Chapter 388

Principal Martin stood frozen in place, his eyes wide with disbelief. Why on earth was the State Board of Education sending someone over now?

In the next moment, his gaze shifted to Freya. The lead investigator from the Board walked in, clipboard in hand. He glanced up at Principal Martin and asked, “Are you Principal Martin of Summit University?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

Principal Martin hurried forward, extending his hand in a gesture of friendly greeting towards the representative from the Board. However, the gesture was met with indifference. Without barely a glance, the investigator said, “We’ve received reports of cheating within your institution; is that correct?”

“Yes, yes, the students involved were dealt with yesterday. They’ve all been expelled.”

“I’m not referring to yesterday’s group.”

The investigator’s face was serious as he continued, “We’ve got an anonymous tip-off. A senior in the finance department and the president of the Summit University Student Council, Eloise Harwood, along with other council members, are accused of cheating and messing with exam papers. Is there any truth to this?”

“Who? Who reported this? How come I wasn’t informed? Why wasn’t I given a heads-up?”

Principal Martin had completely overlooked Freya standing beside him.

Freya spoke up, “Principal, I’ve already informed you. Have you forgotten?”

At this, Principal Martin’s gaze snapped to Freya. He opened and closed his mouth, unable to utter a word. It turned out Freya was the whistleblower!

“State Board of Education, let me assure you, our school has a zero-tolerance policy towards cheating. I was unaware of this situation until now! Eloise has always been an exemplary student and, as the president of the Student Council, her academic performance has been outstanding. It’s hard for me to believe she would do such a thing… However, regardless of my personal beliefs, I assure you a thorough investigation will be conducted and a full report will be provided to the State Board of Education!”

Principal Martin thought he had navigated the conversation smoothly. Yet, the investigator from the Board simply stated, “That won’t be necessary. We already have conclusive evidence of Eloise’s cheating. According to Summit University’s regulations, any student council member found cheating will be expelled and stripped of their academic status.”

Hearing this, Principal Martin was stunned. Conclusive evidence? Where did they get conclusive evidence? His eyes immediately found Freya. Could it be that Freya had already compiled and delivered the conclusive evidence to the State Board of Education?

“Comrade from the State Board of Education, may I review this so-called evidence? Given the gravity of the situation for a student of our school, as the principal, I feel obligated to inquire. That shouldn’t be against the rules, right?”

Seeing Principal Martin still shielding Eloise, Freya didn’t bother to argue. The evidence she had was undeniable. Upon hearing Principal Martin’s request, the Board investigator indeed laid the evidence before him. Principal Martin was taken aback as he looked at the exam papers—crumpled and nearly torn to shreds.