Cindy's cheeks felt like they were on fire. Tears rolled down her face as she shook her head. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I acted on impulse, that's all. If I was wrong about Claire, I'll apologize to her, I promise."
She hesitated, then looked up, a thought flashing in her eyes. "But isn't everyone online saying Claire got the test questions ahead of time? If that's true, then it's not fair to the other students that she got into the winter camp, right? Officer, is that what you're here to investigate?"
Deep down, Cindy was hoping the police would actually find proof that Claire cheated. If they did, the Math Competition Committee would have to take her out of the program, and that spot could go to someone else. That would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? "Even though I like Claire, this isn't just about her. Other people got hurt too. I just think it should be looked into," Cindy added, her voice small but earnest.
The female officer studied Cindy quietly. The girl spoke softly, her features delicate and pretty, but for some reason, the officer found her hard to like. Maybe it was because Cindy clearly knew Claire was probably innocent, but still went after her online out of jealousy. Accusing Claire like that could really mess up her life, while for Cindy, the worst that would happen was a gentle warning. It barely mattered to her-she wasn't the one who started the rumor, just another angry voice in the crowd.
"Whether Claire cheated or not will be investigated by the Math Competition Committee," the officer said calmly. "But as for the rumors about her and the Education Board official, we've already looked into it. There's nothing there. And those posts online about her being his kept woman—those are fake too. Someone edited the photos and used misleading angles to smear her on purpose.”
The officer didn't hesitate to lay out the truth for Cindy and her mother.
Octavia's expression was still dark, as if Cindy's behavior had truly infuriated her. Cindy felt sure that was the case, but the officer had her doubts. She suspected Octavia's anger came from something else entirely.
When the officer left, Octavia turned to Cindy, her face cold and tight. "Cindy, why did you do this? Do you realize how much trouble you've brought to the James Family? Yes, you're engaged to York, and
nd your father promised you company shares for your wedding, but you haven't received anything yet. If you keep dragging us into scandals, the Byron
Camily could break off the
engagement at any time. If you can't even keep York, how do you expect to find someone better in the
future?"
Those last words stung. Wasn't there someone better? Cindy thought so. She thought Dane was so much better than York. York never seemed mature or dependable, but Dane was everything she wanted.
"Don't argue with me. I'm only doing this for your own good." Octavia's voice was sharp. "Do you even know who started those rumors online?" She was trying to figure out if Cindy was naïve or if she actually had
me brains. If Cindy was clever a least she'd know how to protect her own interests. But if she was just clueless, someone would use her. Like Molly, for example.
Cindy shook her head. “Mom, I don't know. I messed up. I shouldn't have said what I
did online. I wasn't thinking. Please, believe me.”
Octavia stared at her, her eyes cold and hard. Cindy's voice cracked as she started crying again. "I... I was just jealous of Claire. She's so amazing. I don't know how I
ever measure up to her Colne
She's about
to get into college early, and my grades are just..."
Her words were lost in her sobs. Octavia felt a mix of anger and disappointment, but
now there was regret too. Maybe she'd pushed Cindy too hard this time.