Chapter 2

The moment I stepped through the school gate the next day, I sensed something was off.

Some people saw me and immediately lowered their heads to whisper to those beside them.

Others held up their phones, pointing them at me, and quickly lowered them when I looked up.

As I walked toward my classroom, passing the staircase, two girls who had been talking suddenly lowered their voices when they saw me, their eyes still drifting to my face.

I reached my seat, placed my backpack down, and then saw several lines written in chalk on my desk.

Ungrateful wretch.

Can't stand to see others do well.

Jealous of her stepbrother.

Every word was written heavily, as if afraid someone might miss it.

I stood there for a few seconds, then took out a tissue from my backpack, moistened it slightly, and slowly wiped the words away.

My deskmate subtly shifted away, as if afraid of getting tangled in trouble.

Just then, Ms. Davies stood at the doorway and called my name.

"Chloe, to the office."

I zipped up my backpack and followed her out.

When the office door opened, my gaze immediately fell on Richard Maxwell.

He stood by the window, his face looking even worse than yesterday.

Vivian sat in a chair, her eyes red-rimmed, clutching a tissue.

Ethan stood beside her, head bowed, looking all hurt and innocent.

Ms. Davies handed me her phone.

"See for yourself."

Last night, an anonymous post had suddenly appeared on the school forum.

The post's title was direct, and its content even more so.

It claimed that Ethan wasn't Richard Maxwell's biological son, yet he was using Richard's money to pave his way, monopolizing all resources.

It also hinted that Richard had abandoned his first wife and biological daughter, only to raise someone else's kid.

The post was quickly deleted, but screenshots had already spread everywhere.

Richard stared at me, opening with a question: "Was it you who posted it?"

I pushed the phone back.

"No."

Vivian immediately wiped away a tear, her voice trembling.

"Chloe, I know you're upset. But Ethan hasn't done anything wrong."

I stayed silent.

There were two other teachers in the office, and hearing this, they couldn't help but side with her.

"Yes, if there's an issue, handle it privately. Don't air it out on the forum for the whole school to know."

Listening to these words, I found it utterly ridiculous.

I hadn't done anything, yet everyone already assumed I was the most suspicious one.

Because in their eyes, Richard was rich and influential, while I was just a student in a regular class who was about to drop out. So, regardless of the truth, blaming me was always the safe bet.

I looked up, addressing Richard directly.

"What good would it do me to post that?"

"I'm already here today to withdraw from school. Do you really think I have time to watch you three play happy family?"

Everyone in the office froze for a moment.

Ms. Davies frowned, "The withdrawal process isn't finalized yet, is it?"

I didn't answer, just gripped my backpack straps tighter.

Richard, however, seemed to grasp something significant, staring at me, his tone suddenly dropping.

"So you did this on purpose?"

"Intentionally staging this withdrawal to make me soft-hearted?"

"Your mom used to love playing the victim card. Now you've learned it too."

I looked up at him sharply.

That sentence was like a needle, stabbing directly into my heart.

The emotions I'd suppressed for a day and a night completely broke at that moment.

"If my mom was truly as good an actress as you claim, she wouldn't have been so thoroughly deceived by you back then."

The office went silent.

Ms. Davies's face changed, and she opened her mouth to intervene, but Richard cut her off with a raised hand.

His face slowly darkened, his gaze fixed intently on mine.

He turned to the teachers in the office and said, "Could you please step out for a moment? This is a family matter."

Ms. Davies hesitated for a moment, then led the others out.

The moment the door closed, only the four of us remained in the room.

No, Ethan was there too.

He stood beside Vivian, his head bowed even lower, his hands clenched tightly.

Richard took a step closer to me, his voice heavily suppressed.

"Chloe, how much longer are you going to keep this up?"

I scoffed.

"What am I 'keeping up'? Did I post it, or did I beg you to acknowledge me yesterday?"

"I came quietly today to withdraw from school. You're the ones who cornered me in this office first thing in the morning, determined to pin this on me."

Richard frowned, "If you weren't instigating things behind the scenes, Ethan wouldn't have suddenly found out about all that."

I looked up at him, questioning him word by word.

"So in your eyes, the truth itself isn't important? What matters is who said it?"

Richard paused.

Seeing the situation was turning bad, Vivian immediately stood up, her eyes red as she looked at me.

"Chloe, I never intended to steal anyone's place, nor did I want you to drop out. If you're really short on money, I can privately help you out financially. But I beg you, please stop targeting Ethan. He knows nothing and has never hurt anyone."

I stared at her.

Her 'my child is innocent' act was exactly the same as five years ago.

Back then, she was just like this, standing behind the crowd, clutching her stomach, claiming she couldn't handle the stress.

Richard immediately turned to comfort her, not even sparing a glance for my mom and me.

I forced a smile.

"You're best at using 'the child is innocent' as a shield, aren't you?"

"It was true five years ago, and it's true now."