Chapter 25
Mindy looked uneasy. “She’s the one who stole from me. You’ve got it all wrong”
“The evidence we have confirms that the suspect is indeed Sierra There’s no mistake,” said the lead police officer.
“Evidence? What evidence? The real proof was taken right from Lillian’s drawer–she was caught red–handed, and everyone saw it,” Mindy argued, waving her phone and tablet.
“Is this your doing? What kind of trick did you pull? Did you get Mr. Kevin Smith to help you out again?” She immediately turned her suspicion on Lillian without even thinking if it made sense.
Sierra, restrained by two officers, instinctively fought back and shouted at Lillian, “Lillian, what did you do?”
Everyone’s attention shifted to Lillian.
“You claim your evidence is solid? I want to see it,” Mindy told the police, her intention to take Lillian down clear.
“What’s happening here?” someone asked.
“I have no idea. I’m totally lost,” came another voice.
Lillian stood up. “You’ve all been in this class a long time, and no one noticed the weak default password for the surveillance cameras?”
She walked to the front of the room and added, “It’s super easy to hack into.”
“What password? What is she even talking about?”
“Hack into the cameras? Is that what she means?”
Lillian stepped onto the podium and connected to the classroom’s multimedia system, showing the surveillance video on the digital board.
As the footage started playing, Lillian calmly said, “The school may not have turned on the cameras, but I did.”
“Surveillance?” Sierra, who was struggling, suddenly went quiet, panic flashing across her face as she glanced at the two cameras overhead.
“She turned on the cameras? No way! How did she even do that?
“Wait, did she just say she hacked the cameras?”
Amid the rising chatter, the video displayed a familiar figure sneaking back into the classroom while everyone was out for lunch. Instantly, chaos erupted again.
“Sierra, oh my gosh, what’s she doing?”
“Whoa, she stole Mindy’s stuff and planted it on Lillian’s desk to frame her? Is she insane?”
“She’s been spreading rumors and causing trouble–what is wrong with her?”
“I thought she was just a pain, but I didn’t expect her to be this twisted, stealing things worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and trying to pin it on someone else–that’s definitely jail time!”
“Seriously, who in their right mind steals something and leaves it in plain sight? Thank goodness I didn’t take sides.”
“Can there really be a twist like this?”
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Flank noticed the police taking out handcuffs and was about server, but the lead
The handcuffs signified something entirely different. The moment Sierra was caffed, her col she glared at Lillian and shouted Lillian, you’re going to pay for this
Then, in front of everyone, Sierra was taken away by the police the crowd was will in shock, staring
Lillian explained calmly, “I hacked the surveillance to keep an eye on Mindy. Nothing more
Hank and Michelle turned to her, both feeling speechless.
Mindy was furious. “Lillian, what do you mean by that?”
The classroom erupted into chaos once again.
“How did she hack the surveillance cameras?”
“It might have something to do with being good at math
“No wonder she was so calm before. Her mindset is impressive. No surprise she’s a genius.”
“It’s great Lillian was prepared; if not, Sierra’s craziness could have ruined her. No way she would have been able to dear her
name.”
“Exactly! Thank goodness for the footage. Otherwise, even with her dad’s help, the gossip would have destroyed her reputation.”
“I just yelled at her… What was I thinking? Damn the Sierra!”
The hallway buzzed with students upset on Lillian’s behalf.
“What a bunch of fools. How could they believe Lillian stole a phone? Have they been brainwashed from all that studying t feel so bad for Lillian.”
“Ugh, can’t Lillian transfer to our class?”
The students in Class A were much quieter. Those who had doubted Lillian, and even insulted her, now felt embarrassed and some began cursing Sierra instead.
Lillian returned to her seat with her phone. Just then, she got a call from Yale.
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Chapter 25
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How did he get this number? It’s unlikely he wants to chat about the weather, she thought. Realizing it might be urgent, she answered right away.
“Bad news. Henry was performing surgery on Samuel, the head of the Lewis family in Jerisburg, and something went wrong during the procedure,” Yale said, sounding really anxious.
Hank stepped out of the classroom, looking worried, about to call Sierra’s father, when Lillian suddenly approached from behind. “Did you drive to school today?” she asked.
Startled, Hank turned around, a bit puzzled. “Why do you ask?”
“Let me see your car keys, Lillian replied, her tone firm.
“Look at my car keys? Hank was confused and uncertain of what Lillian was planning. Still, he pulled out his car keys and held them out.
He intended to discuss with Lillian the possibility of dropping the report against Sierra. With the Terrell family’s influence, Sierra wouldn’t face serious consequences. But if Lillian could drop the case, that would certainly help.
Before he could speak, Lillian said, “Let me use your car.”
“Wait-“Hank looked down and realized the keys were gone. So was Lillian.
Earlier, Lillian had noticed where Hank parked. She headed straight to that spot, jumped into his car, and drove out of the school.
On the phone, Yale spoke quickly, “The Lewis family has a massive influence over the military, government, and business sectors. They control a huge part of the national and global economy.
“Samuel has a huge impact on the business scene in Clusia, and that’s just his legal operations. If anything happens to him, could lead to chaos in both the underworld and legit businesses, which would surely shake the economy.
“Simply put, he cannot die at Henry’s hands–even if it’s an accident. The Lewis family won’t take this lightly, and they’re tough to deal with. The surgery has already been stopped, and Henry is detained. You need to come up with a plan, and fas
“I’m on my way there. You’ll handle the rest,” Lillian replied firmly.
Yale exclaimed, “You want to operate on Samuel? Are you out of your mind? Do you even know your own condition?”
“What other choice do we have? Stop wasting time,” Lillian hit the gas, expertly weaving the white BMW 3 Series through t busy streets like a pro. Along the way, police cars occasionally tried to chase her, but they quickly backed off.
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