Translator: Inschain Editor: Inschain
After everything was settled, Peter came to take credit.
âBoss, I truly went above and beyond for you,â he declared.
âItâs been hard to find good movie resources lately. So, I thought, why not? I decided to invest myself. I even managed to coax Director Olivia Lynn out of retirement. When she heard it was a request from you, she didnât even want a fee.
Elizabeth inquired, âHow much did you invest?â
Peter nonchalantly responded, âNot much, just about two hundred million dollars.â
Elizabeth lowered her eyes, packing her bag with one hand and holding her phone with the other. Silky strands of hair fell across her face, resting on her long eyelashes. She blinked, unaccustomed to the sensation.
âThereâs also the matter of Sir and Lady Williams. Theyâve been trying to see you and have come by several times,â Peter said with a hint of exasperation.
Elizabeth declined, âTell them Iâm not available.â
Peter acknowledged, but then heard Elizabeth add, âHave them wait six months.â
âSix months?â
âYes,â Elizabeth nodded.
She had only given herself six months to truly live. If she couldnât find meaning in that time, sheâd give up on life altogether.
When Elizabeth entered the classroom, she immediately noticed the peculiar looks she was receiving from her classmates.
She didnât think much of it, as it wasnât the first time she had been looked at that way.
As she settled into her seat, Renee leaned in and whispered, âI never believed you did it. Canât believe it was Lily. Sheâs so wicked.â
Elizabeth, placing her backpack neatly by her side, looked at Renee with confusion evident in her dark eyes.
âSomebody posted evidence online,â Renee explained, handing over her phone for Elizabeth to see.
Elizabeth took it and glanced at the screen.
Someone had uploaded a video of Lily framing Ben on a forum.
It was clear and uncensored, even zooming in on Lilyâs face.
The same people who had ridiculed Elizabeth just the day before were now backpedaling, hurriedly deleting their posts, trying to pretend they hadnât said anything.
The person who posted the video was meticulous.
They had also screenshotted comments suspecting Elizabeth and posted them in the thread, even adding the names and classes of each commenter.
It was like a public shaming!
Below the video, many were begging for their comments to be deleted and expressing anger toward Lily.
Their embarrassment stemmed from having misjudged Elizabeth due to Lilyâs schemes.
Now, Lily had become infamous throughout the school even before any public apology.
People condemned her, calling her manipulative, and evil, and demanding she be expelled.
Elizabeth frowned and remarked slowly, âYesterday, they were laughing at me. Today, theyâre blaming Lily. Are people always this fickle?â
Renee looked embarrassed and lost for words.
Having once been Elizabethâs classmate, she initially resisted the idea of being friends.
But when she found out about Elizabethâs excellent academic performance, her feelings changed.
Did that make her fickle too?
Elizabeth didnât say more, her dark bangs shadowing her eyes.
Who had posted the video?
She opened a black-icon app on her phone, intent on tracking down the uploader.
During this, Lily entered the room. The classroom, buzzing with discussion, suddenly went quiet. All eyes turned to her.
Feeling the piercing stares, Lily snapped, âWhat are you all looking at?â
Someone whispered, âLook at her, acting all innocent. If not for her, we wouldnât have misunderstood Elizabeth.â
Lily, frustrated, confronted a student representative, âWhat do you mean by that?â
âYour video framing Elizabeth is all over the forum,â the rep retorted, unafraid of Lily.
The revelation left Lily feeling dizzy and overwhelmed.
She had hoped to lay low and delay the inevitable, but the truth had caught up with her sooner than expected..