Chapter 99 Now, the truth has come to light
“If it's not yours, whose is it?” one of Claire's followers sneered, pointing to the top of Cristiane's head. “You're the only one here with your hair tied up like that. Who else would wear such a tacky, old-fashioned accessory nowadays?”
Mirela Crispim, feigning deep disappointment, bit her lower lip and sighed.
"Exactly, Cristiane. Stop making excuses. Apologize to Claire right now. Although words can't make up for what you took, stealing is a character flaw. If this gets out, it will be a terrible stain on the reputation of our Affiliated School.
The atmosphere in the room became heavy. Mr. Curtis glanced at his watch; class time was slipping through his fingers.
“Apologize now, Miss Pedrozo. If this case reaches the Academic Board, your academic record will be ruined forever. At your age, you should be focused on your future, not theft.”
Tears finally overflowed from Cristiane's eyes.
“I didn't steal... really, I didn't take anything...”
Around her, the students rolled their eyes, glaring at her with disgust, as if they were looking at an incurable criminal. Mr. Curtis picked up his cell phone, his face hardened.
“If you refuse to confess, I have no choice. I'll call the Registrar's Office. A stain like this will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
Cristiane felt cornered, the air leaving her lungs. It was as if an invisible blade was pressed against her neck, forcing her to admit to a crime she hadn't committed just to make the torment stop.
Beep.
A sharp “access granted” signal echoed from the central control console, cutting through the tension like thunder.
Everyone turned abruptly. Jessica Mendes was standing next to Katherine, a malicious, victorious smile lighting up her face. Katherine, on the other hand, was sitting relaxed in front of the main computer, her long fingers still resting on the keyboard.
“Hey! Get away from that now!” Mr. Curtis roared. “Don't mess with the school system!”
Jessica glanced sideways, her almond-shaped eyes shining with dangerous pleasure.
“Claire... get ready to kneel.”
The moment the words left her lips, Katherine pressed the Enter key.
An electronic noise ran through the lab, and simultaneously, all the monitors in the room lit up with the same image. Before anyone could protest, the recording began to play.
On the screen, the classroom appeared empty and silent. Seconds later, a figure sneaked in. She rummaged through Claire's desk, grabbed her lipstick, and then hurried to the central console. There, the figure operated the system for a few moments—deleting the section of the entrance itself—before running out.
The person on the screen was Mirela Crispim.
The shock was so absolute that the lab fell into a deathly silence. Mirela turned pale instantly, her legs weakening.
“Now, the truth has come to light,” said Katherine.
She rose slowly, her aura of superiority filling the space. Her gaze swept over the group, cold and distant, as if everyone there were insignificant in the face of her intelligence.
Mr. Curtis's face darkened. His eyes fixed on Mirela with a mixture of fury and humiliation. He, a master of computer science, had been deceived by a student right under his nose.
Katherine's voice cut through the silence again, each word falling like a hammer of ice:
“Mr. Curtis... don't you think you should set an example and apologize to Cristiane? You and all your ‘brilliant’ students?”
The teacher's face remained static, alternating between red with shame and white with shock. Around him, Claire and the others, who had previously attacked Cristiane with tooth and nail, now lowered their heads, suffocated by their own embarrassment.
Slowly, one by one, the looks of anger and betrayal began to turn to Mirela Crispim. The tables had turned.
“Mirela Crispim, I didn't expect you to be that kind of person!” Claire exploded, her voice high-pitched with indignation. “Stealing and framing others... how could I ever have called you my friend?”
Mirela cringed, her once pale face now burning with humiliation. Her head hung so low that it seemed to want to disappear into her chest. She could barely stand on her trembling legs. This was not the ending she had planned; the spell had turned against the sorceress in a brutal way.
Mr. Curtis, feeling his authority slip through his fingers, roared:
“Mirela! I gave you access to this lab, I taught you advanced techniques... not so you could commit crimes and then have the audacity to tamper with the surveillance system!”
He was so furious that the words disappeared, replaced by heavy, noisy breathing. Mirela clutched her clothes tightly, bearing the weight of her colleagues' accusing silence. She was now the outcast, the liar exposed before the elite.
At that moment, the rhythmic sound of clapping cut through the air. Jessica Mendes clapped her hands with elegant mockery.
“Well, well... what exciting drama,” Jessica sneered, her almond-shaped eyes shining with malice. “But why not leave the dirty laundry for later? Now, you all owe me a debt. Apologize to Cristiane Pedrozo. And then, let's all take a walk to the Academic Office.”
Katherine leaned against the edge of the table, her arms crossed, watching the scene with an indifference that was almost insulting. The presence of the two girls created such dense atmospheric pressure that the students around them found it difficult to breathe.
Claire clenched her teeth so hard that her jaw cracked. Apologize? Never.
Mr. Curtis also hardened his expression. For him, ego was more important than justice. An elite teacher apologizing to a mediocre student from Class 8? It would be the end of his career.
“This matter is none of your concern,” he declared, trying to regain his composure. “You may leave now. We will speak with Cristiane Pedrozo privately later.”
Katherine glanced at her wristwatch. Her tone of voice dropped a few degrees on the ice scale.
“Ten seconds left. Are you going to apologize or not?”
“Three seconds left,” Katherine announced, a discreet, almost imperceptible smile appearing on her perfect lips.
Claire and the group remained stubbornly and arrogantly silent. Mr. Curtis simply waved his hand dismissively.