Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Rumors and Slander
Seraphina Sterling hadn’t slept all night. More and more had been happening lately, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d overlooked something. A potent, unseen crisis was lurking in the shadows—intangible and creeping silently toward her, ready to erupt at any moment. ’Have I oversimplified things?’
Seraphina Sterling went to school with a heavy heart. Given her academic prowess, there was no longer any need for her to attend, but the school had paradoxically become her best place to unwind. Her status as a high school student was the perfect cover for everything else.
Sylvia Jennings said, "See her? That’s the one. I heard she broke the law and was hauled off to the police station! Apparently, it’s pretty serious. She might even end up in jail."
"That’s ridiculous! Seraphina Sterling is the top student in the entire school—perfect scores on every test, always ranked first! If what you’re saying is true, how could she possibly be here at school right now? You’re not just jealous because she’s smart and pretty, are you?"
"Hah! Me, jealous of her? This is inside information. The police showed up at her house to arrest her last night! The shiny handcuffs snapped right on!" Sylvia Jennings added with an unnatural laugh.
Zoe Jennings chimed in, "I heard it has to do with Willow Hale’s family. The Hales used to be the richest family in town, and now they’re drowning in debt. It’s all Seraphina Sterling’s fault!"
"No way. She’s an honor student! How could she be vicious enough to do something like that?"
Sylvia Jennings smirked. "You can know a person’s face, but not their heart. The more perfect someone seems, the blacker their soul truly is! If the police really have something on her this time, she’ll definitely do time! And even if she gets away with it, we should stay far away from her from now on. Who knows when she’ll stab you in the back!"
The moment Seraphina Sterling stepped onto school grounds, she was met with these remarks about her. She hadn’t thought news could travel so fast in a small place like Tollan Town. And the stories were being told with such vivid detail, as if the gossips had been eyewitnesses.
The classmates who usually swarmed around her had all vanished in a puff of smoke. This, perhaps, was the one aspect of the rumors that Seraphina Sterling found most satisfying. It finally gave her some peace and quiet.
"Seraphina, what on earth happened yesterday? These rumors are all over the school! Did they really take you to the police station?" Mindy Linton was extremely worried. They were already sophomores, with college entrance exams just around the corner. If she ended up with a criminal record, how could she ever get into a university!
"Don’t worry, it was just a small misunderstanding. The police needed my help with something, and I came back the very same night. Don’t listen to their wild stories. It’s nothing!"
Seraphina Sterling paid it no mind. It wasn’t that she was too proud to explain, believing that the truth would eventually come out. The reality was, she hadn’t taken any of it to heart in the first place.
"Nothing? How can you call this nothing? Did you hear what they’re saying? Don’t you care at all what your classmates think of you?" Mindy Linton was so angry she wanted to punch someone.
"And why should I care what other people think of me?" Seraphina Sterling’s lips curled into a smile. "There are billions of people in this world. If I worried about every single one of them, I’d die of exhaustion. Besides, your life is your own. It’s like drinking a glass of water—only you know if it’s hot or cold. Caring too much about what others think is just a way to torture yourself."
The once-agitated Mindy Linton could only stare at her, dumbfounded. They were wearing the same black-and-white school uniform, but at that moment, Seraphina was radiating a bohemian, free-spirited aura—projecting a world that people like Mindy couldn’t possibly enter.
In less than a day, news that Seraphina Sterling had been arrested spread through the entire school. And the rumors grew more and more outrageous. They started with "what happened to the Hale Family might have something to do with Seraphina Sterling," and by the end, it had become, "Seraphina Sterling was the one who framed the Hale Family!"
What began as "she was released without charge due to a lack of evidence" eventually morphed into "Seraphina Sterling’s family paid a fortune to get her out of jail."
The most immediate consequence was that aside from her two good friends, Summer and Mindy Linton, everyone else kept their distance from Seraphina Sterling for one reason or another.
Willow Hale was suddenly transformed from the aggressor into the victim, and it is human nature to sympathize with the underdog.
This time, however, Willow Hale had learned her lesson and didn’t go out of her way to cause trouble, which pleased Seraphina Sterling immensely.
But Seraphina Sterling remained unchanged, acting just as she always did. She still aced every exam with a perfect score, and her signature warm smile was as radiant as ever. The rampant rumors seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever.
In truth, it wasn’t that they had no effect at all. They had simply made her quicken her pace.
After another visit to the small antique stalls, she went to the police station again.
Over the past week, the overt and covert struggles between Felix Gallagher and Justin Hale had reached a fever pitch. Both men wanted to take over Philip Hale’s assets, and the terms each offered were incredibly tempting—and exactly what Philip Hale desperately needed. Critically, both men wielded considerable power. If he were to accept one’s offer, he would inevitably offend the other. This was the fundamental reason Philip Hale still hadn’t made a decision.
Seeing Philip Hale wasn’t so easy. Justin Hale and Felix Gallagher could get a meeting with no trouble, but that was because they both possessed immense financial strength and a social standing that was impossible to ignore.
The only reason Seraphina Sterling was able to see Philip Hale was entirely thanks to Ginny Gable. She had handed him a huge achievement, and a favor of that magnitude was not easily repaid. Seeing Seraphina Sterling’s warm smile, Ginny Gable once again had the distinct feeling that he’d been played.
Philip Hale was stunned to see Seraphina Sterling.
