The office was packed with reporters. When Cordelia walked in, it was as if someone had hit the pause buttonâthe whole room turned to stare at her.
With a rigid spine and measured steps, Cordelia made her way through the sea of curious faces.
Latham, surprised by her entrance, blinked in surprise. âCordelia, what brings you here?â echoed the principalâs voice, thick with concern.
Cordelia had come to buy time, hoping to stall any drastic decisions from the principal. But with Merry and Daniel still on their way, she didnât quite know what to say. So she just looked at Leila. And like dominos, all eyes followed to land on her.
Leila, feeling the weight of their gazes, looked baffled, and Paulina, equally perplexed, turned to Cordelia, âWhatâs going on?â
In the middle of this confusion, Merry and Daniel burst into the office, waving a piece of paper triumphantly.
âWe did it!â
Cordelia exhaled in relief, took the paper, and handed it to the Principal. Daniel chimed in, âPrincipal, our classmates heard about Lathamâs situation. This here is a petition signed by all of us. We believe Lathamâs been falsely accused!â
Lathamâs face, a mask of disbelief, slowly softened as he looked at Daniel. Heâd dedicated his life to teaching, never asking for anything in return, just to be true to his conscience.
This yearâs class had been a tough bunch: Juliana with her petty jealousies, Merry with her rebellious punk rock style, and Cordelia, ever the aloof one.
Yet now, in his hour of need, they had rallied to his defense with a manifesto of support.
Tears traced lines down Lathamâs face as he stood tall, his voice ringing out strong, âLet me just sayâIâm totally cool with my conscience! If they suspend me over this investigation, itâs still worth it knowing Iâve touched so many student lives.â
The reporters were stunned, their pens and microphones hanging in limbo.
They had come expecting a sensational scandal, but instead, something felt wrong.
The room fell silent, no one daring to pursue Latham further.
The evidence was circumstantial at best the truth murky and elusive.
Leila never truly intended for Latham to be imprisoned. She craved her parentsâ attention, her classmates pitying glances. As for Latham⦠In a country where reputation is everything, the lack of a clear verdict was damage enough.
He would now live in the shadow of endless rumors, and the school would surely hesitate to employ him again.
Leila looked at Merry, her eyes dimming before she burst into tears. âMerry, weâre sisters! Why are you him?â
you helping
Her words shifted Paulinaâs focus immediately. She glared at Merry, âHow can you defend this monster after what he did to your sister? Youâre breaking my heart!â
Merry met her gaze, retorting icily. âIâll tell you why!â
She stood in the center, faced the press, and said, âWhen I was falsely accused of theft, it was Mr. Latham
Chapter 179
who supported me. When I was expelled, he helped me transfer schools. When you cut me off financially, it was Lathamâs meal card that kept me from going hungry.â
Paulina was taken aback, âI asked Leila to top up your card!â
Merryâs smile was bitter she glanced at Leila, too weary to e explain.
Merryâs smile felt like a slap on Paulinaâs face.
Merryâs eyes fell as she continued, âMom, Iâm tired of this. Iâm doing well now. But that doesnât mean I can lie for her Latham has dedicated his life to education; his future canât be destroyed by Leilaâs lies.â
âYouâ¦â Paulina, shaking with fury, pointed at her daughter, âAre you doing this because you resent Leila? Youâre sisters! What grudge could possibly justify this?
Merry stood firm, unwavering behind Latham.
The classâ collective support, the shifting tide of the press, and even the principalâs intervention pointed to one thing. âWe need to investigate this thoroughlyâ¦
âWhatâs there to investigate?â Paulina shouted, âIt seems like the school wants to cover for him! And that petition could have been signed by just one person for all we know! If he could do this to my daughter, he could do it to any student. Those too scared to come forward are one thing, but he must answer for what he did to my child!â
âI have an answer for you.â At that moment, Officer Skyler, in full uniform, strode into the room.
Holding up his laptop, he announced, âFunny thing, thereâs no camera inside this office, but a windblown camera on a tree outside caught the whole thing. Iâve just looked into the schoolâs security system to retrieve the footage. Letâs have a look.â
As the footage played, it was hard to see through the glass and distance, but they could make out Lathamâs silhouette behind his desk. The girl with him was unmistakably Leila!
She stripped off her clothes, ran to the door screaming for help, and then flung it open!
The truth was laid bare for all to see, and the room fell into a stunned silence.
â
Everyone in the room froze, their faces a study in shock. It seemed that no one had anticipated the existence of that surveillance camera, its lens skewed by a gust of wind a stroke of luck so incredible it was as if the heavens themselves refused to allow Latham to go down in disgrace!
Faced with irrefutable evidence, there was no more room for doubt.
Paulina completely flabbergasted. She turned to look at Leila, only to find her equally stunned.
The truth was laid bare for all to see, and Leila knew she was done for..
But she hadnât been bested by someone else; it was sheer bad luck that had defeated her!
Seeing Leilaâs world collapsing around her, Paulina grasped the gravity of the situation. Consumed by anger, she lashed out, her hand striking Leilaâs cheek with a resounding smack, âWhy would you do this?!â