Chapter 98: The Shameless Snitch
Jared, who had been silent until now, allowed a slow smile to spread across his lips. Although he knew that Tina's words were meant to infuriate Amber, he couldn't help feeling oddly satisfied. What was going on? "You!" Amber exclaimed, outraged. "Shameless!"
"Tsk!" Tina clicked her tongue twice and then stepped forward, getting face to face with Amber. The smile on her face suddenly vanished, "Do you know why I haven't laid a finger on you?" Amber glared at her, remaining silent.
"I warned you not to mess with Mr. Reed and Mrs. Reed. You did, and now you must bear the consequences. I'm waiting for you to kneel before me on your own accord." Tina's lips curved into a smirk again, "Guess what, do you think Elizabeth would give up the Reed family for you?"
Amber shuddered involuntarily, but said nothing.
She knew that Elizabeth would never give up the Reed family for her.
Tina glanced at her indifferently, then surveyed the others who had been insulting her moments before. She took out her phone and made a call, "Mr. Stiller! More students are openly insulting their teacher. We're at the school gate; please come and deal with this."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the students changed dramatically, "Have you no shame? Why involve Mr. Stiller in a child's matter?"
With her eyes narrowing into slits, Tina patted the shoulder of the speaker, "Kid, you're a child. I'm a teacher. You don't understand me, but everyone in 22D does. I'm the snitch!"
The students of 22D nodded in agreement.
The others were speechless.
Soon, Mr. Stiller arrived, accompanied by the Dean of Students.
Mr. Stiller surveyed the students with a cold gaze, "Mr. Johnson, remember their names. Give them a major demerit. If I find out any student insults a teacher again, they will be expelled." After finishing, Mr. Stiller left with a stern face.
The students were stunned, unable to recover for a long time.
Seeing that no one spoke up for her, Amber turned her gaze to Elena, who, in the past, would have been the first to defend her. This time, however, Elena remained silent and stood aside.
Elena lifted her eyes to meet Amber's, her mind racing with thoughts. After being lectured by her parents in a doubles match the night before, and tossing and turning all night, she thought over Mrs. Heisler's words.
At breakfast that morning, with dark circles under her eyes, Mrs. Heisler had spoken to her with a mix of frustration and disappointment, "You need to find out if Amber truly considers you a friend or if she's just using you. Just tell her that our family is in a tight spot and ask if she's willing to help us plead with Tina, claiming that her misleading actions are why you targeted Tina."
Hesitant, Elena finally spoke to Amber at lunch in the cafeteria, following Mrs. Heisler's suggestion.
Amber dodged the topic, not responding to her plea, leaving Elena feeling cold inside. Perhaps Amber never really considered her a friend but was just using her as a pawn. Seeing Elena's lack of reaction, Amber grew desperate but couldn't directly ask for help.
At that moment, a deep voice came from the crowd, "Elena, what are you doing?"
Startled, Elena saw her parents, who had appeared at some point, standing outside the crowd with disapproving looks.
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She felt a hollow pit in her stomach and instinctively stepped away from Amber.
Also arriving were Andrew and Martin.
Seeing Tina and Jared together, they immediately approached to greet them, "Miss Reed, Mr. Farrell."
Tina raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.
Jared kept silent as well, watching the Heisler family with a cold detachment, exuding an air of authority that few possessed.
They had come specifically to apologize to Tina, and upon seeing their reactions, they promptly pulled Elena, who was embarrassed in the crowd, and pushed her in front of Tina, "Miss Reed, the previous incident was entirely due to our failure in upbringing. I am making her apologize to you now and ensuring she will not offend you again."
The onlooking students erupted into whispers and murmurs.
The Heisler family had intended to take Elena to Pinkwater Alley to apologize to Tina that day, but Tina was not at home. Then, they saw news of the Reed family's assets being suppressed within half an hour and, worried that Elena would once again stand up for Amber, they hurried to the school.
They had not anticipated actually finding Elena there.
Orson's expression was particularly grim. He had tried both kindness and severity with his daughter, but she never seemed to heed advice.
He couldn't understand how Amber, a girl well-versed in manipulation, was worth befriending.
Tina stood with her hands in her pockets, silently observing the Heisler family. An apology should come with the right attitude; there was no reason for her to give them an easy way out.
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Jared stood beside Tina as if to support her, his usual tenderness when facing her replaced by an aura of authority that seemed natural to those long in power.
Orson glanced at Jared carefully. He had seen many influential people, but few possessed Jared's commanding presence.
He turned to Elena and scolded, "Aren't you going to apologize to Miss Reed?"
"Miss Reed, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have falsely accused you of stealing my mother's bracelet or tricked my brother into taking you to the police station. I shouldn't have doubted your academic credentials or encouraged my uncle to trouble you at school. I won't dare do it again," Elena said, biting her lip and looking mortified. She didn't want to apologize, but with her parents present, she had no choice.
Even though she was a bit haughty, she knew that if she didn't apologize obediently, her parents might disown her from the Heisler family.
And she was certain they would do it.
"Miss Reed, the last incident was a moment of negligence on my part, a complete oversight!" Martin said, far less resistant than Elena. With an ingratiating face, he was almost ready to throw himself at Tina's feet, "It was truly my fault, my ignorance. I beg of you to let me return to..."
Before he could finish, Mrs. Heisler kicked him and gave him a warning glare, stopping the rest of his plea to be reinstated in his former position.
Orson and Mrs. Heisler were rare in their wisdom. They understood that an apology shouldn't just be lip service. Since they had made a mistake, they had to accept the punishment.
Thus, their presence today was a genuine act of contrition, without any expectation of clemency or help from Tina and Jared to recover their losses.
To be honest, it would be enough for the Farrell family to stop their pressure on the Heisler family, preserving what little they had left, without hoping for more.
"Miss Reed, detaining you was my mistake. I arrested you without proper investigation, and for that, I sincerely apologize," Andrew stepped forward and added his apology.