Chapter 57 Justice Descends
"Didn't they say Emily wasn't the favorite? Why's Mr. Johnson so worried about her all of a sudden?"
"Yeah, and have you noticed Emily's been MIA for two days? Think she ditched school 'cause of what we said? Maybe we were too harsh."
"She brought it on herself. If she can't take the heat, that's her problem!"
The students couldn't help but gossip after hearing Eli's question.
Bianca felt a pang of jealousy at being overlooked by Eli. The whispers of her classmates only made her more annoyed. She forced a smile and said in a playful tone, "So, Dad, you didn't come to see me? Emily's not even here."
"What? What's going on?" Eli frowned. His first thought was that Emily had fallen in with a bad crowd and was skipping school.
Bianca's eyes flickered as she thought about how to make Eli think even less of Emily.
"Mr. Johnson, you didn't mention you were coming. You're here to see Bianca, right? She's been doing great in school," Lavinia greeted eagerly as she approached. She was keen to establish a connection with the Johnson Group, especially after losing a business opportunity because of Emily.
"You must be Ms. Chambers, Bianca and Emily's teacher?" Eli didn't usually concern himself with such matters, but he remembered Ms. Chambers from when he brought Bianca to school.
He had questions and decided to ask Lavinia directly, "Has Emily been attending classes these past two days? As her teacher, you should know."
Eli's tone was sharp, determined to find Emily. Lavinia, despite her irritation, held back her feelings due to Eli's status.
"Mr. Johnson, it seems you haven't been informed. Emily switched majors. She didn't even tell you. As her former teacher, I must say, she had already missed several days of school before the switch. Now, I no longer have authority over her, so you might need to have a serious talk with her. If only she were as easy to manage as Bianca."
Lavinia took the opportunity to badmouth Emily, blaming her for the situation. Eli's expression darkened. He had planned to take Emily away with his bodyguards, but now he learned she had switched majors without his knowledge.
"This is outrageous. She switched majors without telling me, and you, as her teacher, didn't inform me of such a significant change?" Eli snapped.
"Yes, I did tell her, but she bypassed me and went directly to the professor of her new major. She even informed Mr. Owens. I couldn't do anything. When I tried to talk to her, she retorted that she was an adult and could make her own decisions. But don't worry about Bianca; I'll take good care of her."
Lavinia added the part about Emily claiming to be an adult to shirk responsibility. If she hadn't been biased, Emily wouldn't have bypassed her to speak with Kurt directly.
Eli's expression softened slightly when Lavinia mentioned Bianca. "So, which major is she in now? I didn't approve this switch. How does she expect to keep up? What if she can't graduate?"
He turned to Bianca, "Bianca, did you know about Emily switching majors? Why didn't you tell me?"
Bianca wanted to say she didn't know, but Eli's question was more of a formality. He directly asked Lavinia about Emily's new major. Lavinia quickly answered and offered to lead Eli to Emily.
Eli, with his bodyguards, hurriedly followed Lavinia. Meanwhile, the students had overheard Eli's question to Bianca.
"Bianca, did you know about Emily switching majors?" someone asked.
Bianca's face turned slightly pale. She stammered, "I... I'm not really sure."
She was nervous and lied, forgetting that many students had witnessed the switch, including some from the art department.
One student frowned, "I remember Bianca was there when Emily switched majors. Ronnie was there too."
"Do you know what happened? Tell us!"
Bianca's eyes flashed with panic. She quickly called out, "Nash, I heard there's a design competition coming up. Where can I get the registration form?"
"You want to enter? I know where to get it. Go to Mr. Reed's office. I got mine there. Funny enough, I saw Emily getting hers too."
Emily had indeed gone to Willow's office for the form after finding out Erik didn't have any left.
Bianca's pupils contracted. Emily was entering the competition, too? Should she enter as well? She knew Emily's skills better than anyone. How could she compete with her?
"Nash, you need to register soon. The deadline is today," Nash reminded her.
"Okay, I'll go right now!" Bianca replied, forcing herself to stay composed. She didn't want to stay and risk more questions about Emily's major switch. She quickly left the office.
Unbeknownst to her, as soon as she left, the students started gossiping.
"Bianca knew about Emily switching majors. Why didn't she tell Mr. Johnson?"
"Probably because she's afraid Emily will find out she was badmouthing her!"
"But Ms. Chambers already mentioned it. What's she afraid of? It's strange."
"Mr. Johnson didn't even know about the switch. They say the family treats Emily well, but it seems like they don't care at all. Are the rumors false?"
"Maybe Emily's just a disappointment. The school forum says she's always bullying the outstanding Bianca!"
"Hello, testing, testing..."
As the students continued to gossip about Emily and Bianca, the school intercom suddenly crackled to life. Everyone wondered what important announcement was coming.
Bianca, walking outside, froze when she heard the familiar voice over the intercom, her face changing color.