The chatter in Class A quieted the moment Elena stepped in. Once, whispers about her beauty and charm followed her everywhere. Now, after Clara's carefully spread rumors, the whispers dripped with mockery.
"She still dares to show her face?" someone snickered.
"She's nothing compared to Clara now."
Clara, sitting smugly in the front row, flipped her glossy hair and shot Elena a triumphant smirk. Beside her, Vivienne leaned in and whispered just loud enough for others to hear, "Some people don't know when to quit."
Elena walked to her seat without flinching, her posture graceful, her lips curved in the faintest of smiles. She knew exactly what was coming.
As expected, Clara pounced the moment the teacher stepped out. "Elena," she said sweetly, standing with a stack of papers in her hand, "I think you should explain yourself to the class."
Elena arched a brow. "Explain?"
Clara's voice rose, dripping with false righteousness. "You scored the highest on yesterday's quiz. But everyone knows you've been slipping lately. Surely, you didn't… cheat?"
Gasps erupted around the room.
"Cheating?"
"No way, not Elena…"
Clara laid the papers on the teacher's desk with a dramatic thump. "These are my notes. And guess what? Elena's answers are almost identical. She must've stolen them."
Vivienne chimed in, "How shameless."
Dozens of eyes turned on Elena. Some expectant, some judgmental, some simply eager for drama.
Elena tilted her head, her smile deepening. So predictable.
She walked calmly to the front, picked up the notes, and flipped through them as if they were beneath her notice. Then, in a clear voice that carried across the room, she said, "Clara, if you're going to accuse me, at least try not to humiliate yourself in the process."
Clara blinked. "What are you talking about?"
Elena tapped her slender finger on a page. "Here. Question three. Your notes say the answer is 'oxidation,' but the real answer is 'reduction.' And that's exactly what I wrote on my paper. Tell me, Clara… if I copied you, how did I correct your mistake?"
Laughter broke out.
"She's right!"
"Clara got it wrong, Elena got it right!"
Clara's face flushed scarlet. "That—that doesn't prove anything!"
Elena leaned in, her eyes glinting with mockery. "Of course it does. It proves you should study harder before pretending to be the teacher's pet."
The classroom erupted. Giggles, whispers, and outright laughter filled the air. Clara stood frozen, humiliated, her carefully crafted trap backfiring spectacularly.
And then—
A cool, deep voice cut through the noise.
"Pathetic," Adrian Blackwood drawled from the back row.
The room fell silent. Everyone turned.
Adrian, the untouchable heir with a reputation colder than winter steel, lounged casually in his seat by the window. His dark eyes glinted with disdain as they landed briefly on Clara… then shifted to Elena.
"If you're going to frame someone," he said lazily, "at least learn to hide your tracks."
Clara's knees nearly buckled. Vivienne stared, speechless. The entire class held its breath, stunned that Adrian had spoken at all.
Elena's smile didn't falter. She met his gaze, unbothered, and inclined her head slightly as if acknowledging a worthy audience.
For the briefest moment, Adrian's lips curved into something unreadable — almost amused — before he looked away, as though bored with the entire affair.
The teacher returned seconds later, oblivious to the storm that had just passed. But Clara sat rigid in her seat, humiliated beyond repair.
Elena, on the other hand, returned to her desk, her chin lifted proudly.
This was only the beginning, hahahaha.