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The tension in the room escalated as Liana’s accusation rang out. All eyes turned toward her, and the class fell into an uncomfortable silence. The math teacher’s face flushed with embarrassment, and her sharp gaze snapped to Liana.
“What did you just say?” the math teacher demanded, her voice trembling with anger.
Liana, emboldened by the confrontation, didn’t flinch. “She’s lying,” she repeated, her voice steady and clear. “Catherine did take a leave. It’s true. You just didn’t get your facts straight.”
The math teacher opened her mouth to retort but faltered, her expression shifting from indignation to a mix of frustration and disbelief. She wasn’t accustomed to being publicly contradicted, especially not by a student like Liana, who rarely spoke out of turn.
Catherine, meanwhile, stood calmly by the stage, her arms crossed, an air of quiet authority surrounding her. She wasn’t particularly invested in the drama unfolding in front of her. It wasn’t her place to defend herself—it never was. But today, she couldn’t ignore the arrogance of the math teacher, who had gone too far in her taunts. It seemed the teacher had underestimated Catherine’s ability to handle a situation like this.
With Liana backing her up, Catherine felt no need to escalate things further. She let the silence hang for a few moments, savoring the teacher’s discomfort. Finally, she spoke again, her voice low but biting.
“Maybe you should learn to be more careful with your words,” Catherine said, locking eyes with the math teacher. “If I were you, I’d apologize for the mistake before things get worse.”
The math teacher, now thoroughly defeated, turned her gaze toward the homeroom teacher, as if searching for some support. But the homeroom teacher remained silent, arms folded, watching the scene unfold with an air of quiet disapproval.
Bryan, standing off to the side, observed the entire interaction with growing admiration for Catherine. He had seen glimpses of her sharp intelligence before, but this was a side of her he hadn’t fully appreciated—her ability to wield words with precision, to put people in their place without raising her voice. It was a subtle power, and it was one that intrigued him more with every passing moment.
The class was still hushed as the math teacher, red-faced and visibly irritated, finally mumbled an apology. “I apologize, Catherine,” she said, though her tone was stiff and insincere.
“Good,” Catherine replied, her gaze as cold as ever. She didn’t need to hear more; an apology without genuine remorse meant little to her. “Now, let’s move on.”
With a swift motion, she returned to her seat, sat down, and once again buried her face in her arms, signaling the end of the confrontation. The classroom, still reeling from the exchange, slowly returned to its usual noise level, but the whispers and sideways glances toward Catherine remained constant.
Bryan took his seat beside her, his eyes lingering on her for a moment before he turned to focus on the lesson, but he couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect for the way she had handled herself. She was more than just the aloof, beautiful girl who everyone gossiped about—she was a force to be reckoned with.
As the math teacher stumbled through the rest of the class, Catherine remained largely unaffected, her focus elsewhere. But as the bell rang and students filed out, Bryan walked over to her desk, his curiosity piqued.
“You always seem to handle things so effortlessly,” he said, leaning against the desk. “How do you do it?”
Catherine looked up at him, her expression still calm but with a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “Sometimes, it’s better to let people think they’ve won. But don’t worry—I don’t do it for the approval.”
Bryan grinned, impressed by her response. “I’m starting to think you don’t care what anyone thinks.”
“I don’t,” Catherine replied, standing up and grabbing her backpack. “But it’s always interesting to see how far people will go to test that.”