The moment she spoke, a wave of suspicion swept through the crowd of onlooking students. All eyes turned to Penelope.
Seriously, wasn’t this just a little too convenient?
Just a minute ago, she’d been reciting flawlessly, as if she were reading straight from the textbook. But as soon as the signal jammer was switched on, she couldn’t get a single word out?
“Penelope, are you cheating?” Maggie, catching on quickly, raised her voice and called her out.
Others chimed in immediately. “Yeah, Penelope, are you cheating?”
Penelope’s nerves unraveled under so many accusing stares. She instinctively turned to Shirley. “Shirley… what do I do?”
“How should I know?” Shirley snapped back. “Weren’t you the one who promised everything would be fine?”
If she could, Shirley would have slapped her right then and there.
Just then, Anastasia spoke up, calm and collected. “Dean, I suspect Penelope of cheating. Can we have her checked?”
Mr. Jerome’s face was set and stern. He’d brought a handful of students with him this time, and he didn’t hesitate to issue an order. “You there—check her.”
The selected students immediately stepped forward. Penelope panicked, fumbling with something in her pocket, clearly trying to hide it. But in her haste, the object slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor for everyone to see.
“Dean, it’s a Bluetooth earpiece!” one of the students called out.
A shocked uproar rippled through the hall.
“Penelope actually was cheating!”
“I knew it! She leaves the room for a bit and suddenly she can recite everything perfectly? She must’ve gone out to get her little gadget!”
“If you can’t win, just admit it! Cheating is just pathetic. Absolutely disgraceful!”
A storm of contemptuous glares rained down on Penelope.
With a lingering sense of regret and relief, Mr. Jerome turned and left.
Trying to slip away unnoticed, Penelope and Shirley edged toward the exit.
Anastasia let out a cold laugh and called after them. “Penelope, Shirley—where do you think you’re going?”
“Yeah, the contest’s over. Isn’t it time to keep your promise?”
“Or are you planning to run out on your bet?”
Shirley’s face darkened. “It’s just a stupid bracelet! Fine, take it!” She yanked the bracelet off and tossed it, hard.
Anastasia’s reflexes were quick; she caught it midair before the delicate beaded chain could hit the ground and break.
Her expression darkened. Seeing Shirley throw the bracelet and try to walk away, Anastasia’s voice rang out, cold and commanding. “Stop right there!”
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