid out all her twisted, selfish thoughts in front of everyone.

Sloane stared at me fixedly, tears still falling, her lips trembling.

But in the end, she couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.

Perhaps it was because she herself knew I was right.

Finally, the school issued the disciplinary results.

The two girls were given major demerits, had to write self-reflections, and the news was broadcast school-wide.

Sloane, as the instigator of such a malicious act, was suspended for a week, had all her honors and recommendation eligibility for the semester revoked, and her parents were to be notified.

This wasn't the heaviest punishment possible, but for a pampered young lady like her, it was already humiliating enough.

By the time I left the office, it was almost dark.

Beyond the window at the end of the hallway was a deep twilight, the wind swaying the shadows of the trees.

Lucas had been waiting for me outside.

Seeing me come out, he immediately walked over and asked in a low voice: "How is it?"