fanqie novel
Chapter 177
Chapter 177
Chapter 177
At this hour, the building was filled with teachers, along with a few students who had come to drop off their
assignments.
The door to the room was ajar, and both teachers and students stood at the threshold, staring in shock and
confusion
Leila lay crumpled on the floor, her clothes in disarray, a shoulder exposed, as she cried out, “I’m sorry, Mr. Latham, please let me go! I can’t stand being the talk of the school anymore…”
Latham was frantic, waving his hands in denial, “Leila, what are you talking about?”
After his plea, he turned to the other teachers and students in a panic, insisting, “I didn’t do anything to her! You’ve got it all wrong!”
Leila’s sobs were breathless and desperate.
The building was the teachers‘ office block, and Latham sometimes napped in this office, which is why there were no security cameras installed.
Considering Leila’s current state, there’s no way Latham could talk his way out of this situation, no matter how eloquently he spoke!
One of the teachers quickly spoke up, “I’m going to call the principall”
The principal and the head of academic affairs arrived promptly. They hurriedly reached out to Leila’s parents and then the principal took Latham aside, asking in a low voice, “What happened here?”
Latham’s face flushed with embarrassment. He was a simple man who biked to work on an old bicycle, his face deeply lined and tanned from the sun, and now he stammered, “This student is framing me–I’ve been cautious, but I never expected her to set such a trap!”
Leila’s cries grew louder and more pitiful, “Latham, you, you…” Her outburst brought tears to her eyes.
A while later, Cain and Paulina arrived, both already at their wits‘ end. Having had their share of troubles with their kids recently, the call from the head of academic affairs had left them panic– stricken.
Upon hearing of another issue with Leila, Paulina entered, demanding, “What has Leila done now?”
She thought Leila might have hurt Merry again.
But instead, she found Leila disheveled in a chair, her clothing creased and wrinkled. Shocked, as any mother would be for her beloved daughter, Paulina shrieked, “What happened here?”
“Mom!” Leila burst into tears, clinging to Paulina’s waist, “Mom, I was too scared to say anything, but you and Dad have been misunderstanding me. You’ve been ignoring me lately, and I’m so afraid of losing you…”
Recollecting the day of the incident, when Leila had remained silent and obedient, and now seeing her current state, Paulina suddenly realized, “You framed Merry because of him?”
Leila cried out loud, “Mom, that’s my sister, how could I frame her for no reason!” She cleaned her tears, continuing “Latham made me take that naked photo!” Paulina was stunned, “What? Latham?
Leila nodded, “Yes, Latham has always been mean to me, often calling me to the office and harassing me. Last time, he even forced me to take photos. He said he couldn’t appreciate them alone and wanted to share them. I begged him not to, and then when Merry’s incident came out, he said there were indeed photos of Merry at that school, and he wanted to pass my picture off as Merry’s, claiming that appreciating them alone
was too lonely!”
The villainous act of showcasing misdeeds seemed to prove Leila’s story more believable.
Such an unimaginable act left everyone present shivering.
It took a while before Paulina turned to Latham, rushing at him with a fury, “What kind of teacher are you? A role model for students, yet you’re nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing!”
Merry’s ordeal at Elite Future Academy had turned into a nightmare. This caused Paulina’s trust in teachers to plummet, and in such cases, any parent would believe their child over others–after all, which girl would tarnish her own reputation to slander someone else?
Just like with Leila’s situation, if she hadn’t made a scene, the online fiasco would’ve died down in a few days. Everyone knew the photo was faked and never would’ve suspected that it was actually Leila!
Now, she was exposing this secret, how could she face anyone again?
Leila hung her head, trembling with fear.
The principal and the head of academic affairs immediately stood in front of Paulina, while Latham straightened his posture, protesting, “I didn’t do it! It wasn’t me!”
Paulina exploded, “If it wasn’t you, then who was it? Who’s been taking pictures of my little girl? How can anyone be that low! I’m gonna sue the school, you better believe I’ll sue the heck out of it!”
With that, she reached for her phone to call the police.
The principal and the head of academic affairs quickly intervened, “Leila, we understand how you feel, but the truth of the matter is not yet clear. We will thoroughly investigate and not wrong anyone. If it truly was Latham, such an act against a minor is punishable with jail time! Our school will not condone such behavior. But for now, we can’t take Leila’s word alone…”
Paulina retorted, “Would my daughter jeopardize her own reputation just to frame someone?!”
Leila’s eyes flickered at the side. If possible, she would never have chosen this path!
But the photo was real, her parents knew it, and she had to invent a story for it. Besides… the words she saw in that letter were right. Victims always garner more attention.
Wasn’t the reason her parents were so concerned about Merry because she was a victim? So, what if she, Leila, was also a victim? And what if her suffering was even worse? Then her parents‘ attention would return
to her!
She would no longer be isolated by her classmates! She would remain the innocent, unblemished figure, unaffected by a mere photo since she never cared for others‘ opinions.
The commotion in the office block couldn’t be kept secret for long.
Many students had come to submit their homework and had witnessed everything.
In senior class one, as Daniel relayed the news, Cordelia was taking advantage of the break to study chemistry.
At Daniel’s words, Merry jumped to her feet, her heart pounding with sudden rage. She spun around and declared, “Lia, it’s gotta be mel I’ve dragged Latham into this mess! That bitch Leila! I need to go see for myself!”
Cordelia’s eyes, misty as a foggy morning, lifted slightly from the book she was holding. After a moment’s hesitation, she rose to her feet and said resolutely, “Alright, I’m coming with you.”
They made their way to the academic building, but instead of heading straight to the office, Cordelia began
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to meander around the exterior, her gaze sharp as she scanned the school’s security cameras.
Merry, puzzled, asked, “Lia, what are you looking for?”
Cordelia replied simply, “Evidence.