Chapter 3

I had recorded the entire scene.

The competition for inheritance among the city's seven most powerful families was brutal.

Even a small scandal could cost them their right to inherit.

“Damn it! Where did she get a bracelet from?!”

Julian Blackwood couldn't help but curse. He had been the one to hit me the hardest.

In previous lives, my electronic devices had been confiscated six times.

This time, I had hidden my bracelet in my bra.

Just as I was about to hand the bracelet to Mr. Harrison, Seraphina Hayes pushed through the crowd, appearing like a ray of light.

Her innocent face, concealing malicious intent, wore a smile:

“Mr. Harrison, you've misunderstood. The student council arranged for Julian and the others to clean the girls' restroom.”

With that, she handed over a duty roster, clearly written in black and white.

The student council only managed school discipline, when did it start assigning cleaning duties?

I immediately retorted, “Even if you're the student council president, you don't have the authority to make students clean the campus, do you?”

This elite private school wouldn't make students do such things, would it?

Mr. Harrison agreed with me.

However, a middle-aged male voice interjected:

“I asked Seraphina to arrange the cleaning.”

Dean Miller, the Dean of Students, explained that Julian and the others had accidentally broken a priceless crystal vase.

“Cleaning the restroom was their punishment.”

Dean Miller softened his tone, “But cleaning the *girls'* restroom was indeed inappropriate.”

His words prevented Mr. Harrison from pursuing the matter further.

Seraphina Hayes shot me a gloating look:

“Mr. Harrison, why don't you let me see the bracelet?”

“What if Julian really did secretly film while cleaning?”

I clutched the bracelet tightly.

There was no way I would hand my only evidence to Seraphina Hayes.

She would definitely delete the video!

I feigned panic and collapsed to the floor with a thump:

“I didn't see anything, I really didn't record you cheating on the exam, nor do I know about you stealing classmates' things and selling them for money.”

“I also have no evidence of you and Julian using cheating devices to win the national competition!”

“I don't know anything, nothing at all…”

I seemed to be so terrified I lost my mind, tears flowing freely.

But when it came to acting, I was still no match for Seraphina Hayes.

In just a breath, her face was covered in tears:

“Nonsense! How could the genius of Royal Metropolitan High cheat or steal?!”

“You're just jealous! Jealous that I represent the school, my family, and even our country in world competitions.”

“Scarlett Hayes! You're afraid I'll steal the Hayes family's affection and spotlight from you!”

I used my old trick, trembling as I hid behind Dean Miller:

“Your dorm closet is full of stolen luxury goods.”

My precise mention of the hiding place made Seraphina Hayes' expression falter for a few seconds.

She had hidden them well, and she was a recognized genius, so who would ever connect her with theft?

Too bad I had lived seven lives.

All the sordid secrets Seraphina Hayes painstakingly hid, I knew them all.

She was short on cash, very short.

But the Hayes family only funded her tuition and living expenses, giving her bonuses only when she performed exceptionally.

That meager amount wasn't nearly enough for her to buy luxury goods.

Seraphina Hayes wanted to hold her head high in this elite private school, to gather influence and even become someone important.

Just being smart wasn't enough; she had to use money to maintain appearances.

Each time, she disguised her thefts, making it seem like someone had carelessly lost an item.

And she only took things that had no sentimental value and weren't too expensive.

This allowed her to steal for two years without anyone noticing.

That's why Seraphina Hayes' current expression was like she'd just eaten literal garbage.

Even when Dean Miller suggested going to the dorm to verify and clear her name, she shrieked hysterically:

“No! Who dares to search?! You're violating my privacy rights!”

It seemed I didn't need to say more; Seraphina Hayes' reaction was enough to explain everything.

Julian Blackwood also defended her, “Exactly, privacy rights! Even the school has no right to search dorms!”

Dorms at this elite private school were single rooms, usually used for naps, so they were private spaces. The school had no right to search them.

But what about the police?

Three to five figures slowly entered my view.

They wore uniforms, stood tall, and their voices were firm:

“Where are the stolen items?”