Outside, the sun had begun to sink, casting long shadows across the polished floor.
Suddenly, a call came through for Principal Harris. He excused himself, stepping out to answer. On the other end of the line, Liam’s voice was urgent. Harris’s face blanched at what he heard.
In the waiting car outside, Liam lowered his phone. "Boss, Ms. Smith is retaking the test. Should we intervene?"
From the backseat, a deep, steady voice replied, "No need. Let’s wait. If she gets into trouble, we’ll step in. Keep tabs on everything."
"Yes, Boss. And the posts online—they’re all taken down."
"Good." Sebastian Harper’s gaze lingered on the school gates. His fingers drummed against his phone as he continued working, his face calm, but his eyes glinting with a storm beneath.
Back inside, nearly forty minutes had passed. Aurora set her pen down and raised her head.
"Finished," she announced.
Every teacher in the room glanced at their watches. Murmurs rippled through them. "It’s barely been forty minutes..." someone whispered.
Raya scoffed from her corner. "God knows what nonsense she’s written. I bet she’s just scribbled random answers."
Lewis and Robin gathered the papers, their brows furrowed in concentration as they reviewed her work. The other teachers formed small clusters, their curiosity overcoming skepticism.
But as they flipped through each page, their expressions shifted—from doubt to shock, from disbelief to wonder.
"Every answer... correct," Robin muttered, almost dazed.
"The methods... flawless," Lewis added, awe threading his voice.
The teachers murmured among themselves, glancing at Aurora with something close to reverence.
Raya stayed rooted to her spot, waiting for the disdain she expected to see on their faces. But it wasn’t there.
Instead, pride gleamed in their eyes. Their whispers carried admiration.
A sinking feeling pooled in her stomach.
Unable to hold back, she marched forward and snatched the top paper from Lewis’s hands. Her gaze fell on the bold red mark at the top: 100/100.
She flipped through each sheet, scanning the answers frantically. They were perfect. Her chest tightened. "How... how is this possible?" she whispered.
"She had carefully chosen her questions—trickier ones, some even used at the university level—but Aurora had solved them so flawlessly it was as if she were merely playing."
Aurora’s smirk returned, calm and cutting. "Miss Williams," she said softly, "I believe you promised something if I won."
Cold sweat beaded down Raya’s forehead. The weight of the room shifted, everyone’s attention now fixed on her.
Some who had criticized Aurora earlier exchanged glances of disapproval toward Raya. She had gone too far, and now she couldn’t escape the consequence.
Raya forced a brittle smile. "Aurora... it seems we really misunderstood you. If you had such... prowess, why hide it from us?" Her words dripped with faux warmth, twisting blame subtly toward Aurora.
Some teachers hesitated, their thoughts wavered. Was it really Aurora’s fault for hiding her intelligence? Maybe they wouldn’t have misunderstood her if she’d shown this side earlier...
Aurora’s smile deepened, her eyes cold. She saw through the manipulation. She let Raya speak, let her twist the narrative.
Seeing Aurora’s terrifying gaze, cold sweat trickled down Raya’s spine. It wasn’t just anger in Aurora’s eyes—it was something deeper, something unreadable, something that made Raya’s heart skip a beat. For the first time, she felt small under the gaze of the girl she had mocked for years.
Aurora took a graceful step forward, her lips curling into a faint, knowing smile. Her voice was soft, yet it carried an eerie sharpness that sliced through the heavy silence.
"You know," Aurora said, tilting her head slightly, "slandering someone without proof is against the law. I wonder... what exactly was Ms. Williams thinking when she threw around such accusations?"
A hush fell over the room. Every teacher turned to Raya, eyes narrowing with quiet disapproval. Principal Harris’s jaw tightened, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Even those who had silently sided with Raya earlier began to shift uncomfortably in their seats.
Raya’s face twitched. Her confidence faltered for a fleeting second, but she quickly masked it with a scoff, crossing her arms tightly across her chest.
"You..." she hissed, her voice cracking under pressure before she forced it steady again. "I was merely sharing my opinion. How is that slander?"
But even as she spoke, Raya’s thoughts churned in turmoil. Humph. So what if it’s slander? What can she even do to me? she sneered internally.
She’s nothing without the Smith family. Veronica told me herself—Aurora’s been kicked out, cut off, abandoned. No support. No power. She’s just a stray dog pretending to be a wolf.
The bitterness inside her emboldened her arrogance. She straightened her back defiantly, raising her chin with a smirk.
Her eyes glinted with malice as she looked down at Aurora, as if daring her to retaliate.
"Enough!" Principal Harris’s voice thundered across the room, startling everyone into silence. His hand slammed against his desk, making the pens and papers rattle. Then, deliberately, he lowered his voice into a slow, grave tone that carried undeniable authority.
"Ms. Williams," he said, each word clipped and heavy, "you have broken the code of conduct expected of a teacher.
Your behavior today is unacceptable, disgraceful, and unbecoming of your position. Therefore, I hereby suspend you from your teaching duties for two months.
I suggest you take this time to reflect... and repent for your actions."
A sharp gasp echoed from the teachers. Raya’s face drained of color. Her lips parted, but no words came out. For the first time, the weight of consequences pressed down on her, suffocating her pride.
Principal Harris leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temple tiredly. The decision had not been easy, but it was the limit of his authority.
It was an open secret among the staff: Raya’s husband sat on the board of directors. Firing her outright would have required a battle he couldn’t win—at least not without repercussions that would shake the school itself.
But he couldn’t turn a blind eye either, not after what had transpired in front of so many witnesses.
He glanced at Aurora, an inexplicable unease stirring inside him. Despite everything, he doubted she’d be truly affected by Raya’s schemes.
Not after today. There was... something about her. The quiet call he had received earlier from Sebastian was still echoing in his mind, unsettling him more than he cared to admit. Whoever Aurora Smith really was now, she was no ordinary girl.
But as Principal, his duty was to the school, and he couldn’t let this scandal escalate further. He straightened his back, clearing his throat before addressing her formally.
"Ms. Smith," he said with a respectful nod, "we deeply regret the disturbance caused to you today. Please, proceed to the administration office, collect the form, and complete your registration. You’re qualified to sit for the SATs."
Aurora slowly turned toward him, a calm, knowing smile spreading across her lips. Her gaze softened slightly, understanding his position.
She could read the constraints around him, the politics he had to juggle, the invisible chains tying his hands. He had done what he could within his power, and for that, she respected him.
But respect didn’t mean forgiveness.
No. Aurora’s smile deepened, a glint of cold resolve flickering beneath her serene expression. She wouldn’t let Raya walk away untouched. Not this time. Not anymore. Call her petty if they wanted—she didn’t care.
"No one bullies me and gets away unscathed," she thought silently, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.