Novel Palace
Chapter 25
Cassie had really gotten on Donald’s bad side lately. Donald felt humiliated and was holding a serious grudge against her. He thought that if Cassie flunked her exam, it would give him a perfect excuse to get back at her. After all, he figured that even the powerful Murphy Group wouldn’t mind if he punished her for had grades. But to his surprise, Cassie cheated outright. Now he had a solid reason to take action against her.
The weather had been heating up lately. In the first class in the afternoon, students were dozing off in their seats. Suddenly, Donald walked in, clutching a pile of test papers.
“Wait, what’s he doing here? Isn’t this supposed to be a Uprian class?” someone muttered quietly.
Donald marched up to the podium and slammed the papers on the desk. The loud sound startled everyone awake.
“Mr. Gaiman, chill. Are you trying to give us a heart attack?” a few girls complained, crossing their arms.
Donald didn’t look at them. He had other things on his mind.
Though Donald liked to act like he was the boss, the rich kids didn’t really respect him. However, for some reason, he always seemed to pick on Cassie, and honestly, she had no idea why
“Today, all the teachers have graded the exam papers, Donald announced, clearing his throat dramatically.
The moment the students heard grades were out, they slumped back in their chairs, completely deflated. This exam had been super tough. After the test, they checked the answers and realized that most of them had done poorly. Just passing was already a big win
“Someone surprised us. Donald continued sarcastically, his eyes gleaming. “She got full marks in four out of six subjects, and the other two were close. This is the first time someone has done that in our school’s history.”
Being unaware of the sarcasm in his tone, the class erupted with excitement.
“No way! Who did that?”
“It’s gotta be that poor kid, right? The one at the top!”
Everyone’s gaze quickly shifted to Sheryl, who looked just as stunned since she knew she hadn’t scored a single full mark.
“Can you guess who this amazing student is? Donald asked, his voice echoing in the classroom.
“Who else could it be but Sheryl someone called out.
“Nope, Donald shook his head, his gaze drifting toward Cassie, who sat quietly in her seat.
Feeling the weight of his stare, Cassie slowly lifted her head from her book and met his eyes without flinching. Donald’s heart raced a bit under her steady gaze
*Come on, stop teasing us! We need to get back to class!” Jennie piped up, clearly irritated. She felt sick just hearing Sheryl’s
narne.
Donald held up an exam paper and pointed at it. “Look carefully everyone. This outstanding student is none other than Cassier
The classroom fell silent, a mix of shock and disbelief spreading among the students.
“Wait, who?” Jennie squinted at Cassie, struggling to wrap her mind around it.
“Cassie. Donald smacked the paper down on the desk for emplusis.
Everyone’s eyes widened, staring at Cassie in astonishment.
“No way! She’s been having the worst grades. Perfect scores in six subjects? Even Sheryl couldn’t pull off something like that!” someone exclaimed.
“Is this a joke another student added.
“Cassie, do you have any comment on this?” Donald asked, a slight smirk on his face.
Everyone in the class exchanged glances. They all understood that Cassie’s performance seemed impossible without cheating.
Teamed it fair and square. No big deal Cassie shrugged nonchalantly.
Whispers spread through the room.
“Earned it? You mean by cheating? Donald’s face turned red with frustration as he pointed at Cassie, raising his voice. Brianna smirked and added, “Come on, Cassie. You should at least do it smarter. Full marks? Are you treating us as fools!” “Mr. Gaiman, do you have any proof that I cheated?” Cassie asked calmly, as if unfazed by the growing tension.
Do I need proof when you’re pulling a stunt like this? he snapped. “Cassie, I know your grades are bad. Do you really think cheating will fix that?”
“If you can’t prove it, how can you accuse me of cheating Ca**ic shot back, her voice steady.
Donald raised an eyebrow, asking skeptically, “So, you’re saying you didn’t cheat? All those questions were just easy for you? “Isn’t there video footage from the exam room? Why not check that to see if I cheated?” Cassie asked.
Donald clenched his jaw. He had checked the footage right after. To his disbelief, Cassie hadn’t glanced at any notes the entire time.
“Who knows if you bought the answers ahead of time and just memorized them?” Donald questioned.
Cassie looked down, biting back a smile. “Mr. Gaiman, just a minute ago, you said I was bad at this and that. Now I’m supposed to be some kind of memory genius? Six subjects, twelve tests, and I remember every single answer? Since when did I get so talented?”
Donald was momentarily speechless.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“Cheating is serious, and accusing students wrongly is serious too. It’s no use arguing about it right here,” Cassie said, tilting her head to lock eyes with him. “The best thing to do is let me retake the test. What do you think?”
“But as Mr. Gaiman said, you could have memorized the answers Jennie chimed in. Taking it again won’t prove anything Cassie shot her a look, and Jennie quickly averted her gaze, still a little scared of her.
“You’re worried that I’m a memory w**z? Then let’s just use a whole new set of questions, Cassie declared confidently. “Mr. Gaiman, can we do that?”
Donald looked flustered. After years of teaching, he’d caught took of cheaters, but no one had ever been this bold. Her confidence was throwing him off balance.
“There’s no need to complicate things. The teachers have already discussed this and made a decision. It’s been labeled as cheating. Tomorrow, at the morning meeting, the school will announce to everyone that you were caught. Your exam results will be canceled, and you’ll be punished, Donald replied impatiently.
Cassie laughed softly, looking dismissive. “What gives you the right to make that decision, Mr. Gaiman
“Cassie!” Donald banged his hand on the desk. “You’re going too art