Chapter
As the words fell, a voice called out from a distance, âMerry, Cordelia, the headmasteris asking for you.â
Hearing this, Paulina and Cainhurried to follow, while Leila, after a momentâs thought, quietly followed behind them.
e
entered the headmasterâs office directly, with Leila waiting at the doorway, peering inside.
Four police officers were inside gathering evidence. Skyler, with a warm smile, said, âLia, youâre here? Weâve stumbled upon some unexpected developments.â
Cordelia nodded, âGo on.â
Skyler continued, âThe photo thatâs been making rounds online definitely didnât originate from that school. Thatâs one thing we can be sure of. But where did it come from? Thatâs another line of inquiry. Iâve rechecked the image against Liaâs, and thereâs no doubt it hasnât been digitally altered, so itâs genuine. So, I have to ask, Merry, do you have a habit of taking such photos?â
is that?â
Paulina couldnât hold back, âWhat kind of question is
Skyler raised his hand to stop her, âPlease, madam, I mean no offense. Iâm just trying to trace the origins of the photo. Donât you want to find out who targeted Merry?â
Though Paulina disapproved of his questioning, she held her tongue.
Merry shook her head, âNever.â
âLittle Parrot wouldnât release such a photo to hurt herself,â Cordelia added.
Skyler agreed, âRight, sheâs the victim, so she couldnât be the perpetrator. But from what I understand, you have a twin sister who looks identical to you, right?â
Merry nodded.
Before Skyler could continue, Paulina, now infuriated, demanded, âWhat are you implying? Leila is the culprit? That she took these scandalous photos of Merry posted them online?â
Turning to her, Merry said, âItâs not my photo.â
Confused, Paulina asked, âNot yours? What do you mean?â
She couldnât fathom the truth, not even considering the correct possibility.
Merry laid it bare, âIt means the photo is of Leila, not me.â
Paulina was stunned, then angrily retorted, âNonsense.â
Cain couldnât believe it either, âMerry, how could you falsely accuse Leila? There might be some tension between you two, but surely thereâs no deepâseated hatred because you are sisters.â
âYouâre trying to drag Leila through the mud just because the school took your picture?â Paulina accused, âMerry, how can your thoughts be so dark?â
Merry looked at her parents, a sad smile on her face. Their defense of Leila wasnât laughable or wicked to her, just profoundly desolate.
As parents, their protection was basic, yet before the school incident, they had doubted her, with no trust at
all.
The flicker of joy she felt when she heard that they had asked Leila to move out and invited her home, was now gone.
Chapter 172
She didnât say anything more, her mind was already made up. Her bond with her parents was likely severed for life.
Thinking this, she lowered her eyes, signaling a wish to end the conversation.
Skyler frowned, âMr. Jordan Mrs. Jordan, without evidence, please refrain from baseless accusations.â
Paulina challenged him, âAnd what evidence do you have that the photo is of Leila?â
Skyler was at a loss for words, but then Cordelia spoke up calmly, âWe have evidence.â
âWhat?â Paulina looked at her.
Cordelia took out her phone. âWhen the incident happened, the post was deleted quickly, but I saved the picture. I assume you havenât seen it yet.â
Cainâs brow furrowed.
Cordelia didnât show it to him but handed the opened photo to Paulina.
Paulina glanced at it and quickly averted her gaze, feeling embarrassed and even angry at the sight of her own daughterâs photo. âWhat are you showing me this for?â she asked, feeling humiliated.
Cordelia asked, âAs their mother, canât you tell the difference in the photo?â
Paulina hesitated. She looked at the photo again. The girl in the photo had no mole or birthmark, with smooth, delicate skin. The face was partially hidden by hair, obscuring the details.
Merryâs features were actually a bit more distinct than Leilaâs. If she had a clear photo, as a mother, she could compare them.
But with the hair covering the face in the photo, it was indistinguishable.
After struggling to discern any difference, Cordelia pointed to the breasts on the photo, âLittle Parrot is a bit bigger here.â
Paulina was stunned.
Her mind flashed back to the times she went to the spa with Leila, recalling how she looked without her clothes. Mother and daughter often went to the spa together, so she knew Leilaâs body well.
But it had been a long while since she had been that intimate with Merry.
She involuntarily looked up at Merry, who lost weight from the stress at school, but one part of her remained full and wellâdeveloped:
She looked back at the photo in disbelief.
Sometimes, it was not that she couldnât see the truth, and she simply refused to believe it, unwilling to accept it and kept making excuses for herself.
She stared at the photo for a long time before finally looking up, âEven if, even if this photo is of Leila, it doesnât prove that she posted it.â
Paulina shouted, unable to accept the truth, her heart refusing to believe the Leila she raised could betray her little sister Merry.
Suddenly, she felt like she had never truly understood Lella at all.
Cain, too, couldnât help but ask, âWhatâs going on? Is that photo really of Leila? What happened to her? Why would such a photo exist?â
Paulina clung to her last shred of defiance, âIt must be photoshopped. It has to be. It canât possibly be Leila.â
2/3
Chapter 172
No sooner had the words left her lips, when a nearby officer piped up, âGot it. The IP address traces back to the senior year headteacherâs room, used on the senior classâ second sectionâs computer. At this time of day, hardly anyone would be around. Check the security footage, and weâll see who it was.â
Hardly had the echo faded when the headmaster chimed in, âWeâve got surveillance cameras. Theyâll have covered this area.â
The group booted up the surveillance system and pulled up the records from the time in question. There on the screen, they saw Leila glancing around before slipping into the office.
With the surveillance footage and the photos combined, the case was rock solid.
That answer they all least wanted to believe turned out to be the truth.
Merry turned to a stunned Cain and watched Paulina, who seemed to have aged a decade in the span of a moment. Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she spoke, âWell now, what do you have to say for yourselves?â