The fact that Rona Langdon didn’t throw a tantrum at school was a massive relief. Principal Gage gave Shane Caldwell a token reprimand before letting them return to class.

As they left, Principal Gage watched Vera Xavier and Cara Preston walk away and sighed softly. It was obvious at a glance which of the two girls was more outstanding, yet to Rona Langdon, the opposite was true. He thought, ’Rona Langdon must be blind,’ and once again felt a pang of sympathy for Zachary Preston.

Back in the classroom, Vera Xavier turned to Shane Caldwell and said, "Thanks for today."

She had never been particularly fond of Shane Caldwell, but in all fairness, his only real flaw was being a bit conceited. He was usually quite decent to her. Vera had always been one to clearly distinguish kindness from malice; if someone helped her, she would naturally thank them.

Shane Caldwell turned to look at her. She was delicate and radiant, with exceptionally beautiful eyes. His heart immediately began to pound. Then he remembered the warning Nathaniel Nathan had given him yesterday, and his chest tightened with anxiety.

He knew full well what it would take to compete with Nathaniel Nathan for Vera Xavier. ’Whether I’m willing to admit it or not,’ he thought, ’I’m leagues behind Nathaniel in every way. In the years to come, I’ll have to work so much harder just to get Vera to look my way.’

So he just snorted. "There’s nothing to thank me for. As class president, it’s my duty to protect my classmates."

Vera Xavier chuckled. "Next time the school has a vote for ’Best Class President,’ you’ve got my vote!"

Shane Caldwell ignored her and went back to his practice problems. The school didn’t even have an event like that. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Seeing his reaction, Vera Xavier shrugged and started on her own practice problems.

The scene Rona Langdon had caused only made Juliana Taylor despise Cara Preston more. However, since they had produced a doctor’s note from the hospital, she had no choice but to announce to the class that Cara had a heart condition.

She repeatedly warned the students not to bully Cara Preston or say anything that might upset her, for fear it would trigger a heart attack.

Vera had known since last night that they would pull a stunt like this, so she wasn’t surprised in the slightest. Shane Caldwell, however, furrowed his brow.

Thanks to the massive scene Rona Langdon had caused, the rumor of Cara Preston’s heart condition spread like wildfire throughout the school. Afterward, not a single student or teacher dared to mention her detention for immoral conduct in her presence.

After all, one wrong move could supposedly trigger her heart condition, and an attack could be fatal. The students were still young and naive; none of them dared risk being accused of causing someone’s death.

Cara Preston already had a delicate appearance, and with a bit of acting, she looked utterly frail. A few of her close friends in the class even came over to console her.

She would smile faintly, and while never mentioning the incident directly, she dropped all sorts of hints that she had only gotten in trouble because she was taking the fall for Vera Xavier.

Vera Xavier wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear this. It was classic Cara Preston. If she didn’t try to spin the story this way, she wouldn’t be Cara Preston.

But to her, this was all inconsequential. Cara Preston’s reputation was already ruined. At school, only her most devoted friends would believe her story; no one else would.

After all, no one was a fool.

To be diagnosed with a heart condition right after being released from the police station—the whole thing was too rushed, the cover-up too blatant. Anyone with half a brain could see it was fake.