When They Beg, I Rise!

Lemira had been trying to convince herself not to care about these. Evelina was only able to play this kind of tricks and had managed to drag Alaric into this mess at school; it seemed inevitable that Lemira's grades would be questioned. But when Orion asked about her grades, the wave of discomfort she felt was undeniable.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Just as Lemira was gearing up to respond, someone called out to her, "Lemira, the teacher wants you in his office." Pressing her lip, she replied, "I'll have to take a raincheck on this conversation. Got to head to the teacher's office." After hanging up, Lemira made her way straight to the office, only to find Alaric there. The atmosphere was tense.

Alaric started with a cold tone, "Lemira, I can't believe you resorted to cheating just to win. Do you understand the gravity of your actions?"

Lemira wasn't surprised. She knew Alaric wouldn't take her side. Her gaze was firm as she responded, "I didn't cheat."

And she wasn't about to admit to something she hadn't done.

"Lemira, the evidence is right before us and you're still lying? Given your usual grades and your behavior at home, there's no way your scores could improve this much without cheating. You had the motive! Just admit your mistake and maybe the school won't be too hard on you."

Lemira let out a scoff, "Is that supposed to be proof of my cheating?"

Alaric stood up in anger, "Look at what you've become, Lemira!"

The teacher, seeing Alaric possibly getting violent, intervened immediately, "Let's keep this civilized, please."

Alaric, frustrated but resigned, told the teacher, "I'm sorry. Lemira's cheating is just her way of rebelling against the family. Let's have her write a letter of apology and present it in front of the whole school, and leave it at that."

The teacher sighed, "Alright, if it means she'll turn over a new leaf." After all, graduating with a disciplinary record would tarnish her future.

Lemira, her heart colder with each passing moment, couldn't believe how quickly they were ready to pin the blame on her without a shred of trust.

"Lemira, you've truly let down the Langston family name. How could we have someone as morally bankrupt as you? It's embarrassing!"

"Do you think I ever wanted to be a Langston?" Lemira's cold eyes reflected her disdain. She didn't like that even a bit now.

"Say that again?" Alaric's face was a mask of fury; he glared at her.

"Just calm down, no need to scare the student," came an old man with amiable looks.

"Sir, what brings you here?" the teacher asked.

"I heard about a senior student making remarkable progress, only to be accused of cheating. It seemed like a big deal, so I decided to see for myself." Alaric replied irritably, "There's no need for an investigation. Lemira cheated to get those grades. If she refuses to apologize, we should just discipline her." Lemira indeed needed that. He'd plead the teacher earlier to finally get his permission for not having her disciplined, only to find Lemira didn't accept it. Fine, he wouldn't do anything for her anymore. She didn't want it anyway.

The principal, however, looked at Lemira with a kind demeanor, "There's a simple way to verify if you've cheated or not. We can have you retake a set of tests under our supervision. Would you be willing to prove yourself?" Lemira met the principal's gaze, "I accept. But on one condition-if it's proven that I didn't cheat, shouldn't those who slandered me publicly apologize?"

Alaric snorted, "Fine, let's see what grades you manage this time!"