Laird and Jete were visibly shaken, fear etched across their faces.

"Let go of him, right now." Laird hurried over and pulled Citrine''s foot off Clifford''s chest. This time, Citrine didn''t resist; she simply allowed him to move her foot aside.

"Clifford, are you alright?" Laird helped Clifford to his feet, his expression stony as he shot a cold re at Citrine. "Have you lost your mind? He''s your brother." Citrine cast a look of utter disdain at Clifford, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

"Say whatever you want about me, but spare me the melodrama."

Clifford, still clutching his aching chest where she''d stepped on him, couldn''t help but cough at her words.

Laird''s face darkened. In that moment, he realized just how much Citrine had changed.

Seeing their reactions, Citrine felt a surge of satisfaction.

If only Jete would keep her mouth shut, she thought, she''d be even happier.

But of course, Jete piped up, her voice trembling with wounded innocence. "Sis, how could you hurt your own brother?"

She looked genuinely upset, as if she was only standing up for Clifford out of simple sibling loyalty.

Citrine couldn''t help but marvel-Jete truly wasn''t afraid of getting pped, was she?

Citrine was about to reply when Laird suddenly stepped protectively in front of Jete, his eyes wary.

"Citrine, you owe Jete an apology."

Citrine raised an eyebrow, her gaze flitting between them, her toneced with

sarcasm.

"So, what''s the charge this time?"

She''d been med for countless false usations by these two over the years; Jete''s tricks were old news by now.

Laird let out a derisive snort, raising his voice as if he wanted the whole world to hear,

"You cheated on your exams and stole Jete''s top spot. Don''t you think you owe her an apology?"

The shout carried across the room, drawing the attention of every student in ss Eight. Heads turned, eyes narrowing.

In truth, Citrine had just scored first in the entire year, and plenty of ssmates were jealous. The rumor mill had been churning-people whispered she must have cheated.

Now, with someone voicing their suspicions out loud, several students eagerly chimed in.

Citrine gave a cold, bitterugh, suddenly understanding the setup.

"So this is what all the drama is about-my exam results. Jete, you really haven''t changed a bit."

That idiot, she thought, could only ever convince these other fools to fight her battles.

"Sis, I didn''t do anything." Jete blinked, tears welling in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks in perfect, glistening drops.

Citrine couldn''t help but admire her-what a waste of talent not to be an actress.

Ignoring Jete, Citrine met the suspicious stares around her and spoke, her voice clear and steady.

"I didn''t cheat on that exam. Everyone knows the testing room is covered by cameras. The school administration isn''t stupid-they would have discussed my results and only published them if they were sure there was no problem. And you all know the school has zero tolerance for cheating. If I really had cheated, they wouldn''t just withhold my grades-they''d have punished me, too."

As her words rang out, several students seemed to reconsider, doubt flickering in their eyes.

But some still refused to believe she could honestly have scored so high. "Citrine, you''ve always been at the bottom of the ss. Now you''re suddenly top of the year? Does that seem realistic to you?" Laird was the first to challenge her.

Other voices joined in, "Yeah, everyone''s seen your grades. Climbing fromst ce to first in a single month? That''s just not possible."

"We just can''t believe you unless you''ve got some proof," someone else added. "Proof? Fine. I have it." Citrine pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

The call connected almost immediately.

She didn''t bother with small talk. "Hey, could youe down to the school? I need you to help me clear something up."