Chapter 217: Righteousness Against Family
Ordinarily, Cara Preston would have burst into tears and accused Vera Xavier, but after losing to Vera several times in a row, she had finally learned her lesson. She said nothing, only shooting Vera a fierce glare as she tried to sneak back to her desk while Juliana Taylor wasn’t looking.
But just because Cara Preston kept quiet didn’t mean Vera Xavier would let her off the hook.
Vera Xavier raised her hand, stood up, and said, "Teacher, Cara Preston is late!"
Juliana Taylor turned her head just in time to catch Cara Preston sneaking into the classroom. Her expression instantly turned cold. Cara Preston looked at Vera Xavier, her eyes full of resentment yet feigning a pitiful expression, and whimpered, "Sister..."
Elise Langdon immediately jumped to Cara Preston’s defense. "Vera Xavier, Cara is your own sister! What’s the point of doing this?"
Vera Xavier spread her hands. "Last time, Cara said that if I ever made a mistake, she would righteously turn me in. I thought that made perfect sense. I also admired her noble principles and secretly resolved to become a person of the same high moral character."
Elise Langdon was left speechless. Vera, however, continued with a look of feigned confusion, "But wait. When she acted that way last time, you showered her with praise. Now that I’m doing the same, you’re criticizing me. Are you holding a double standard?"
Elise Langdon: "I..."
The other students in the class couldn’t help but laugh.
Juliana Taylor glanced at Vera Xavier. She used to worry when she saw Cara Preston wrap Vera around her little finger, but it now seemed her concerns had been unnecessary. She swept an authoritative gaze across the class, and the room instantly fell silent.
Juliana Taylor said coldly, "I’ve made the rules clear. Until the college entrance exams, any student who is late will attend the class standing by the podium."
Attending the class, in this case, meant standing in punishment for the entire period.
Cara Preston’s expression turned utterly foul. She was obsessed with her image, and this was the first time in her entire life she had ever been punished!
She knew all too well that her usual tricks were useless against Juliana Taylor, a teacher nicknamed "The Iron Abbess," so she could only stand meekly by the podium.
Juliana Taylor shot her a sidelong glance. "Move further to the side. Don’t block the other students’ view."
Cara Preston: "..."
She gritted her teeth and stood reluctantly in the corner for the duration of the class. Every so often, she would shoot Vera Xavier a venomous glare, which Vera simply pretended not to notice.
Meanwhile, Shane Caldwell, who was normally completely focused in class, found his mind wandering. When Juliana Taylor noticed, she reached over and tapped lightly on his desk. He snapped back to attention, looking a bit uncomfortable; after all, it was the first time in years a teacher had needed to call him out.
He glanced at Vera Xavier out of the corner of his eye. She was doing just fine. After applying some cooling balm, she hadn’t yawned once and was listening intently to the lecture. The only odd thing was her writing posture, which looked a little strange, and the way she kept rubbing her hand.
For some reason, seeing her like this made his heart ache for her.
Cara Preston had been badly frightened that morning, and on top of that, she’d been forced to stand in punishment for an entire class period. The moment the bell rang and Juliana Taylor left the room, she was overcome with a sense of grievance and collapsed into her seat, crying.
Elise Langdon and the other girls in her clique rushed over to comfort her. Through her tears, Cara looked at Vera and asked, "Sister, why are you doing this to me?"
Vera Xavier replied with a placid expression, "I already told you, I’m learning from you how to be a person of high moral character. I’m starting with ’placing justice above family loyalty.’ Cara, I did such a good job. Aren’t you going to praise me?"
Those words were enough to make Cara Preston see red. ’Praise her?’ Cara wanted nothing more than to tear her to shreds!