Chapter 46 Evidence Beyond Evidence

Anna's POV

I nodded at Isaac, feeling a bit numb. "Got it."

You'd think I'd be used to this world by now, but nope, not really. I thought Isaac wouldn't do that kind of thing to his own sister, but there were always exceptions. And those unfair exceptions? They seemed to be the real norm around here.

"Anna, I had Leon test it yesterday. I needed to know the truth about us. I'm sorry." Isaac tried to grab my hand as I pulled away. He looked confused, like he couldn't understand why I'd reject him.

I sighed. When he got obsessed with something, his blue-gray eyes looked all regretful and serious. It was like he thought fate would just fix everything for him, no matter what.

I shook my head, but he still wouldn't let go.

I turned to him. "So, you were with Tina yesterday because of the test results?"

"Anna, it's not what you think," Isaac said, trying to sound persuasive.

I looked away, avoiding his eyes. "I'm not overthinking." I pulled my hand away, got out of the car, and ran upstairs.

As I closed the door, I realized this was nothing compared to past injustices. Despite my gratitude for discovering I had a living father, tears still streamed down my face.

A message from Judy popped up on my phone: [Come to the meeting room on the third floor of the student council at 1 PM tomorrow.]

Staring at the screen, I barely managed to fall asleep by dawn.

The next morning, I still got up early for class, even though it might be my last day at school.

During lunch, I leaned against a wall in a quiet corridor, taking out a bottle of water and my homemade bento. The corridor was peaceful, free from classmates' mocking and devoid of any pushing or verbal abuse.

Then, out of nowhere, Leon showed up, walking against the sunlight. He wore a loose white jacket and a black mask, moving like he was gliding in the air. Despite his casual look, he had this calm and confident vibe that demanded respect.

Even though I had learned that we were related, I'd always lived my life cautiously, like a wildflower. Seeing someone like him made me feel insignificant.

"Do you need something from me?" I asked, curious.

Leon raised his cola and lightly clinked it against my water bottle. "Congrats, Shark. You don't have to clean the principal's office anymore."

I paused, not sure how to respond. The sunlight outside the window filled the air with the scent of grass and trees, making the windy corridor feel less empty.

I had to admit that I hardly ever cleaned the principal's office anyway. Except for the first day when Leon checked the principal's schedule, he usually had someone else clean my part too.

"Nothing much, just about the surveillance footage. Have you seen it yourself?" Leon asked.

I nodded, feeling a bit nervous. "Yeah, the records from the past thirty days prove that Susan and I didn't touch any personal items in the activities office."

Leon then asked, "What was her name, the girl who falsely accused you? Did you see the part where she stole your documents?"

Leon never remembered anyone's name except a few old people in the manor. I'd heard he had a photographic memory for many things, so he intentionally avoided remembering a lot of them.

I answered seriously, "Yeah, I saw it, but Emma seemed to know exactly where the cameras were. She always had her back to them, so the footage didn't catch her in the act."

"Even if it didn't catch her directly, you can still accuse her," Leon said, looking at me. I quickly lowered my head when our eyes met.

I was surprised by what Leon said. Then I glanced at my phone and hurriedly told him, "The meeting starts in about ten minutes; I have to go now. Thanks, Leon!"

"No problem," Leon replied calmly, watching me wave as I left.

When I got to the meeting room, there were already quite a few people there. To my surprise, there were four teachers, two of whom I had never seen before.

As I stood outside the door, feeling nervous, Susan came out and grabbed my hand. "Anna, don't be scared. Even if we get expelled, I'll post on the school forum to let everyone know how they treated us."

Judy gave us a cold look. "Since you're here, come in quickly."

I never understood why she disliked me, especially since she was beautiful, accomplished and had excellent grades and an elegant demeanor. Looking back, it seems both her and Emma's animosity toward me stemmed from Nick. Since Emma befriended Ella, she probably reached out to Judy too.

Soon, everyone was seated.

"Who are Anna and Susan?" the male teacher at the head of the table asked sternly.

I was about to stand up in a panic when Susan pulled me back and answered confidently while sitting, "Sir, I'm Susan, and she's Anna."

Susan gave me a look, and I instantly understood her intention. In this place, bullying the weak and flattering the strong was the norm. By not appearing overly humble, we might make people wary of whether we had some uncrushable confidence behind us.

I took a deep breath, trying to hide the fear on my face. Susan, always composed and confident, had a way of handling situations with grace, and I didn't want to let her down.

But the teacher directly scolded us, "You two are absolutely disgraceful, stealing from classmates and the student council. You've completely tarnished the reputation of Imperial University!"

Susan's face looked awful at that moment, her eyes rimmed with redness; she probably had never suffered such humiliation in her life.

Although my hands were trembling, whether from fear or humiliation, or both, I still stood up immediately. "Sir, you should say those words to the real thief. I have evidence here."

A female teacher impatiently glanced at my clothes. "The school has already made a conclusion on this matter. If you had real and effective evidence, you would have submitted it long ago. So, we are just here to inform you of the conclusion. We have no obligation to waste time with you."

After they finished speaking, they pulled out their chairs and prepared to leave.

Meanwhile, Emma was pointing her phone camera around, and when she turned back to talk to Joy, she smiled happily, as if she had accomplished something.

Every time she showed that expression, I felt uneasy, sensing that things were not going well.

But at that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open forcefully.

The teachers' faces showed obvious displeasure, but when they saw who was at the door, their expressions became more serious.