Chapter 87 Slander
"Mr. McGinnis! Mr. McGinnis! It's me, Yasmin!"
When Geraldo saw Yasmin, his face darkened.
Escorted by two bodyguards, Geraldo had no intention of dealing with Yasmin.
But seeing her keep chasing after the car, Geraldo still told the bodyguards to stop.
He rolled down the window and waited expressionlessly for Yasmin to catch up.
"Mr. McGinnis!" Yasmin's face was covered in tears. "I thought you weren't going to help me anymore."
Geraldo frowned and said, "I didn't stop the car to help you, and I have no obligation to help you. I just want to make things clear with you. I, Geraldo, don't take students with a tainted record. From now on, you're no longer my student, and you're not allowed to do anything in my name as my student."
Yasmin's face turned pale.
But she had already guessed Geraldo would say this, so she quickly suppressed her emotions.
"Mr. McGinnis, I know plagiarism was wrong, but I had no choice. It was my evil sister who forced me to plagiarize! Her purpose was to pave the way for her brother!"
Surprise appeared on Geraldo's face.
After he announced Yasmin's plagiarism, he went to rest because his chest felt tight.
So he happened to miss what happened after Grant pulled out the document severing parent-child relations.
He also didn't know about Yasmin and Amelia's relationship.
Because of this, Geraldo's resolve wavered.
Seeing this, Yasmin quickly continued, "Mr. McGinnis, please give me five minutes. I'll explain everything clearly."
Geraldo had always been someone who saw things in black and white.
If there really was more to the story, he wouldn't just ignore it.
There happened to be a coffee shop nearby.
Geraldo finally nodded.
"I'll give you the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee."
"Thank you, Mr. McGinnis!"
He would decide everything after hearing Yasmin's explanation.
"Let's go!"
"Yes, Mr. McGinnis."
Yasmin led Geraldo to a small private room in the coffee shop.
"I'll have an iced Americano. Mr. McGinnis, what would you like?"
"Whatever."
"Then how about a latte? The menu says it's their specialty."
Geraldo waved his hand. "Anything is fine."
After all, he wasn't here for the coffee.
Soon the two coffees arrived.
Geraldo took a couple of casual sips, then got straight to the point. "Whatever you have to say, say it now."
Yasmin held her Americano and began, "At the beginning of today, I originally planned to win the championship with my own ability. But my sister found me before the competition started."
Geraldo's eyelids lifted slightly.
He heard Yasmin continue, "She said she knew who my biological parents were. You know my background—I was adopted. Later, after she returned home, I was kicked out."
"I asked her who my biological parents were. She said if I wanted to know, I had to follow her plan."
"Her plan was to make me plagiarize her brother's painting. That is, this year's champion, Grant."
"That's how everything that followed happened, but I really didn't want to plagiarize!"
Geraldo was skeptical. "Is everything you're saying true?"
"Of course it's true! Mr. McGinnis, think about it—Grant also participated in the competition. If I plagiarized his painting, wouldn't that be asking for humiliation?"
Geraldo's expression became unpleasant.
If this was true, then Yasmin wasn't really at fault.
She was also coerced.
But then Geraldo suddenly remembered Amelia and Grant's relationship.
And they both had the last name Richardson.
Could it be?
His heart stirred, and he asked Yasmin, "What's your sister's name?"
"Amelia! You saw her today too—she's the girl who was always next to Grant."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Geraldo's gaze at Yasmin suddenly became extremely sharp.
He never expected that he would listen to Yasmin's explanation with sincerity, only to find out she had made up such a huge lie!
If Amelia wasn't his teacher, he might actually have believed it.
He looked at Yasmin deeply, his tone ambiguous. "Are you sure everything you said is true?"
Yasmin felt Geraldo's gaze was a bit strange.
But she didn't think much of it and nodded firmly.
"I can swear to heaven, if I said even half a lie, may I be hit by a car when I walk out!"
Such a vicious oath only made Geraldo's expression even stranger.
He suddenly let out a couple of muffled laughs.
"Yasmin, do you know what the biggest regret I've had these past few days is?"
"What?"
"Taking you as my student!"
Yasmin stared in shock. "Mr. McGinnis?"
"I must have been blind to take someone like you, who lies constantly, as my student!"
"No, Mr. McGinnis, I haven't told a single lie. Everything I said is true! You know about my background, don't you?"
Geraldo looked at Yasmin with countless words of rebuttal in his heart.
He didn't know if Yasmin's words were true, but didn't he know what kind of person Amelia was?
What evil sister? What sister coming home and kicking her out?
But when the words reached his lips, he suddenly didn't want to say a single word.
With someone like this, even arguing one more word felt like a waste of energy.
"You don't need to say anything more. I'll say it again—from now on, we're no longer teacher and student, and you're not allowed to do anything in my name as my student. Otherwise, I'll hold you legally responsible!"
With that, Geraldo got up to leave.
Yasmin quickly grabbed him.
"Mr. McGinnis, don't you believe what I said? Everything I said is the truth! I was really threatened by Amelia, that's why I plagiarized Grant's work."
"Shut up!"
Geraldo couldn't take it anymore and slapped Yasmin hard across the face.
Yasmin's ears were ringing from the blow, but she still heard what Geraldo said.
"I don't care how you lie to me, because I don't care! But you should never, ever have slandered my teacher!"
In his anger, he suddenly remembered Samuel's blunt attitude toward Yasmin, and what Amelia said to him when Yasmin "forced" her off the judges' panel.
She said he was old and his eyes were failing him.
He didn't understand what she meant then, but now he finally got it.
His eyes really were failing him!
To actually take someone like this as a student!
Yasmin was stunned.
"Your teacher? When did I slander your teacher?"
Geraldo sneered and said, "Looks like you still don't know. That evil sister you keep talking about is my teacher, Taylor!"
Yasmin's eyes suddenly widened.
"You're saying Amelia is Taylor? You must be mistaken, right?"
"Me, mistaken? I could mistake my own son before I'd mistake my teacher!"