Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Let’s See Who the Police Arrest First
Before Nina Sinclair could get a word in, Chloe Sinclair cut her off. "Besides, what kind of classmates ask a girl to play basketball? I told them no because I don’t know how to play, but then you came and told me I shouldn’t be so antisocial. So I went. But they weren’t there to play ball—they were there to beat me up."
"I’m Dad’s biological daughter, so why does everyone in class think I’m the adopted one, a mutt? Don’t you know exactly why I beat up Ken Lawson that day? You heard them call me a mutt, so why didn’t you stick up for me and explain the truth?"
"Why does everyone think I shouldn’t have come back!"
At that, Chloe Sinclair truly erupted.
A bitter sorrow washed over her as she recalled the events of her past life.
Sometimes, a single wound takes a lifetime for someone to heal.
Mr. Sinclair and the Sinclair brothers were stunned into a long silence. Landon Sinclair was the first to react, pulling Chloe Sinclair into a protective embrace and comforting her softly. "It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll get even for you tomorrow, alright?"
Chloe Sinclair’s heart had been filled with pent-up rage, but at the sound of Landon Sinclair’s gentle, soothing voice, she felt a sting in her nose and could no longer hold back. Tears began to stream down her face.
"Landon, I want to transfer classes."
"Okay, we’ll do it tomorrow. You can transfer to any class you want."
Chloe Sinclair hiccuped through her tears. "I want to go to Class Seven."
Landon Sinclair’s heart ached seeing his little sister’s tear-stained face.
He suddenly turned to Nina Sinclair. "Is what Chloe said true?"
No one in the Sinclair family was simple. Even though Landon Sinclair was a scholar, the world of academia was far from peaceful. His gaze was now piercing, and his voice turned stern.
Nina Sinclair flinched, her eyes instantly welling with tears. "Dad, my brothers... don’t you believe me? I really didn’t know anything."
’No matter what, I absolutely cannot let them kick me out of the Sinclair family.’
’Otherwise, how will I ever find a good husband? How will I inherit the family fortune?’
"I will get to the bottom of this," Mr. Sinclair declared. "If what she said is true, I won’t let anyone involved off the hook!"
Mr. Sinclair was a man of swift and decisive action. Although he didn’t expose Nina Sinclair right then and there, his displeasure with her was already palpable.
The next day, Mr. Sinclair had Landon Sinclair handle the matter of the class transfer.
Meanwhile, the principal had received a notice first thing in the morning that Mr. Sinclair was coming to the school.
So, he was waiting in his office bright and early.
"Mr. Sinclair, may I ask the purpose of your visit today...?"
Landon Sinclair pushed up his glasses, his smile deceptively gentle. "I was just hoping to ask about the professional ethics of your teaching staff."
"Ah?" The principal was momentarily taken aback. He collected his thoughts. "Our Kennet First High School is an institution with a hundred-year history and an outstanding faculty. As for our teachers’ integrity, it goes without saying. They are all dedicated to their profession and deeply care for our students..."
"Is that so?"
Landon Sinclair had to cut him off as the principal looked ready to recite the entire educator’s code of conduct from memory.
He sat in the chair, leaning back slightly. His eyes were narrowed, giving him an air of ineffable languor.
"And yet, I’ve heard that the ethics of the teacher in Senior Year, Class One are... lacking."
The principal was shocked. The principal understood. The principal was on the verge of a meltdown.
This Mr. Sinclair was here to cause trouble!
"Th-that’s impossible, surely." But even as he said it, his voice lacked conviction.
"But my sister has been bullied at your school!"
Something the principal said must have enraged him, because the usually refined Landon Sinclair’s voice suddenly boomed, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Just a few days ago, you called a parent-teacher conference because of her poor grades. I was the one who came. I personally witnessed her homeroom teacher humiliate her in the stairwell for no reason other than accidentally bumping into her. Then yesterday, that same teacher told my sister to get out of the classroom! Principal, is this the so-called ’professional ethics’ of Kennet First High School?"
The principal wanted to cry but couldn’t even shed a tear.
If Quentin or Ethan Sinclair had come today, it would have been manageable. But Landon Sinclair was different. He was Zenthia’s youngest physicist and an honorary professor at Emberfall University.
When the school submitted funding applications, a single word from scholars like him could easily secure the funds—or just as easily get the application denied.
Now that he had angered Landon Sinclair, securing funding from the authorities in the future would be next to impossible.
"Mr. Sinclair, if this is true, I promise I will handle it with the utmost seriousness."
Landon Sinclair knew he didn’t have any proof, and the principal’s guarantee was a clear statement of his position. There was no need to push it too far. So he nodded, letting the matter rest for the moment.
"There is one other reason I came today."
The principal heard this and, assuming it was another major issue, broke out in a cold sweat. He gritted his teeth. "Please, go on."
"It’s nothing major. My sister can’t stay in Class One anymore, so I’d like to transfer her to Class Seven."
Class Seven was Chloe Sinclair’s favorite number.
It was also the class she herself had requested.
This wasn’t a difficult request, so the principal agreed without hesitation.
After calling the homeroom teacher for Class Seven to inform them of the transfer, he accompanied Landon Sinclair to the Senior Year Class One classroom.
But before they even reached the classroom, they could hear the homeroom teacher’s haughty voice coming from the front of the room.
"For yesterday’s homework, only one student in this class got a perfect score. If it had been anyone else, I might have praised them. But that person was Chloe Sinclair!"
"Chloe Sinclair, ranked dead last in the entire grade, actually got a perfect score on her homework. If that’s not cheating, what is? Besides, several students have privately told me that they saw Chloe copying the answers as she worked."
"This kind of behavior must be severely criticized. As for today’s homework, Chloe Sinclair, your punishment is to copy it one hundred times."
For a long moment, there was no response.
The principal at the back door heard every word, and the veins on his forehead began to throb.
Just as he was about to storm in, Landon Sinclair stopped him. When the principal turned, Landon simply shook his head.
The principal didn’t dare make a move.
After a moment, a soft voice of defiance came from inside the classroom. "My brother explained these problems to me. I know how to do them."
"Chloe Sinclair, when you do something wrong, you admit it! Just look at yourself! Scum like you doesn’t deserve to be in Class One!"
BANG!
Suddenly, the back door was kicked open. A man retracted his long leg, his eyes sharp behind silver-rimmed glasses. "Who did you just call scum?"
The homeroom teacher froze in fear. When she saw the broken door, she finally snapped out of it and shrieked, "Who are you?! I’m calling the police!"
Landon Sinclair raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead. Let’s see who they arrest."
The principal stepped forward then, looking at Laura Rhodes with immense disappointment. "Come to my office after class."
The homeroom teacher hadn’t expected the principal to be there as well.
’Did the principal hear everything just now?’
’How much did he hear?’
The homeroom teacher didn’t dare to contemplate it.
She glared at Chloe Sinclair, her heart filled with resentment.
But just then, the man from the back door walked over to Chloe Sinclair’s desk and started helping her pack her things. "Let’s go. We’re going to Class Seven."
