Sebastian angrily ended our call. Then, he plastered a smile, took Jayla's hand, and led her proudly into the hall.

I tuned into the livestream. Laura Graham, the student who placed first, was speaking on behalf of the others.

"Thank you so much, Ms—"

"Thank me? Ms. Graham, you're welcome," Jayla interrupted, her smile bright.

Laura's parents valued sons over daughters to a brutal degree. If I hadn't noticed her talent for art, they would have sold her off long ago.

That day was her first time speaking in front of so many people, and her overwashed, faded school uniform only made her look even more flustered when someone cut her off mid-sentence.

"During training, it was Ms—"

"I'm the one who cooked for them, washed their clothes, and helped with their assignments," Jayla cut in again. "It's no big deal. That's what a teacher does."

Laura's fingers clenched so tightly around the bouquet that her knuckles turned white. My heart sank at the sight.

Jayla gripped Laura's shoulder proudly, parading the latter in front of the cameras like a prop.

"Everyone, you wouldn't believe it. This student is the most obedient one. She washed everyone's socks every day and even collected recyclables to sell. I heard her family had arranged a good marriage for her. Saving up for your bridal gifts, huh? Look at you. So eager to get married at your age…"

People stared at Jayla in disbelief.

Sebastian hurried forward, cutting her off, his smile forced. "Alright. That's enough for today. Interview's over. Everyone can go."

Suddenly, Laura snapped. She threw the bouquet to the floor and stomped on it again and again. "It was Ms. Mercer who taught me! It was Ms. Carmen Mercer who taught me!

"You two are nothing but thieves stealing her credit. You don't deserve any of this! Ms. Buckley, during training, I saw you sending photos to Mr. Emerson. What exactly is your relationship to him?

"Why isn't Ms. Mercer here today? What did you do to her? Spill it!"

Cameras flashed wildly, flooding the lobby with bursts of light.

Jayla's carefully painted smile froze. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the furious Laura, like a gentle, understanding mentor. She said, "That's enough for today's interview."

Laura looked straight at Jayla, who was slowly moving toward the exit. "Ms. Buckley, in still-life color studies, how do you apply color-simplification techniques to handle complex reflections on stainless steel objects? Do you know the answer?"

Jayla stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Laura cut her off sharply, "If that's how you taught me, I'd be one of the worst students in Adrana.

"Let's try something easier. In five minutes, how do you determine the placement, scale, and perspective of an object on the page?"

She stood right in front of Jayla, smiling innocently. "Oh, you don't know? Didn't you teach me? How do you not understand something this basic?"

A sense of pride swelled in my chest. Laura, who wasn't even close to me, was fighting for me with everything she had.

The atmosphere in the hall grew tense. Sebastian tried to usher reporters toward the door, mumbling something about Jayla not feeling well.

"You were never my teacher! You don't deserve the title!"

A loud crack split the air.

"How dare you disrespect your teacher! Who raised you like this?"

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze completely.

Jayla had slapped Laura so hard that the sound echoed across the lobby. My tears finally broke free.

Just then, police sirens wailed from somewhere outside.

I pulled out the legal notice, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.