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Chapter 4

Autor: Willow Weaver
The bell rang to signal the end of the exam.

The smug, celebratory mood in the Willow Creek parents' group chat abruptly vanished.

I sat in my car across the street from the testing center, watching the first wave of students emerge with bloodless faces.

The smile on Kendra's face froze.

Her blond-haired son, Zeke, didn't complain about the heat like he normally did. Instead, he lowered his head, his eyes teary.

Without saying a word, he crouched on the ground and began yanking at his hair.

"Zeke, what's wrong? Was the test so easy you finished early?" Kendra asked, forcing a smile.

Zeke's head snapped up. "Easy, my ass! Everything changed! All of it!"

It wasn't just Zeke. Every student who had attended the boot camp looked devastated.

Whitney's son, Hayden, threw his arms around her and burst into tears right outside the testing center. His sobs were filled with despair and fear for his future.

One of the top students who had tried to defend me before approached the parents, his lips trembling. "They completely changed the format of the math section this year. All the hardest problems were different.

"And that's not even the worst part. Those stupid shortcuts they made us memorize at the boot camp screwed up everything we already knew. Once we panicked during the exam, we couldn't separate Dr. Holt's garbage from what we'd actually learned. When we got to the hardest problems, our minds were a mess. We kept falling back on his shortcuts, and every step took us further from the right answer."

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared down at the pavement. "And... the last two problems on the test? The core concepts and the way they were structured...

"They were exactly the same as what I saw on those pages Ms. Dawson tore up that night."

Hayden completely broke down. He pointed at Kendra and screamed, "If only you hadn't started all that trouble and driven Ms. Dawson away!

"Even one more hour with her would've been enough to keep Dr. Holt from screwing up everything we knew! We could've gotten full credit on that eighteen-point problem today!"

Panic spread rapidly through the parents. They flooded the group chat, tagging Dr. Holt over and over and demanding an explanation, but all they got were red exclamation marks beside their messages.

Dr. Holt had changed his settings so no one could contact him. The scammer had already taken their money and disappeared.

That evening, Kendra's apartment was completely surrounded. The hallway echoed with furious shouting and fists pounding against her door.

Whitney hammered on it. "Kendra Hodge, you snake! Pay off my loan! Give my son his future back! If you don't make this right today, Hayden and I will jump off your balcony!"

Kendra stood behind the locked door, her hair disheveled, shrieking through it, "You bunch of hypocrites! Every one of you helped extort money from Alynna! Why should I be the only one taking the blame now that everything's gone wrong?"

She immediately sent a furious voice message to the group chat.

[This was all Alynna Dawson's scheme! She deliberately set us up before she tore up those exams! She secretly colluded with the people writing the test and had them change the questions just to get revenge on us!]

I read the increasingly unhinged accusations in the group chat and let out a quiet laugh.

Then I took screenshots of the entire conversation, compiled them, and sent everything to my legal team.

"Preserve all of it as evidence," I said coolly into the phone. "Tomorrow, we'll give them something else to worry about."

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  • The Apex Oracle   Chapter 10

    In the end, I didn't take an umbrella.I simply pulled on a black raincoat and walked slowly toward the iron gates, looking down at the parents gathered outside.I took out my phone and tapped the screen.The speakers mounted by the gate immediately began playing audio from the video they'd recorded in my living room and posted online that night."We'll never let a scammer like you anywhere near our kids again!""They'll do better without you!"I looked at Whitney, who was crying harder than anyone else."You think I came down here because I enjoy watching you kneel and beg? You're wrong. I came down here to make sure every last one of you understands exactly how deep a hole you've dug for yourselves."Then I turned toward Zeke, who had kept his head down the entire time. "Zeke, I have some good news for you too."The State Testing Authority released an announcement this afternoon. A student with the last name Hodge was caught attempting to cheat on the math exam by receiving

  • The Apex Oracle   Chapter 9

    That same afternoon, after Kendra was taken away, police moved quickly.They arrested Dr. Holt at a run-down motel in a neighboring state, where he'd been hiding after fleeing with the money.The moment the police statement went online, the story exploded across the internet. The so-called "elite test developer" turned out to be an unemployed high school dropout. He'd racked up debts with loan sharks from spending all his time gaming, which was why he'd jumped at the chance to partner with Kendra.The police statement laid out exactly what had happened.Kendra had preyed on the other parents' anxiety and acted as Holt's inside accomplice. She hadn't just been the first to pay in order to convince everyone else that the boot camp was legitimate. She and Holt had also secretly agreed to split the proceeds forty-sixty.In other words, a huge portion of the money the parents had desperately borrowed for their children's last-minute test prep had gone straight into Kendra's pocket.

  • The Apex Oracle   Chapter 8

    The room erupted."This is outrageous! She helped them, and this is how they repaid her?""Investigate them! Extortion like this cannot be tolerated!"The principals were furious, while reporters kept their cameras trained on the parents in the back row, flashes going off one after another.Dominick shot to his feet and slammed a hand on the table. "Unbelievable! You had the nerve to extort someone who's been formally recognized for her contributions to education in this state? You've crossed every legal and ethical line there is!"Kendra finally broke. She dropped to her knees on the cold floor and began wringing her hands. "Ms. Dawson! Apex Oracle! I was wrong! I didn't know who I was dealing with! Please, have mercy on me!"The other parents surged forward, their earlier arrogance gone as they pleaded over one another."Ms. Dawson, please forgive us! Please save our children!""If you'll just recreate the exams you tore up, we'll do anything you ask!"Their pleas tumbled ov

  • The Apex Oracle   Chapter 7

    The City Department of Education's main auditorium was packed with education officials from across the state and principals from its top high schools.Reporters from major media outlets had cameras set up throughout the room, flashes going off constantly.The sheer scale of the event left the parents too intimidated to make a sound. The tactical officers seated them in the public gallery at the very back.The ceremony officially began.As the deputy director of the state testing authority, Christian stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat."Today, we are here to honor an unsung hero whose contributions to education in our state have been immeasurable."His voice echoed through the vast auditorium. "She is not only the sole benefactor and controlling founder of Launch, the largest educational nonprofit foundation in the state, which provides financial assistance to thousands of disadvantaged students every year."For the past ten years, she has also anonymously advised on

  • The Apex Oracle   Chapter 6

    Kendra thought I'd finally buckled under the pressure. Her smug expression grew even more triumphant."See, everyone? This proves that the good guys always win! As long as we stick together, scammers like her will eventually be forced to back down!"Whitney scrambled to her feet and brushed the dirt from her pants. "Then hurry up and take us inside to get the paperwork started! Hayden has to get into a top college!"Just then, the doors to the City Department of Education swung open.Two lines of heavily armed tactical officers jogged out in formation. They quickly forced the chaotic crowd apart, forming a wide path through the middle.Moments later, an understated black sedan pulled up at the foot of the steps.Dominick hurried out to meet it and personally escorted an older man from the car. He was Christian David, the deputy director of the state testing authority.Kendra's eyes widened at the sight. She immediately rushed forward, waving her complaint in the air."Sir, you

  • The Apex Oracle   Chapter 5

    At nine thirty the next morning, more than thirty anxious-looking parents gathered outside the imposing headquarters of the City Department of Education.Kendra unfurled a white banner. Across it, in glaring red paint, were the words: "Top Student Colluded With Test Makers To Sabotage Our Children!"Several of the louder parents had brought megaphones, which repeatedly blasted accusations that I'd been illegally exploiting families for money.Kendra had somehow managed to bring in a handful of obscure local reporters and social media influencers. They stood around with cameras and selfie sticks as Kendra sobbed dramatically for the livestream."Everyone, that woman, Alynna Dawson, is a highly intelligent sociopath! She used my son as a guinea pig for her test-prep experiments!"And when her experiment failed, she abused her connections to change the SAT questions and cover up what she'd done!"Her story was riddled with holes. Nevertheless, with the livestream fueling the outrage

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