Chapter 1

It was obvious that the female lead mentioned in the comment section was my daughter, Heather Miller, while the male lead's mother and the male lead were Sylvia Lister and Christian Fisher.

I could hardly believe that such a cliche, dramatic storyline had actually happened to Heather. It was because of these rumors that she had been cornered by school bullies, her body covered in wounds that were horrifying to see.

I couldn't stop my tears from falling. I had never been the kind of person others could push around, and now that I knew who the perpetrators were, I would ensure they paid a heavy price for their deeds.

I had just dealt with Heather's wounds when the doorbell suddenly rang. It was Sylvia, accompanied by her son, Christian.

Christian, as usual, eagerly sat next to Heather the moment the door opened and took out his homework from his backpack to seek Heather's guidance.

Sylvia said with a chuckle, "These two are the same as always, clinging to each other since they were little and never wanting to be separated even for a moment."

I would have seconded her sentiment and rejoiced in their bond had this been before, but after what happened, I couldn't muster any friendly feelings for them. Heather shifted closer to my side as well, distancing herself from Christian.

Sylvia's expression froze for a moment before quickly returning to normal. "What has gotten into you two? You two aren't bothered by those school rumors, right? There's no shame in being accused of cheating, Heather.

"You see, good grades don't matter much for girls. You're better off learning how to manage a household instead; becoming a good wife and mother is what's important. You should just let Christian take part in the math competition happening at the end of the month, Heather."

I couldn't help but sneer. "Christian has always been stuck in second place, so now that Heather has been kicked out of the competition because of some rumors, he finally has his turn."

Sylvia hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "I'm just trying to say that you shouldn't worry about people labeling Heather with those slurs. If the worst comes to the worst, there's always Christian, who will take Heather in, even if others don't want her."

Upon hearing that, Christian held Heather's hand and said deliberately, "You can rest assured that I'll never look down on you, Heather. If it comes to it, I'll simply keep you hidden away so that no one else can ever reach you."

I hadn't paid much attention before, but now I realized how outrageous Sylvia and Christian's remarks had been.

Heather had ranked first in the school, excelled in both virtue and academics, and was exceptionally beautiful. Did Christian really think he was worthy of her?

Their idea of using such underhanded tactics to trap Heather was absolutely disgraceful.

It wasn't the right time for a confrontation yet, as I knew that simply knowing where the rumor started wasn't enough to bring them down. I had to gather solid evidence to ensure Sylvia and Christian faced the full consequences of their defamation.

It'd be easy for me to debunk Heather's cheating rumors, given that Heather's grades were far superior to anyone else's; a single exam would have been sufficient to demonstrate her competence. I just had to make sure Sylvia and Christian didn't have the opportunity to frame her first.

I thoroughly checked everything Heather was taking into the exam room the following day, prior to the monthly exam. I made absolutely sure the surveillance cameras were working and specifically asked the proctor to keep a close watch to rule out any chance of being framed.

I believed that every precaution had been taken, yet to my surprise, two days later, the news that Heather had placed first in the school was accompanied by a fresh wave of cheating allegations from the entire student body.