NovelGoldChapter 36 Laird and Jeanette were visibly shaken, fear etched across their faces.
"Let go of him, right now." Laird hurried over and pulled Citrine's foot off Clifford's chest. This time, Citrine didn't resist; she simply allowed him to move her foot aside.
"Clifford, are you alright?" Laird helped Clifford to his feet, his expression stony as he shot a cold glare at Citrine. "Have you lost your mind? He's your brother." Citrine cast a look of utter disdain at Clifford, clicking her tongue in annoyance.
"Say whatever you want about me, but sparethe melo." Clifford, still clutching his aching chest where she'd stepped on him, couldn't help but cough at her words.
Laird's face darkened. In that moment, he realized just how much Citrine had changed.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSeeing their reactions, Citrine felt a surge of satisfaction.
If only Jeanette would keep her mouth shut, she thought, she'd be even happier.
But of course, Jeanette piped up, her voice trembling with wounded innocence. "Sis, how could you hurt your own brother?" She looked genuinely upset, as if she was only standing up for Clifford out of simple sibling loyalty.
Citrine couldn't help but marvel-Jeanette truly wasn't afraid of getting slapped, was she? Citrine was about to reply when Laird suddenly stepped protectively in front of Jeanette, his eyes wary. "Citrine, you owe Jeanette an apology." Citrine raised an eyebrow, her gaze flitting between them, her tone laced with sarcasm.
"So, what's the charge this time?" She'd been blamed for countless false accusations by these two over the years; Jeanette's tricks were old news by now.
Laird let out a derisive snort, raising his voice as if he wanted the whole world to hear, "You cheated on your exams and stole Jeanette's top spot. Don't you think you owe her an apology?" The shout carried across the room, drawing the attention of every student in Class Eight. Heads turned, eyes narrowing.
In truth, Citrine had just scored first in the entire year, and plenty of classmates were jealous. The rumor mill had been churning-people whispered she must have cheated.
Now, with someone voicing their suspicions out loud, several students eagerly chimed in.
Citrine gave a cold, bitter laugh, suddenly understanding the setup.
"So this is what all the is about-my exam results. Jeanette, you really haven't changed a bit." That idiot, she thought, could only ever convince these other fools to fight her battles.
"Sis, I didn't do anything." Jeanette blinked, tears welling in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks in perfect, glistening drops.
Citrine couldn't help but admire her-what a waste of talent not to be an actress.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIgnoring Jeanette, Citrine met the suspicious stares around her and spoke, her voice clear and steady.
"I didn't cheat on that exam. Everyone knows the testing room is covered by cameras. The school administration isn't stupid-they would have om discussed my results and only published them if they were sure there was no problem. And you all know the school has zero tolerance for cheating. If I really had cheated, they wouldn't just withhold my grades-they'd have punished me, too." As her words rang out, several students seemed to reconsider, doubt flickering in their eyes.
But sstill refused to believe she could honestly have scored so high. "Citrine, you've always been a the bottom of the class. Now you're suddenly top of the year? Does that seem realistic to you?" Laird was the first to challenge her. Other voices joined in, "Yeah, everyone's seen your grades. Climbing from last place to first in a single month? That's just not possible."
"We just can't believe you unless you've got sproof" someone else added. "Rroot? Fine. I have it." Citrine pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The call connected almost immediately.
She didn't bother with small talk. "Hey, could you cdown to the school? I need you to helpclear something up."
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