Chapter 381
The principal let out a heavy breath. “Good. Announce immediately that Lexie Fontaine is not enrolled at our school. Be quick about it. Get it done before the police arrive p>
“Understood p>
Hearing the principal’s ruthless directive, Lexie knew her academic career here was over. Regret washed over her in a suffocating wave.
According to her parents’ master plan, the toxic syringe was supposed to be handed off to Mara Mercer, or she could have hired a proxy to do the dirty work. It didn’t even have to happen today. That way, if things went south, someone else would take the fall.
She blamed her own impulsive arrogance. Seeing all those students crowding around Mira Mercer, kissing up to her, had driven Lexie mad with jealousy. She wanted the satisfaction of taking Mira down herself. In a moment of blind rage, she had charged forward.
Before she could even strike, she was violently kicked to the dirt, the laced syringe instantly confiscated.
Harrison Moore was a jerk. Mira Mercer was a nightmare.
What Lexie failed to realize was the sheer magnitude of the disaster she had just created. Worrying about expulsion was the least of her problems. She needed to start thinking about how to survive in a prison cell.
The dean had barely turned to leave when Detective Liam Bennett-Liora’s older brother-marched in with his squad. The dean quickly doubled back to greet the police officers.
“Go, go, get your job done. I’ll handle things here,” the principal muttered, shoving the dean away. The school’s elite reputation had to be protected at all costs.
It was hard to blame the man. Private academies survived purely on their prestige and accolades. They charged exorbitant tuition fees simply because of the fortress of academic glory they had built over the years. If a scandal of this magnitude broke out, the billionaire families would pull their children out in a heartbeat.
Mira gave Liam a concise rundown of the incident, while Liora chimed in with color commentary. Pointing a manicured finger at Mara and Lexie, she scoffed, “These two are the bad seeds of our school. They can’t go a single day without plotting someone’s ruin p>
“What does Lexie’s mess have to do with me?” Mara snapped, furious. She had genuinely only stepped in to play the peacemaker today.
Though Mara didn’t know the exact details of Lexie’s background, she had a strong suspicion they were on the same side both secretly tied to Shane Porter. As long as someone was making Mira’s life miserable, Mara was thrilled. But she absolutely refused to let the collateral damage ruin her.
Liora opened her mouth to accuse Mara of orchestrating the attack, but Liam held up a hand to stop her.
With a sharp nod, Liam signaled his officers to cuff Lexie and haul her away. Lingering in a high school with a suspect would only draw unwanted attention.
As a seasoned detective, he
operated on hard evidence, not
teenage bickering. He recognized his
Mira immediately, she was his sister’s best friend and a frequent guest at the Bennett estate. O Knowing Liora went to school here, he wanted to keep the investigation under wraps for now.
Though the lab results weren’t back yet, one look at the liquid inside the syringe told Liam it was highly dangerous. Threats like this needed to be neutralized quickly and quietly.
Seeing the police turning to leave, the principal desperately interjected, “Officers, I just want to clarify, she is absolutely not a student here p>
The police stared at him.
How could the man lie through his teeth? If she wasn’t a student, why was she roaming the campus?
They gave the principal a dismissive scowl. School PR was none of their business.
Desperate to save face, the principal trailed after the squad cars. “I swear, she’s not officially enrolled! Her parents just dropped her off halfway through the semester as a temporary placement p>
The officers simply rolled their eyes. A temporary placement was still a student.