Hugh had someone tail Tiffany, so every little thing she did, he knew about it. But the more he observed <b>her</b>, the more he liked what he saw. This daughter was sharp, scheming, and ruthless–the perfect <bbination </b><b>to </b>push the Lawrence family to the next level.
He was determined to train her well, so whatever came up, she was his number one priority. It didn’t <b>matter </b><b>if </b>she squared off with the Lawrence boys; Hugh would always take her side.
Out of all the Lawrence kids, Tiffany was the only one who looked like she’d actually make something of herself. A small failure didn’t mean anything–it was just a tiny hup.
Hugh thought it over and sighed, then reached out, helping Maria and Tiffany up. His voice gentled as he said, “Tiffany, I’m not mad at you. I’m trying to show you how to be more careful next time, alright?”
Tiffany lowered her eyes. “I get it, Dad.”
Hugh turned to Maria. “Honey, could you whip up some afternoon tea and snacks for us? I barely ate anything at lunch, and I’m starving.”
Maria nodded. “Sure, I’ll get right on it.”
Once Maria left, Tiffany looked at Hugh, a little scared. “Dad, I know I messed up,” she said.
“No need to be scared,” Hugh said, gentle for once. “Just tell me, who put up that picture you took on the school forum?”
Tiffany lowered her eyes, her voice barely above a whisper. “It was Nora, a ssmate. Her family’s poor, so she helps me out and I pay her.” <fn641b> Fresh chapters posted on F?nd-Novel</fn641b>
Hugh nodded. “Then make sure she takes the fall for it.”
Tiffany replied, “I’ve already talked to her. She promised to take responsibility for everything.”
Hugh smiled, feeling proud–this girl was just what he had hoped for. He couldn’t help but praise her. “Nicely done.”
“But… the surveince video Alicia posted showed me,” Tiffany started, then suddenly paused. Her eyes shed with excitement as she looked up at Hugh. “Wait, I’ve got an idea, Dad!”
Hugh nodded, still smiling. “That’s my girl. You’re even sharper than the boys.”
“Thanks, Dad. I promise <b>I’ll </b>take care of it,” Tiffany said without hesitation.
Hugh nodded and turned to leave.
Tiffany suddenly blurted out, “Dad!”
H
When Hugh looked back, Tiffany exined, “When I talked to Nora, I promised her that if she took the me, I’d make sure she doesn’t get kicked out of school. Dad, can you help me keep her enrolled? Any other
<b>19:19 </b>Wed<b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>
punishment is fine.”
Hugh frowned and thought about it for a while, but in the end, he nodded. “Alright, leave it to me.”
Tiffany couldn’t help but grin–she was truly happy now.
After Hugh left her room, Tiffany tried Nora’s number, but there was no answer.
‘How dare that idiot Nora blow me off?‘ Tiffany fumed.
自己
She logged onto the school forum, and what she saw sent a chill down her spine–the school had already tracked down that Nora was the one who posted the thread, and an official criticism notice was now pinned right at the top of the homepage.
‘Looks like I need to handle this ASAP, Tiffany thought.
She’d nned to wait until tomorrow morning–wait for all her ssmates to be there, then step up and admit her mistake, throwing all the me on Nora. After all, the surveince video only showed her taking the picture; there was no proof she edited it or posted it. But now, it looked like that n wouldn’t work.
‘What’s Nora up to, anyway? Why won’t she answer my calls?‘ Tiffany frowned, frustration gnawing <i>at </i>her.
‘Forget it, I’ll worry about Norater. First, I need to clean up this mess. Besides, there’s no way she’d have the guts to sell me out, Tiffany assured herself.
She grabbed her phone, switched on the video recording, set the device on its stand, activated the beauty filter, and positioned herself in front of the lens before hitting record.
*****
Meanwhile, Nora was sitting in the Office of Student Conduct, surrounded by school administrators. Derek was there too, but he stayed silent, just watching her with aplicated look in his eyes.
Mr. Sherman, the director, asked, “Nora, why did you spread rumors about your ssmate on the school forum?”
‘Why would I do that? I’ve got nothing against Alicia. What would I gain by hurting her?‘ Nora thought, frustration bubbling up inside. But she couldn’t say any of that out loud. She had no choice but to take the me.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then said, “I was jealous. She’s pretty, she’s smart, and my crush is into her.”
“Do you even realize you could havepletely ruined another student’s life?” another admin barked, voice sharp with anger, “Just because you got jealous? How could you pull something so messed up?”
“I wanted to take her down. If she were out of the picture, maybe the guy I liked would finally notice me instead,” Nora said, spinning her lie to sound convincing. She forced herself to hold the story together, even as her heart raced with fear.
“So your crush likes somebody else, and you think it’s fine to destroy her because of that?” Derek shook his head, disappointment and sadness filling his face.
19:21 Wed, <b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>
55
“Ever heard the saying, ‘If you shine, the right people will find you? If you want someone’s attention, you need to be better yourself. Hurting others will never bring you love.” He stared hard at Nora. “Honestly, it’s shameful you’re even a student here.”
Nora felt a chill run down her spine at Derek’s words. She bowed her head and stammered, “President Lee, 1-1 know I screwed up. I swear I won’t ever do this again.”
Derek just watched her in silence for a moment, then turned to Bruce. “Handle it ording to school policy?
Nora knew exactly what that meant–if they followed the rules, she was done for. She’d be kicked out of school for sure.
She broke down in tears, begging Derek, “President Lee, I’m so sorry, I really am. I know I messed up, and I swear I’ll never do it again.
“Please, don’t expel me. I can’t lose my spot here.
“My parents are just factory workers, and they’ve spent their whole lives saving up, barely eating or buying new clothes, just so I could go to college. If I get kicked out, how am I supposed to face them?”
Bruce couldn’t help but feel a stab of pity as he listened to Nora beg for mercy.
To be honest, he never really got the full picture. At the time, Tiffany hade to him, saying Alicia was being kept by someone, and asked him to ride the wave of forum drama to dig into Alicia’s situation–and see Alicia punished for it.
Tiffany was so convincing, Bruce bought the whole story. The idea of a student like Alicia being kept made him furious–she didn’t deserve a spot at their university.
And when Tiffany dangled the promise of helping himnd the president’s seat if he made it happen, well, the deal just sounded too sweet to pass up. ‘Getting rid of Alicia andnding a promotion? That’s killing two birds with one stone,’ he thought, greed flickering in his eyes.
But with things turning out this way, Bruce knew Nora had been way out of line–but in his mind, Alicia kind of set the whole thing off. It was Alicia unting her status at school that pushed Nora into making the mistake in the first ce, or so Bruce reasoned.
So he spoke up, “President Lee, after all, there wasn’t any real harm done. No harm was done, and no one suffered any actual loss. Wouldn’t expulsion be a bit too severe?”
Derek shot Bruce a sharp look. “No harm done? Mr. Sherman, have you actually stopped to think what would’ve happened if Alicia hadn’t dug up that evidence? Would you just let her be ruined then?”
Bruce shrugged, hedging his words. “But she did find the evidence, right? Nothing really ended up happening to her in the end, so it’s all good now, isn’t it?”
Derek frowned, a chilly edge to his voice. “How can you say that? Just because Alicia managed to clear her <b>own </b>name doesn’t mean those who tried to frame her can just walk away like it’s nothing.”
<b>19:21 </b><b>Wed</b><b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>