Chapter 283 Obedience Is The Only Option

That afternoon, the whole campus was buzzing with excitement.

As soon as Madelyn stepped onto campus, she noticed groups of people huddled together everywhere, engaging in continuous animated discussions. She had no idea what had transpired.

No sooner had she entered the lecture hall than Jillian rushed over in long strides, calling out anxiously, “Madelyn, something’s happened!”

“What?” Madelyn asked in a daze, wondering why the afternoon campus vibe felt so strange.

At that moment, Jillian enlarged a photo on her phone, placing it right in front of Madelyn. “Look, someone leaked a photo of Janessa in jail on the school forum. Now, the entire student body is in an uproar.”

“What?” Madelyn felt her heart sink as she immediately snatched Jillian’s phone to check the message.

Just as Jillian had said, the forum was in a state of utter chaos.

One post in particular, with the title, The Faculty Belle Janessa Sherrill Has Broken The Law, had been heavily upvoted by students. The post even featured a picture of Janessa in prison garb, sitting in a jail cell, looking utterly desolate.

The accompanying description of the photo was even more shocking. The whistleblower greatly exaggerated the incident and ruined Janessa’s reputation to the point where she became an object of scorn. Her goddess image was completely destroyed overnight, undoubtedly causing a huge stir on campus.

“The person who leaked this is so ruthless!” Jillian, as kind-hearted as she was, couldn’t stand it anymore. “Madelyn, although Janessa wanted to set you up, her private life isn’t as messy as the whistleblower claimed. She doesn’t drink, brawl, or break the law..."

Madelyn also found the whistleblower’s actions quite extreme, so she decided to check out the whistleblower’s profile, and the username instantly caught her eye – Princess Cherry.

In an instant, it dawned on her. Who else could Princess Cherry be, if not Cheryl?

She couldn’t help but sigh. Cheryl really doesn’t hold back and acts swiftly and ruthlessly. Even if Janessa returns to campus, it’ll be extremely difficult for her to clear her name.

Observing from the side, Josiah didn’t show any sympathy and even sneered, “What’s this? It’s karma! Those who harm others will eventually face retribution.”

Jillian seemed more troubled and voiced her concern. “Madelyn, do you think Janessa will suspect we’re behind this once she’s out?”

After all, Janessa was only apprehended after they had left that day, so there was undoubtedly a significant chance that the two of them would be suspected.

Madelyn, however, laughed carefreeely. “Jillian, don’t worry. Janessa won’t dare suspect us. Even if she does, she still has to face disciplinary actions by the university first. Our university’s management is strict to begin with, and her issue is not a small matter. The university’s administration won’t turn a blind eye to it.”

Just then, Tristan strode purposefully toward them.

Upon seeing Madelyn, Josiah, and the rest, he immediately said, “Josiah, Madelyn, it seems like the bait we set up in Thornton Corporation has sprung.”

Madelyn was taken aback for a moment but quickly realized the bait he referred to was the surveillance cameras installed discreetly at Thornton Corporation that night.

Hence, she urgently asked, “How’s the situation there?”

At that moment, Tristan glanced around and said, “There are too many people here; it’s not a good place to talk. How about we switch locations? I’ll show you the surveillance footage myself, then you’ll understand.”

Madelyn nodded lightly.

Following that, the four of them left the campus together and chose a private room in a nearby coffee shop.

Subsequently, Tristan took out the laptop he had been carrying. After powering it up, he immediately pulled up the surveillance footage.

The screen lit up.

Although the angle captured by the pinhole camera was somewhat obscure, Madelyn recognized it immediately. The place was indeed inside the office of Eunice’s uncle, Zachary.

At that time, Zachary was the only one working in the office. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and a mature woman quickly walked in from outside. She immediately locked the door behind her. Her actions seemed sneaky and incredibly strange.

Actually, Madelyn recognized that woman. If her memory served her right, the woman was Livian Cook, a confidante of Zachary. It was said that she was extremely competent at her work.

For a long time, she had organized and planned many of Zachary’s affairs. Even when it came to handling confidential company matters, Zachary would trust her implicitly, allowing her to review everything.

At that moment, Livian was seen holding a ledger and respectfully handed it to Zachary, advising, “Mr. Zimmer, please keep this ledger safe. From what I’ve gathered, Ms. Madelyn has been quite active recently, and I’m worried that she might uncover something.”

However, Zachary was full of disdain. “Madelyn, that useless good-for-nothing, is nothing more than a fish washed up on the beach. I doubt she could stir up any waves,” he said dismissively.

“Didn’t you say so yourself? This ledger is filled with entries that won’t stand up to scrutiny, so please store it in a safe place. If it’s found with me, it will only make me more susceptible to exposure. It’s game over if that happens, so leaving it with you is safer. No matter how suspicious they are, they probably won’t suspect you. I feel more at ease if it’s with you.”

Livian bit her lip, a wave of unease washing over her. But what if this gets exposed? I’d be done for, wouldn’t I? I could end up in jail….

Livian couldn’t even entertain the mere thought of being locked behind bars.

Isn’t it inevitable since it comes with the territory? Zachary posing this to me is basically handing me a hot potato. I don’t want to accept it, but I can’t exactly turn him down.

Seeing her hesitation, Zachary lost his temper. “We’ve come this far; what’s the point of all this talk? I assure you, I won’t skimp on a single benefit I promised, but right now, you’re out of options. You either cooperate with me, and I guarantee you won’t be mistreated, but if you want to back out, don’t blame me if I can’t protect you.”

That was undoubtedly a threat.

Livian knew that she would gain immense wealth if she succeeded. However, if she failed, not only would all her efforts be wasted, but she would also be implicated.

However, it was already too late to extricate herself.

Faced with Zachary’s threat, Livian struggled, but ultimately, all she could do was comply.

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll definitely do my best and not let you down.”

Only then was Zachary satisfied. With a wave of his hand, Livian knowingly made her exit.