Chapter 9

The projector screen flickered, and the room's genteel murmur died in a thousand throats.

Camille Duval's face, frozen mid-smile in a yearbook photo, filled the wall. Below it, a scanned document: *Admission Adjustment — Duval, Camille. Score: 84.3 → 97.8. Reason: Legacy Discretion.* And the approving signature: *J. Duval.*

"For those who haven't met me," I said, my voice amplified by the gala's own sound system, "I'm Elena Marlowe. The girl whose 97.8 became an 84.3 so the mayor's daughter could have her spot."

Gasps. A champagne flute shattered somewhere. Camille's face went white as the screen cycled through bank records — the anonymous donation to Kronberg's building fund, wired from a shell company the mayor controlled.

"Security!" Mayor Julien Duval bellowed, his face purpling. "Remove this — this *liar* — immediately!"

Two guards grabbed my arms. I didn't resist. "The evidence is already on every phone in this room," I said. "I sent the file to the news networks too. You can arrest me, but you can't arrest the truth."

Camille lunged forward, her diamond earrings catching the light. "You think anyone believes a scholarship nobody over the mayor's daughter? You're *nothing* — "

"Then why did you forge my exam?" I shot back. "People only cheat when they're afraid of losing."

The crowd's whispers rose to a roar. And then, from the shadows near the stage, a voice cut through.

"She's not alone."

Julian Ashford stepped into the light — Nadia's brother, the investor whose name graced half the buildings in this city. My anonymous texter. V.

"Every allegation Miss Marlowe has made," he said, "I've verified personally. The mayor's office has been selling admissions for years. I have the ledgers."

Nadia Ashford appeared at his side, meeting my stunned gaze with a ghost of a smile. *She knew.*

The guards released me. Mayor Duval was shouting something about conspiracy, but no one was listening.

I should have felt triumphant. Instead, I felt the floor tilting beneath me.

Julian Ashford had been watching me all along. Testing me. And now he'd stepped into the light — but why?

The cameras were flashing. Camille was screaming. And I had no idea what I'd just walked into.