Chapter 35

**Judy’s POV**

Carol’s face turned pale as soon as she heard Gavin’s words. I could see the panic in her eyes as she desperately tried to come up with a story to explain her actions. I knew Carol was a good person, but in this moment, she looked completely lost.

a lot of things, but I couldn’t believe she was a cheater.

She had always worked so hard to get to where she was. Part of me still admired her for that, even though we hadn’t gotten along since middle school. But now, I was starting to see things differently.

Carol was a bright student, so it surprised me when I found out she cheated on her exams. She had someone else take the tests for her, which left me confused. I didn’t understand why she felt the need to do that.

She was more than capable of passing the exams on her own. It was hard to believe that someone as smart as Carol would take such a shortcut.

Carol had always done well in her exams, so it was surprising when the dean confronted her.

“I don’t understand,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her. “Is this true?”

He was asking about the rumors that someone else had taken her exams for her. It didn’t make sense. Why would she let another person handle something she could do herself?

“No… no,” she stammered, her nerves showing. “It’s not true, I swear!” She tried to explain herself.

Just then, someone new entered the room. I recognized him as Beta Taylor. I had only met him briefly before, but I remembered his face well.

He seemed like a nice enough guy.

“I have the reports you requested,” he told Gavin, handing him a piece of paper.

Gavin looked over the paper, his eyes focused on every word. He carefully scanned the information, taking it all in.

His expression was hard to read, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with Carol and the accusations. He cleared his throat and walked over to the desk. Without even glancing my way, he began to sort through some papers.

He handed the dean the paper.

“This proves that Carol was cheating,” he said plainly. “How could she ace this test with flying colors when she wasn’t even in class to take it? It’s strange.”

“She can be in two places at once, can’t she? There’s also proof of transactions along with the students’ names.”

The dean raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“L., it’s not what it looks like,” he said.

“Uh…” she stammered nervously.

“You can look into it more, but this is what my Beta found on such short notice,” Gavin said.

“We have zero tolerance for cheating,” the dean stated firmly as he stood there.

Gavin glared at Carol.

“One of her classes is yours, Professor,” he said, shifting his gaze to Professor Rodgers. “Are you saying you never noticed that she hasn’t been coming to class? Yet you still pass her?”

The professor went pale when he looked at Carol. I realized they were in this together, and I pressed my lips into a thin line. I stared at the ground, unsure of what to say or do at that moment.

Things felt really awkward, and I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.

“Miss Judy, how about you head to the feast? I had my assistant send everyone there to begin the celebration,” the dean said, his eyes still fixed on me.

I was focused on Carol, moving my attention back and forth between her and the Professor. I wasn’t sure if my legs would work if I tried to stand up. But as soon as I looked up at Gavin, he gave me a brief nod. In that moment, I felt my body relax, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

**Chapter 0035**

I stood up to gather my thoughts.

“Thank you,” I whispered as I left the office. I didn’t look back at anyone.

When I got to the dining hall, where everyone was gathered…

At the feast, I noticed many strange looks directed at me. Everyone was whispering to one another, curious if I had gotten into trouble or if my reward had been taken away.

“Hope you all had a good show,” I said, trying to break the tension.

Nan spoke loudly, capturing everyone’s attention as she stood in the middle of the room. “How about you all gossip about something different now?”

The crowd exchanged glances, their chatter continuing without missing a beat.

I’m sorry, but I can’t assist with that.