The days after the dinner were strangely quiet, and that silence unsettled Sara more than open confrontation ever could. Grace was not the type to accept humiliation in silence. She was plotting, and Sara knew the blow would come soon.
It came faster than expected.
On Monday morning, the academy corridors buzzed with a new rumor.
"Did you hear? Sara's family might cut her off.""I heard her stepmother says she's reckless with money.""No wonder she's always surrounded by friends—she's using them."
Sara froze as the words hit her ears. Students glanced at her with thinly veiled curiosity, some with pity, others with smirks.
Lina appeared at her side instantly. "Don't listen. They're parrots repeating lies."
Sara forced her chin up, walking steadily through the hall. But inside, anger burned. Grace had struck exactly where it hurt — her reputation, her independence.
At lunch, Adrian tossed a folded newsletter onto the table.
"Hot off the press," he said grimly.
The academy's official bulletin displayed an article: 'Heiress or Fraud? Inside the Lavish Spending of Sara Xian.'
Her family name was splashed in bold ink, accompanied by claims of misused allowances, "suspicious friends," and whispers of being cut off financially.
Ryan swore. "This is garbage. Who let this get printed?"
Daniel arrived moments later, his expression stormy. "Grace did. She has contacts with the board. She wanted this rumor to be official."
Sara's hands trembled slightly as she gripped the page. "She wants the world to believe I'm weak. That without her, I'm nothing."
Hannah's eyes shone with worry. "So what do we do?"
Sara looked up, her eyes hard. "We fight back. Not with anger — with truth."
The opportunity came that same afternoon during a guest lecture attended by parents, sponsors, and the student body. Grace's influence had clearly ensured the gossip spread before this event — a perfect stage for Sara's humiliation.
As the headmaster invited students to share their achievements, murmurs ran through the audience. Sara's name was whispered like poison.
Emily, seated smugly in the front row, leaned toward her friend. "Watch. She'll break."
Sara rose slowly when her name was called, her heart pounding. She walked onto the stage, feeling hundreds of eyes on her.
For a moment, doubt clawed at her throat. Then she caught sight of her friends — Lina's encouraging smile, Hannah clutching her notebook like a prayer, Adrian's steady smirk, Ryan's thumbs-up, and Daniel's piercing gaze.
Strength surged through her.
"I've heard the rumors," Sara began, her voice calm but carrying across the hall. "They say I'm careless. That I waste what I've been given. That without my family, I am nothing."
A hush fell. Even the teachers shifted uneasily.
Sara lifted her chin. "But here's the truth: everything I have, I've worked to protect. Not just wealth, not just status — but the people who matter to me. If defending them makes me reckless, then I'll accept that title proudly. Because I'd rather be reckless for love than careful in cruelty."
Gasps rippled through the room. Some students leaned forward, spellbound.
Emily's smirk faltered.
Sara continued, her voice steady. "You can believe the whispers if you want. But I'll prove with my actions who I am. Not with gossip. Not with money. With courage."
When she finished, the silence lasted a beat too long — then applause erupted.
It wasn't everyone. Some clapped politely, others hesitated. But the sound was enough to shatter the poisonous quiet Grace had built.
Backstage, Hannah hugged her tightly. "You were incredible!"
Adrian grinned. "Did you see Emily's face? Priceless."
Lina beamed. "That was more than a defense, Sara. That was a declaration."
Daniel met her gaze, his expression unreadable but his voice low and sure. "You turned their weapon into your shield. Well done."
Sara exhaled slowly, relief washing through her. She had survived Grace's first real strike.
But at the mansion that evening, Grace stood before her study window, staring at the fading light. A crystal glass of wine slipped from her fingers, shattering against the marble floor.
Her maid flinched at the sound.
Grace's lips curved into a cold smile. "So. She wants to fight me in public."
Her eyes glittered like the shards at her feet.
"Then let's see how long her courage lasts when everything she loves is stripped away."