Chapter 358

Ms. Carter’s voice sharpened, losing its usual warmth. “No, absolutely not. Expulsion is out of the question!”
At her words, the dean of students, the principal, and everyone else in the office frowned deeply.
The dean, whose narrow eyes were framed by deep-set wrinkles, spoke up with clear impatience. “Ms. Carter, Emily Blair has caused quite a stir. The school is already being more than reasonable by not expelling her outright. We’re giving her a choice-trying to be fair about it. What exactly is your objection?”
Ms. Carter frowned, glancing worriedly at Emily Blair.
She wasn’t naive, and neither was anyone else in this room.
It was obvious to anyone paying attention where the real issue between Emily Blair and Isabella Austin lay.
She’d always had a soft spot for Emily, and she was willing to say it plainly: Emily wasn’t at fault here. The blame landed squarely on Isabella Austin.
Isabella had plagiarized Emily’s work, stirred up a social media storm, played the victim to win sympathy, and then unleashed her followers on Emily in a barrage of online harassment. Every step of the way, Isabella had been the one in the wrong. No one was falsely accusing her.
And yet, here they were-Emily was being pressured to apologize to Isabella. How did that make any sense?
Ms. Carter had once been fooled, like everyone else, into thinking Isabella Austin was the model student―brilliant, considerate, a real paragon of virtue. She’d even met Isabella in person. And, truth be told, Isabella played her part flawlessly: beautiful, poised, gentle-she was exactly what everyone imagined a “golden girl” to be. Ms. Carter had once envied women like Isabella, with their privileged backgrounds, stellar achievements, and partners who seemed impossibly perfect.
But after witnessing everything that had happened, Ms. Carter couldn’t see Isabella the same way anymore. The mask had slipped, and her admiration had crumbled.
In her heart, Ms. Carter didn’t want Emily to apologize—especially not to someone as two-faced as Isabella Austin.
Besides, from what she knew of Emily, the girl’s pride was every bit as fierce as Isabella’s if not more so.
Emily Blair was stubborn to a fault, bullheaded when it came to principle. She’d never lowered herself before the school, so why would she bow to Isabella Austin?
For Emily, apologizing to Isabella was probably an insurmountable demand.
To apologize to someone who had bullied and slandered you—that was a bitter pill to swallow for anyone.
But for someone like Emily, it was unthinkable.
Ms. Carter’s expression darkened.
If Emily refused to apologize, the school would expel her.
How was this a fair choice? It was nothing short of a threat—a sham negotiation that left Emily without any real say in her fate.
Ms. Carter furrowed her brow, her worry deepening as she looked at Emily’s thin, fragile silhouette.
“Emily
Her voice caught as she called out, “Emily, what do you want to do?”
Emily was still reading the statement the dean had handed her. At the sound of Ms. Carter’s voice, she looked up calmly. “What’s wrong?”
Ms. Carter opened her mouth, but the words stuck in her throat.
She felt anxious and helpless; her usual composure had vanished, replaced by a look of genuine distress.
But Emily, the one at the center of it all, remained astonishingly calm-her face unreadable, her eyes steady and clear, nothing like the average high school student.
For a moment, Ms. Carter was stunned, staring at her.
She wanted to tell Emily that the best solution was to just apologize. As humiliating as it was to bow to Isabella Austin, it was better than getting expelled—especially with graduation only a few months away. Maybe, under these circumstances, swallowing her pride was the lesser evil.