Chapter 201

Fletcher listened with a look of genuine sympathy, and it was clear he wanted to believe Claire was innocent. “It’s not enough for me to just take your word for it. We’ll look into this, and if you really had nothing to do with it, we’ll make sure everyone knows the truth p>

He paused, concern etched across his face. “But right now, it’s just your word. If your adoptive mother comes forward and blames you instead, the public might turn on you.” Even the Competition Association could face criticism.

“People will say you’re ungrateful,” Wendy whispered, her voice barely above a murmur.

She was right. Everyone nodded in agreement. Without any solid proof, blaming her adoptive mother would only make things worse for Claire. She knew that all too well.

“I actually do have proof,” Claire said softly.

The room immediately fell silent, every eye on her.

“What kind of proof? Is it reliable?” Lemuel was the first to break the silence. He looked anxious. He just wanted to clear Claire’s name so she could get started with the winter training camp.

Claire blinked, a little hesitant but steady. “I have a recording p>

Lemuel looked surprised, at a loss for words. Was Claire really recording her conversations with her adoptive mother? Maybe she always had to be on guard around her. But if she hadn’t been so careful, she’d have no way to defend herself. She could have been forced out of the camp over a lie.

Len, always straightforward, just looked relieved. “Thank goodness you have that recording. Otherwise, you’d never be able to talk your way out of this p>

Claire couldn’t help but agree, thinking to herself, isn’t that the truth.

“It’s not like I went out of my way to record it,” Claire explained. “My friend actually overheard my adoptive mother talking about it and recorded the conversation. She sent it to me after p>

“That’s when I realized I had to be extra careful p>

Lemuel nodded, his expression softening. “You did the right thing. If you hadn’t saved that recording, you’d have been the one to take the blame p>

Claire agreed completely. “Could you give us the evidence?” Fletcher asked, turning to her.

“Of course. I want to clear my name as soon as possible,” she replied.

Fletcher led everyone to the dorms. Boys and girls were separated, with Claire and Wendy sharing a room

and the boys grouped togethernet

another. Each room had four beds, so they expected students from other schools to join them soon.

Once everyone settled in, Fletcher took Claire aside. As soon as they left, Lemuel rounded up the rest of the group and headed out to buy some necessities.

Because of everything that happened with Claire, the group stayed quiet on the way, the earlier excitement gone. Even Len wasn’t talking much.

But Alva, ever the curious one, couldn’t keep it in. He glanced at Len. “You’re in

Claire’s class, right? Do you really think there’s any chance she cheated p>

Even though everyone had just said they believed Claire, a little bit of

doubt lingered. After all, this was the winter camp. The top six scorers would get an early offer to college. Who wouldn’t want that? There had in

been cheating scandals ne

competitions before, but no one had ever gotten the questions in advance.

Now the internet was full of rumors that Claire had seen the questions before the test. Was it really her adoptive mother who started all this? If that was true, her adoptive mother was worse than any villain in a fairy tale.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Leo snapped before Len could even answer. He shot Alva a glare.

Len and Lemuel both turned to look at Alva.

Alva scratched his head awkwardly. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just curious p>

He wasn’t wrong, though. If Claire really did cheat, it would look bad for all the students from Apex.

“Alva, I was proud to see how much

you all supported Claire in front of Fletcher,” Lemuel said, his tone

gentle but firm. “It’s normal to have

some doubts in

Private B

Clai

Claire.

has always been the top student at

Silverpeak International College. She’s not just good at S competitions-she’s always at the top in regular exams too p>