Chapter 96 You Stole the Class Funds!
The next morning during self-study period, Isabella was flipping through a novel.
Suddenly Harold's startled voice rang out:
"Where's the class fund? Where did the class fund go?"
The entire classroom fell silent.
Everyone looked at Harold.
Harold looked really anxious. He first searched through his backpack, then started rummaging through his desk drawer. After finding nothing, his face turned ugly.
His deskmate asked him, "Is the class fund really gone?"
Harold frowned, looking both anxious and guilty. "I was going to balance the accounts, but then I found the money that was in my drawer was gone. I don't know what happened. I checked it just the day before yesterday."
His deskmate tried to comfort him, "Don't panic. Think carefully - could you have put it somewhere else?"
"No, I remember very clearly it was in the drawer. The money has always been kept in the drawer since sophomore year, but now it's really gone... I wonder if someone took it."
As he spoke, Harold unconsciously glanced in Isabella's direction, only to see her head down, casually flipping through her novel.
"Did anyone see who stole the class fund?" Harold walked up to the podium and asked. "It was wrapped in an envelope, about a thousand dollars inside."
This money was collected from everyone, so the whole class cared about it.
"Who's so disgusting to steal the class fund?"
Harold looked at the students below and asked, "Did someone from our class take it?"
Everyone looked at each other.
They all knew.
Even if someone from the class stole it, they wouldn't admit it.
"Harold, search the classroom and see if you can find it."
Once this suggestion was made, everyone in the class agreed.
"Right, Harold, search first. Maybe you can catch them red-handed."
Harold's eyes showed some hesitation. "You guys don't mind?"
Everyone said in unison: "Of course not."
"Whoever minds is guilty."
"Alright then, everyone stay in the classroom. I'll take some people to search one by one."
Harold randomly picked a few classmates to search with him, starting from the first row - first checking desks, then backpacks, then having students turn out their pockets.
Harold was searching Isabella's row.
Soon he reached the last row, at Isabella and Violet's desks.
"Isabella, please stand up and let me check your desk and backpack."
Isabella looked up at him coolly but didn't move.
Violet joked, "Harold, Isabella couldn't have taken the class fund. My little princess isn't short of money, okay?"
A thousand dollars might be a year's allowance for an ordinary student.
But for a wealthy family like the Taylors, it was nothing.
"I know." Harold glanced at Isabella and said in a businesslike tone, "But whether you have money and whether you'd steal are two different things."
Hearing this, Isabella smirked.
She moved her whole body along with her chair to the side, her cold eyes slightly curved, gesturing at her desk drawer and saying to Harold: "Go ahead and search."
Harold stared at Isabella's clear, cold, and defiant eyes, frowned, and reached into her drawer to search.
His hand reached the innermost part where he'd put the money yesterday, but felt nothing.
Harold's expression clearly froze.
How could it be gone?
As if in disbelief, he searched through Isabella's cluttered drawer several more times, but still found nothing.
Isabella played with the pen in her hand. "What's wrong, Harold? Why are you taking so long?"
Harold pulled his hand out of the drawer, met Isabella's eyes, and said, "It's not in the drawer. Let me check your backpack."
Isabella sighed softly and handed over her backpack. "Harold, you're really persistent. Do I look like someone who's that short of money?"
Harold ignored her and anxiously opened Isabella's backpack.
Inside...
Nothing.
Harold's heart suddenly sank.
How could this be?
Yesterday, besides him, Isabella was the last one to leave the classroom. This morning Isabella had arrived just on time for self-study, and from the start of self-study until now, Isabella had no opportunity to discover the money in the drawer and move it.
So where did the money he put in Isabella's drawer go?
Meanwhile, the other students had already finished searching the other rows and ran over to Harold. "Harold, there's nothing."
Harold looked dazed.
"Nothing here either."
"So what do we do now?" one of the boys asked. "The class fund is missing. If the teacher asks..."
Harold clenched his fists, his brow furrowed tight.
The money must have been moved by Isabella.
Damn it.
Everything had been in his calculations. He hadn't expected Isabella to act so fast.
Isabella sat slouched in her seat and said carelessly, "Harold, you're the one keeping the class fund. Everyone gave you the money because they trusted you, but now you've lost it. This matter... you should be responsible for it, right?"
Harold immediately got angry when he heard this. "What do you mean? I didn't steal it, so how can you blame me?"
Isabella laughed. "Then do you think Hannah will blame you?"
That hit Harold's sore spot right away.
He really hadn't expected Isabella to turn his own plan against him.
Harold didn't know how to face Hannah. Thinking about how Isabella deliberately hid the money to embarrass him, his face grew darker, and he pointed at Isabella. "You're the one who stole the class fund!"
"Give the money back right now!"
Harold's voice was loud, and everyone turned to look.
Violet slammed down her book and frowned. "Harold, what's wrong with you? Didn't you already search Isabella's desk? There was nothing there. Why are you making false accusations?"
Isabella pouted, looking innocent. "Harold, why are you saying I stole money? Slandering my reputation?"
Isabella was already beautiful, and now everyone knew she had good grades too. Quite a few people secretly liked her. Now seeing Isabella looking hurt and about to cry, no one could stand it.
All the classmates looked at Harold with complicated expressions.
"Harold, you're going too far. Since you didn't find the class fund at Isabella's seat, why are you saying she stole the money?"