All Chapters of My Cousin Cheated, Not Knowing I Was His Examiner: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I watched the floating comments drift past my eyes, then slowly set down my teacup.The private dining room had been full of accusations a second ago, but my calm reaction made everyone fall silent for a moment.I lifted my eyes and looked at Finn Chancer, who was still sitting on the floor, playing the victim.My voice stayed even.“This file is classified, all right. But when you altered the numbers, you forgot to line up the watermark code on page three.”I glanced at the scattered pages.“If you’re going to frame me, you should at least do a cleaner job.”Finn’s voice caught.A flash of panic crossed his eyes, but he covered it almost immediately with that wounded look of his.“Ethan! What are you talking about?” he cried. “You’re the one who smuggled this file out of the department. How can you turn around and accuse me of altering it?”As he argued, he shrank closer to my uncle’s leg, as if he had suffered some terrible injustice.“I know you’ve always resented me sinc

Chapter 2

The moment those words left my mouth, the private dining room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.Leonard froze.Finn looked stunned too.They probably never imagined that a low-level new hire like me would dare speak to a director that way.More floating comments drifted across my vision.[This is killing me. The uncle really thinks he’s playing the righteous judge, but the male lead is literally the grim reaper sent to investigate him.][Finn’s manipulation game is so weak. He couldn’t even line up the watermark, and he still tried to play mind games in front of an oversight boss. He’s basically handing over his own head.][Waiting for the face slap. I can’t wait to see them on their knees begging.]Finn was the first to snap out of it.He looked as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world and pointed at me.“Ethan, have you lost your mind? Who do you think you are? You want Uncle to explain himself to you? You’re nothing but a junior staffer who barely pass

Chapter 3

The relatives around us heard Claire’s declaration and immediately started nodding in approval.“Deputy Director Lawson really knows right from wrong.”“A man like Ethan doesn’t deserve her at all. Honestly, Finn and Deputy Director Lawson would make a much better match.”A faint glint of satisfaction flashed in Finn’s eyes.Then he sighed, pretending to be generous, and spoke to Claire in a gentle voice.“Deputy Director Lawson, don’t blame Ethan too much. He grew up in the countryside and never saw real money. Maybe he just made a bad decision in the heat of the moment.”“As long as he admits what he did, I’m willing to ask Uncle to go easy on him and keep this from going to the police. At least let him leave with some dignity.”Claire looked at Finn, visibly touched.“Finn, you’re too kind. After everything he’s done to you, you’re still speaking up for him.”“You come from a good family, and you’re smart, composed, and considerate. That’s exactly the kind of character some

Chapter 4

On his own turf at city hall, Leonard Hale was used to getting whatever he wanted.His subordinates and the security guards rushed forward, surrounding me from every side.The relatives all backed away in fear.Not one of them stepped forward to say a word for me.Finn stood behind Leonard, watching me get trapped. This time, he couldn’t even hide the smile tugging at his mouth.He picked up a red ink pad and walked over to me.On the surface, he was still playing the kind, reasonable cousin.“Ethan, stop making Uncle angry. Just sign it already. We’re family.”But when he leaned close, his voice dropped so only the two of us could hear.“Ethan, so what if you ranked first on the exam? So what if you always act like you’re better than everyone else?”“As long as you take the fall for leaking classified information today, you’ll never work in government again. You won’t even be able to find a decent job.”“Everything you have, your future, even your woman, will all end up min

Chapter 5

The moment I said that, Leonard’s men and the security guards froze.They looked at one another, then at the ID in my hand.Not one of them dared to take another step.Director of the Special Investigations Unit under the State Office of Ethics and Oversight?That title carried too much weight.Far more than any of Leonard’s low-level lackeys could afford to challenge.The private room fell into a deathly silence.A few seconds later, Leonard suddenly burst into wild laughter.“Ha! Ethan, have you completely lost your mind?”He pointed at the ID in my hand, his face full of contempt. He didn’t believe a word of it.“You’re a low-level employee who barely made it through probation. You bought some fake badge from a strip-mall print shop, and now you’re pretending to be the director of a state oversight unit?”He sneered.“Why stop there? Why not just say you’re the governor?”“You opened an investigation into me? Around here, I make the rules. You really think some cheap li

Chapter 6

The tactical team leader’s command was so sharp that the crystal chandelier above us trembled.Leonard’s smug face turned ghost-white.He raised both hands, swayed on his feet, and nearly pitched face-first into the soup in the middle of the table.Claire was even worse.Her legs gave out, and she slid down the table leg onto the floor. The half glass of wine in her hand spilled all over her clothes, soaking the fabric. At that point, no one could tell whether it was wine or something else.Finn clutched his swollen face and shrank into the corner. His voice jammed in his throat.“This is a misunderstanding,” Leonard shouted, his voice shaking. “It’s all a misunderstanding! I’m Leonard Hale from the city’s Department of Urban Development. Did you people get the wrong room? I’m one of you!”A middle-aged man in a dark navy suit stepped out from behind the tactical officers.His expression was stern, and he moved with quiet authority.The moment Leonard saw him, his eyes lit up

Chapter 7

The evidence team moved fast.Two portable scanners were set up on the table.The moment Finn saw them, he lunged forward like a madman and tried to snatch the torn papers.“No! Those are fake! Ethan forged them! You can’t examine them!”Before he could get anywhere near the table, two tactical officers twisted his arms behind his back and slammed him down onto the dining table.His face hit a greasy plate, and he let out a string of desperate screams.“Ethan! Please, I’m begging you! I admit it, okay? It was a joke. Please don’t check it!”Finn had finally realized he should be afraid. Tears and snot ran down his face.I ignored his begging and kept my eyes on the technician.“Director Hale,” the technician said, pushing up his glasses, his voice clear and steady. “Based on our preliminary scan and watermark analysis, this document was not printed on the department’s official security paper. It was printed on ordinary inkjet paper anyone can buy.”He paused.“More important

Chapter 8

Leonard’s eyes tightened the moment he heard that.He stared at the sealed file in my hand.Finn stopped struggling too.His whole body started shaking.“What… what do you mean?” Leonard forced himself to hold on to the last bit of authority he had left. “Finn took a DNA test with me. He’s my sister’s long-lost son!”“A DNA test?” I gave a cold laugh. “You mean the one you had done at a government-affiliated hospital after slipping Director Shaw fifty thousand dollars under the table?”Leonard’s face went from pale to blue.Then it turned a dead, ashen gray.In front of every relative in the room, I opened the sealed file and spread the photos and records across the table.“Everyone, take a good look. Mr. Finn Hale here isn’t some long-lost cousin who came home to reunite with the family.”I looked around the room.“His biological mother was Leonard Hale’s mistress. Leonard kept her hidden ten years ago while he was inspecting an urban development project out of town.”A wa

Chapter 9

Leonard knew it was over.Every mask he had worn and every shred of dignity he had tried to keep had been stripped away in front of everyone.Then, without warning, he shoved my aunt aside, grabbed a wine bottle from the table, and smashed it.He pressed the jagged glass against his own neck.“Don’t come any closer! Nobody move!”Leonard glared at us like a cornered man with nothing left to lose.“Commissioner Reed, Ethan, are you really going to destroy me completely? I have the ledgers for every urban development project this department has handled over the past few years!”“If I go down, half of city hall goes down with me!”He pointed at me and let out a sharp, desperate laugh.“Ethan, my dear nephew. You think you’re serving justice? You’re kicking a hornet’s nest.”“If you keep investigating me, you won’t survive in Linhaven. Let me walk, and I’ll give you the ledger. After that, we stay out of each other’s way.”I looked at him.Instead of stepping back, I took one s

Chapter 10

Three months later.Linhaven County Courthouse.I sat in the gallery and looked at the familiar faces at the defense table.Leonard Hale looked as if he had aged twenty years.The man who had once strutted through city hall like he owned the place now sat there in a prison uniform, gaunt and hollow-eyed, his head bowed.All his old arrogance was gone.Finn’s hair had been cut short. His eyes were dull, as if something inside him had burned out.Claire was still trying to shift the blame, even in court, but the judge cut her off before she could put on too much of a show.The gavel came down.As the verdict was read, Leonard finally broke. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed in front of everyone.Finn, however, snapped his head up the moment he heard his sentence.He stared straight at me.I didn’t look away.I met his gaze calmly.Some people only understand justice when it finally comes for them.After the hearing, I ran into the young man whose job offer had bee

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