From Ashes of Scandals to His Embrace novel Chapter 203

“It’s freezing out here. Let’s head back to the classroom,” Bonnie said. “York just called. He’s got all the evidence against Owen sorted out, so you don’t need to worry about anything else.”

“Alright. Thanks for helping out,” Laurinda replied.

Earlier, as Laurinda walked out of the building with her homeroom teacher, she had already messaged Bonnie, asking her to dig into Owen’s background. That’s how she found out about his connection to Sally, and also uncovered the issues with the financial aid and scholarships.

The two of them walked off together, arms slung around each other’s shoulders, leaving a crowd of students behind. Everyone stared at the principal, hoping he’d step up and do something about the situation instead of letting Laurinda handle everything.

The principal wiped sweat from his forehead, feeling genuinely rattled this time. Laurinda was even scarier than he’d thought.

“Don’t look at me,” he said, “Laurinda’s in charge of both the library and the cafeteria. Your meal subsidies come straight from her bank account. There’s only one way out of this for you. You need Laurinda to forgive you.”

“One more thing. I’ll say it again—no outside food deliveries allowed on school grounds. If you get sick from takeout, the school isn’t responsible.”

With that, the principal hurried off. After something this big, he’d have to report to the Board of Education. He just hoped they’d remember all his years of hard work and give him a chance to make things right.

He hadn’t gotten far when he heard groans and complaints from behind him. This time, the students really were going to pay for their rash decisions.

“I’m calling my mom,” one student grumbled. “How can Laurinda just cancel our meal subsidies? We’re students here too. Cafeteria food isn’t exactly cheap, and my allowance only goes so far. If I spend it all on food, I can’t buy anything else.”

A boy from Class Three waved his phone for everyone to see. He’d recorded the whole conversation. If they were going to eat Laurinda’s food and then badmouth her, they shouldn’t be surprised when people found out.

As soon as they realized they might be exposed, the students who’d been so ready to call home went dead quiet. None of them wanted their college applications affected. They slunk away in silence, defeated.

The homeroom teacher gave the Class Three students a thumbs-up for standing up for Laurinda. They were good kids who understood the value of gratitude.

“Alright, last period’s about to start. Everyone, let’s get back to class.”

“Yes, teacher!” the Class Three students answered in unison, then hurried back toward the school building.