Chapter 5

"Scarlett Quinn, stop right there!" Herbert roared in fury. The entire office fell silent in an instant. Every gaze turned toward the girl at the doorway. Even a student who had been called in with his guardian stopped complaining. He lowered his voice and whispered to the man beside him, "Uncle Xavier, she got expelled for stealing. That's way worse than what I did. I guess I'm off the hook now…" Scarlett instinctively glanced sideways, and when her eyes landed on the man referred to as Uncle Xavier, she paused for a second. The man wore a finely tailored black suit. Sunlight streamed in through the window, outlining his perfect side profile and eyes as dark as ink. When their gazes met, his pupils slightly contracted, as if a hint of surprise flickered in those calm, dark eyes. However, almost immediately, he regained his usual cold and distant demeanor. Even so, his dark eyes remained fixed on Scarlett. The boy next to him widened his eyes. Was his aloof, icy grand-uncle actually staring at a girl for that long? "What's her name?" Xavier Stroud asked, his voice low and magnetic. The boy named Percy Stroud froze for a moment, and for the first time, he felt an overwhelming pressure. "S-Scarlett Quinn," he stammered from shock. Just then, a familiar voice drew Scarlett's gaze. "Scarlett, I know you're upset about getting expelled, but you shouldn't take it out on the teachers." Lily had appeared at some point, cradling a stack of workbooks in her arms. Turning to Herbert, she added in a gentle tone, "Sir, please don't be mad. I'm sure Scarlett didn't mean it." Herbert's face immediately softened into a pleased smile when he saw Lily. Then his eyes returned to Scarlett, now filled with disdain. "A student should act like one! Just look at Lily—graceful, respectful, and upright! And you? You're always sneaking around and disrespecting your elders!" His voice grew harsh as he added, "You should really learn from her!" A mocking smile played on Scarlett's lips. "Sorry, I just don't have the acting skills." "You…" Herbert looked at her like she was beyond redemption. Lily immediately put on a look of heartbreak and disappointment. "Scarlett, I really was just trying to help. I didn't think you'd misunderstand me like this…" By now, the hallway outside the office was packed. Several of Lily's admirers stepped in to defend her. "Scarlett, that was way out of line. How could you say that about Lily?" "She didn't even blame you for stealing her Celestial Drop. She's been speaking up for you, and this is how you repay her?" "You're just an ingrate! You don't deserve to be in our school!" Even teachers who were normally kind joined in the rebuke. "Making mistakes isn't the problem—it's refusing to acknowledge them. In the real world, small errors can snowball into major disasters, harming both yourself and those around you." "We simply cannot condone such behavior." "A student with no integrity has no place in a respectable institution." The entire office became a courtroom of voices condemning Scarlett. Just then, Jonah pushed through the crowd and strode in. Without even considering the accusations Scarlett was facing, he questioned her sternly, "Scarlett, I heard you're troubling Lily again. When will you stop? She's not the one deciding to expel you from the school. Why do you keep going after her? Aren't you tired of it yet?" All eyes locked on Scarlett as though she were some monstrous criminal. Nevertheless, she remained calm and cold, her clear eyes untouched by emotion. Jonah was stunned. He had thought that faced with such accusations and questioning, Scarlett would panic, immediately bow her head, admit her fault, and beg for his forgiveness. He had even rehearsed his rejection in his head. Since she was always picking on Lily, he wanted to make her suffer more. Yet now, her indifferent demeanor left him utterly baffled. As Scarlett calmly looked around at everyone accusing her, she asked with a sneer, "So the reason for my expulsion is just because I stole Lily's Celestial Drop, right?" She glanced at Jonah. That one look made Jonah instinctively avert his eyes, guilt welling up in his chest. A sharp voice from the hallway shouted, "What else could it be? We don't want thieves in our school!" Scarlett gave a thoughtful nod, as though considering the answer. Then her gaze snapped back to Lily and Jonah. "You're the ones who said I stole it, right?" Lily quickly shook her head, eyes wide with innocence. "Please don't misunderstand. I never said that." "Then why don't you tell us—was it me who stole your Celestial Drop?" Scarlett pressed, her eyes sharp and unforgiving. Lily felt a sudden chill. When did this country bumpkin become so sharp? In the past, Scarlett would never confront her directly. Scarlett would always try to defend herself, and Lily could easily twist the story with some well-timed "nice" words to pin her for whatever accusation the latter wanted. But now, Scarlett was actually confronting her head-on, leaving her completely on the defensive. "Of course not," Lily answered with forced sincerity, cursing Scarlett inwardly. Scarlett raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over everyone present with chilling clarity. "If I didn't steal anything, doesn't that make all of you guilty of slander? According to Rule Eight in the student handbook, slanderers receive disciplinary action and lose 15 credits. If a teacher slanders a student, shouldn't they lose their eligibility for awards?" As soon as she was done speaking, silence fell, both inside and outside of the office. The same students who had been shouting in Lily's defense now started backing away, eager to distance themselves from the situation. "I-I only repeated what I heard…" "Yeah, me too! I was just passing it along!" "If she didn't steal anything, there's no need to blow this out of proportion!" Even the teachers grew uneasy, quickly burying themselves in paperwork or staring at their phones, trying to avoid Scarlett's gaze. She took in all their reactions with a calm detachment. Just a few sentences could've solved everything—so why, in her past life, had she let Lily lead her by the nose? Maybe it was because she cared too much about what the Quinn family thought. Back then, she didn't dare offend anyone—not even the beloved adopted daughter, Lily. But in this life, she no longer cared. Without those mental shackles, her mind was clear. A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "How odd. If I didn't steal Lily's Celestial Drop, then who started the rumor?" Her head snapped up, her piercing gaze directed at Lily. Lily turned pale, her forced smile barely holding. "Don't get me wrong—it really wasn't me." Jonah immediately stepped forward to shield her like a loyal knight. His brows furrowed in confusion and doubt, but he still forced himself to defend her. "What are you trying to say? That Lily spread the rumor? She already said she didn't do it—what more do you want?" "But the three of us were the only ones in the entire school who knew about it," Scarlett replied with a sneer. "If it wasn't her, then you're the one who spread it, no?"