<b>Chapter 258 </b>
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<b>At </b>the precinct, the officers only asked Xylia a few routine questions. After she cooperated with the investigation, they let her go.
As Xylia stepped out of the precinct<b>, </b>she was still in a daze, still unable to believe how fast it had <b>all </b>gone.
‘Did I really get out so easily this time?‘ Xylia thought to herself, incredulous.
Last year in Jupiton, she’d been detained right away, and after Sonny faked his testimony, her verdict <b>was </b>handed down in no time.
She’d expected it’d go the same way this time, that she’d at least be stuck at the precinct for a while.
She’d already braced herself for the worst, but she hadn’t expected to walk out so soon.
Joshua seemed to see right through her worries. He squeezed her hand gently andforted her, “Rx, they don’t have enough proof against you. Just what Tessa said and that other person’s word isn’t enough for the cops to really pin anything on you. They still need to connect the dots and check things out before making any moves.”
But even though the cops were looking into it, Xylia knew she couldn’t just sit around and wait.
Because Tessa was a public figure, Xylia had already been dragged into the spotlight online, getting mmed by Tessa’s fans and bystanders online.
And the fallout from all the drama was hitting Xylic Studio hard.
Since Xylic Studio mainly took orders online, and they’d justunched their online store recently, the bacsh from the inte was causing a flood of malicious orders and cancetions, seriously messing with the studio’s normal operations.
Clearing her name quickly wasn’t just about her reputation—it was about the wholepany and her employees too.
“I know David Dalton–he’s a backup dancer in Ms. Chase’s troupe. The ident happened on the day I took Fiona to the hospital. On my way back to work, after Josie called, I walked down that road. But David should’ve been at rehearsal with the troupe. What was he even doing there?” Xylia said.
“More importantly, I’m 100% sure I didn’t go down that construction road that day. So how could she possibly have seen me run into Tessa<b>?</b>” Xylia added.
Joshua let out <b>a </b>cool, almost mocking smirk. “Guess it’s time we ask her which magic eye she <b>supposedly </b><b>used </b>to see you running into Tessa<b>.</b><b>” </b>
<b>So</b><b>, </b>Joshua and Xylia <b>headed </b>over to the dance troupe together.
<b>Xylia </b><b>had </b><b>already </b>let <b>Grace </b>know she wasing, so when they arrived<b>, </b>Grace was waiting <b>for </b>them at <b>the </b>door.
<b>“</b><b>Xylia</b><b>, </b><b>Joshua</b><b>, </b><b>you’re </b><b>here</b><b>,</b><b>” </b><b>Grace </b>said <b>with </b>a warm smile,
10:54 Wed<b>, </b>Sep <b>24 </b>
Xylia greeted Grace and linked arms with her as they walked inside.
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Before Xylia could even ask, Grace seemed to guess what was on her mind and offered up an answer.
“This is ourst show of the year, so under normal circumstances, we’d all be heading home now. Some students have already left, but David’s still here because of the whole thing with Tessa–he stayed to help out after the ident and is packing up his stuff in the dorm right now,” Grace exined.
Xylia turned to Grace and asked, “Was it David who put the nail in Fiona’s shoe?”
If Fiona, the lead dancer, got hurt, the only one who stood to gain was David, the understudy.
If Fiona didn’t have any feuds with anyone else, then David would have had the biggest motive.
Grace’s brow furrowed, a hint of sadness and pity showing in her eyes.
“I really couldn’t find any evidence against him,” Grace said, “but Fiona mentioned that David came to see her on the day she got injured. And when you caught on to her foot injury, he seemed genuinely thrilled. He even came up to me, saying he’d guarantee he could fill in for Fiona as lead dancer.”
Xylia knew Grace had a soft spot for each and every one of her students.
She’d never want to think the worst of any of them unless hard evidence forced her hand.
But with David’s motive for hurting Fiona and snagging the lead role being so tant, even Grace couldn’t help but suspect him.
Xylia gave Grace’s hand a gentle, reassuring pat tofort her.
“Ms. Chase, could you take me to see David?” Xylia asked softly.
Grace nodded, her words turning gentle with concern as she looked at Xylia.
“I’ve seen all the stuff online,” Grace said. “I know what kind of person you are, Xylia—you’d nevery a finger on Tessa just because of jealousy. If you need help with anything else–not just meeting David–just say the
word.”
Xylia was genuinely touched. “Thank you, Ms. Chase,” she said quietly.
When they reached the girls‘ dorm, Xylia and Grace went inside to find David, while Joshua waited for them downstairs.
David was busy packing up her things.
When she heard footsteps approaching, she seemed to sense something was up. Her hands paused for a moment, but then she quickly got back to it, continuing to pack.
Grace knocked on the door twice, and David opened it.
When she saw the two of them, she didn’t look the least bit surprised.
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“Ms. Chase, Ms. Sadler,” David greeted them.
“Hi,” Xylia gave her a gentle smile. “I’m also one of Ms. Chase’s students–so just call me Senior Xylia, we’re all like family here.”
David blinked, clearly thrown off.
She’d used Xylia of running into Tessa, and while no one else might know the truth, only Xylia would know she’d faked her testimony.
‘Why is Xylia still grinning at me like that?‘ David wondered.
‘And she’s seriously calling me Senior Xylia?‘ David thought.
‘Wouldn’t you expect her to just p me across the face right now?‘ David wondered to herself.
When they reached the dorm, Xylia had quietly asked Grace to head out for a bit so she could have a private word with David.
So after showing Xylia to the room, Grace excused herself and slipped away.
With just the two of them left inside, David instantly understood–Xylia hade here on purpose, just to talk to her. ‘So, she’s really here because of me,‘ David thought, her nerves tightening.
‘Hmph, like I’d ever be scared of her,‘ David sneered inwardly, the chill in her heart betraying not a hint of fear toward Xylia.
Xylia sized
up David without letting it show.
As the understudy for the lead dancer, David’s presence and build stood out among the others. Her features were even bolder than Fiona’s, and her eyes, not even trying to hide it, shimmered with raw ambition.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting more.
Especially for someone like David–a backup dancer–ambition is what gives you the drive to fight your way to the top.
But when ambition bes the excuse for crossing lines, that’s when it rots into something ugly,
Xylia’s smile didn’t fade as she stepped quietly into the dorm, chose a stool, and settled in, her gaze soft as she took in the whole ce.
The room had four beds; three were already stripped and empty, with just one left showing signs of someone still living there.
The bed was perfectly tidy, but most of her belongings looked like they’d already been packed away.
So, David really was about to head out soon.
The ce was dead quiet.
10:55 Wed, Sep 24 <b>d</b>.
Xylia kept silent, but David was the first to speak up, unable to stay quiet any longer.
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“Senior Xylia, just spit it out. No need for the suspense, say whatever you want,” David said, her tone blunt.
She grabbed a stool and slid it over, sitting down close to Xylia with an air of defiance, not intimidated in the slightest.
“Have you apologized to Fiona yet?” Xylia asked, keeping her tone calm and steady.
David was bracing herself for Xylia to confront her about the fake testimony, but instead, Xylia threw her a curveball about Fiona.
The sudden question caught David off guard–a flicker of panic shed in her eyes before she could hide it, and Xylia didn’t miss a thing.
‘No doubt about it now, Xylia thought to herself. She’d seen that sh of panic–and that was all the confirmation she needed.
“Fiona and I are on good terms. I never did anything to let her down, so why should I apologize?” David replied, her tone even and almost dismissive after quickly regaining her cool.
As her initial panic faded, David’sposure returned, and she answered Xylia in an unfazed, leveled voice.
Xylia nodded, a knowing look shing in her eyes–she had seen right through David.
“Fiona’s already handed that nail to the cops,” Xylia said, her voice steady but with a hint of warning. “They’ll be pulling fingerprints off it sooner orter. If you still want to call Fiona a friend, I’d suggest you apologize before the truth hits and things get ugly.”
“You’re lying! Fiona tossed that nail out ages ago!” David snapped, her voice spiking with a hint of panic.
“You honestly think Fiona’s the type to just suck it up and walk away?” Xylia shot back, her words cutting. “That nail turned up in her shoe right before a big performance—it nearly wrecked her whole future. You really believe she’d just take that blow and pretend nothing happened?”
Hearing that, David instantly tensed up and couldn’t sit still any longer, her calm facade slipping away as she started fidgeting in her seat.
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