Chapter 309

Chapter 309 Strings of Conspiracy
Jasper appeared at her side without warning, his fingers brushing across her reddened fingertips. His touch was featherlight, yet his eyes were sharp as ice.
“Who did it?” His voice was low, but the pressure behind it left no room for evasion.
Scarlett froze. Just as she opened her mouth, Colt caught her gaze and jerked his chin toward backstage.
She followed his signal–and caught sight of Emma and Quinny’s backs as they fled in panic.
“Probably just old strings.”
She drew her hand back and smiled faintly. “I’ve had this pipa for years. Bound to wear down.”
Jasper said nothing. But the look he gave her said everything: This isn’t over.
He turned to leave. Jack slipped after him, throwing Scarlett a wink. “Relax. You’ve got someone backing you.”
Colt watched them go, then leaned toward Scarlett. “I’ve already ordered the security footage pulled. No doubt it was sabotage. Emma and Quinny looked way too suspicious.” This content belongs to ͟.net
Scarlett lowered her eyes to her hands. Splinters from the snapped strings still clung beneath her nails. She rubbed at them, then suddenly smiled.
From the first note, she had guessed. Emma and Quinny’s petty schemes were nothing new. She had simply never bothered to react.
She hadn’t expected them to choose her graduation stage, though–and with such a clumsy trick.
Lifting her head, her eyes were calm once more. “No need to overcomplicate it.”
Sharon gaped. “What? You’re just letting them go?”
Scarlett shook her head, glancing toward the auditorium, still buzzing with cheers.
“Breaking strings on a cheap pipa? Even if they’re caught, what’s the charge–property damage?
A fine at most.”
“We’ve had no real conflict. If they went this far, someone must have pushed them.”
Sharon’s eyes widened. “You’re right. This stinks. We’ll dig deeper.”
Scarlett’s lips curved faintly.
She didn’t need to say it. Her friends would never let this slide. Emma and Quinny had already sealed their own miserable future.
Her fingers brushed the pipa in her lap. Two strings gone, yet the wood still held warmth, as if the battlefield rhythm still pulsed within it.
“The truth will come out soon enough.”
This graduation had been nothing short of storm and lightning.
In a dark corner backstage, Emma and Quinny crouched in the shadows. Applause and praise thundered outside, each cheer like a dagger to their ears.
At last, Emma collapsed to the floor, tears spilling silently.
“If we run now, before he finds us–Her voice shook.
“We can’t.” Quinny shook her head, her face pale. “If he knew we tampered with her instrument, he already knows where we are. Better to admit it and hope for mercy.”
Emma was too shaken to argue. “Fine. I’ll do whatever you say.
Because if this came out publicly… they would never lift their heads on campus again.
The fall from smug superiority into this pit of fear was harsher than any punishment.
But before they could leave, a tall shadow fell over them.
“You-”
Colt’s badge gleamed in the dim light. “Come with me.”
Emma spun to bolt, but Colt caught her easily. “I heard every word. We’ll talk properly in the interrogation room.”
News spread through the school almost immediately.
On the track field, Calvin stood rigid, face black as ink. He confronted the man who had roped him into this scheme.
“You told me–1 provide access, you take the fall. When Scarlett stumbled, I’d step in, smooth
things over, bring her back under me as a student. My position was supposed to silence everything.”
He jabbed a finger into the air. “Now look what happened!”
The man flicked a cigarette into a bin, his tone careless.
“You didn’t tell me Scarlett was this good.”
Calvin’s rage boiled, his hands trembling with the urge to strike. “Where’s that fire when you convinced me?!”
The man only chuckled.
“Relax. I know you’re furious. But this isn’t over.”
“Those two girls were taken away. You can still step out, give a statement. Spin it.”
you
had
Calvin blinked, then snapped, “That’s hindsight nonsense. Scarlett’s too sharp. Even if I say something, she won’t buy it!”
The man’s expression didn’t change.
“Whether she buys it or not is one thing. Whether you try is another. She’s graduating soon. Your chances are vanishing. If you want a place in her future, you’d better act fast.”