Chapter 62:


    Belle panicked. She looked at Kaiden. He was sitting on the floor, ying with a toy car,pletely oblivious.


    “No,” Belle said quickly. “Kaiden is traumatized. He can’t…”


    “I agree,” Grayson said, stepping forward. He knew Kaiden couldn’t do it. He knew Kaiden had cheated. “This has gone far enough.”


    “Why, Grayson?” Isolde asked. “Afraid the 85 was a lie too?”


    “He got an 85!” Belle shrieked. “He is a genius!”


    Kaiden looked up. He saw everyone staring at him. He felt the pressure bearing down, and the anger radiating from Belle.


    He stood and hurled the toy car. It struck the microphone stand with a deafening ng, and the feedback squeal pierced every ear in the room.


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    “I hate it!” Kaiden screamed, stomping his feet. “I hate math! I hate the numbers!” He pointed a finger directly at Belle. “I hate you! You made me memorize the paper! The numbers were wrong! I didn’t remember them right!”


    The silence that followed was heavier than lead.


    You made me memorize the paper.


    The boy had confessed.


    Belle closed her eyes. She swayed slightly. It was over.


    The Headmaster cleared his throat. “In light of this… admission… Kaiden Lancaster’s score is disqualified. Effie Lancaster is the winner.”


    Grayson looked at his son. He looked at the cheat sheet on the table. A wave of nausea moved through him.


    Isolde didn’t gloat. She looked at Kaiden with something closer to pity. He was a monster in the making, but he was being shaped by a terrible architect.


    “Let’s go, Effie,” Isolde said softly.


    As they walked past Grayson, Isolde paused.


    “You see?” she whispered. “That is what you bought with your money. A lie.”


    Grayson didn’t answer. He couldn’t.


    Effie tugged on Isolde’s hand. She was clutching the small stic trophy, turning it over in her fingers.


    “Mommy,” she asked, her voice cutting cleanly through the tension, “can I show this to Great-Grandma? The one in the picture?”


    Isolde froze.


    Beatrice.


    Grayson looked up. His eyes narrowed.


    The Headmaster’s office was lined with mahogany and smelled of old books and fear.


    The Board of Directors sat around the long table. Grayson sat at the head, rubbing his temples. Belle sat in the corner, staring at the floor.


    “Mr. Lancaster,” the Headmaster said, wiping sweat from his bald head. “The livestream, the confession — it’s a PR nightmare. Parents are threatening to pull their donations.”


    “I will build you a new library,” Grayson said, his voice t. “A science wing. Whatever you want. Just bury it.”


    The door flew open.


    Isolde walked in. She wasn’t invited. She didn’t care.


    “You can’t buy your way out of this one, Grayson,” she said, tossing a folder onto the table. “The hashtag JusticeForEffie is number one trending in New York.”


    The board members studied the analytics. Their faces fell.


    “We have to act,” one board member said. “We need to demonstrate zero tolerance for academic dishonesty.”


    The Headmaster nodded. He looked at Grayson, then at Belle. “Kaiden will be suspended for two weeks. His record will reflect the incident.”


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