Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Astute

When the door finally clicked shut behind her, Aston leaned back in his chair and whispered to himself, almost wistfully,

“If it were Lana in Brenda’s place, she’d have already solved this mess on her own. Spoiled as she may be, she never runs crying to her brother. She always faces her problems head-on.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips, soft but fleeting. “She’s not spoiled,” he murmured. “She’s just… learned how to be loved.”

The smile vanished as quickly as it came, leaving Ashton alone with his conflicted thoughts and the heavy silence that followed.

…….

Aston first went to the CCTV room and checked the footage… only to realize… someone had messed up the footage.

Furious, he went to the vice principal’s office for help.

Duran was sitting on his desk dealing with some paper when a knock echoed in the empty silence.

Adjusting his glasses, he called in an authoritative voice, “Come in.”

The sunlight spilling in the room cast a warm light on the person entering.

The moment Duran saw Aston, he narrowed his eyes, before a diplomatic smile appeared on his face.

“How may I help you, Aston?”

“Good afternoon, Vice Principal Duran I am here to discuss the broadcasting room matter.” Aston had schooled his expression into a neutral one, but the tick in his jaw betrayed the raw anger surging under his skin.

“What about it?” Duran asked nonchalantly, his eyes getting fixed on the documents as if the matter presented by Aston wasn’t of great importance at all.

Seeing his dismissive attitude, Aston fell silent. Duran was the face of the university in the absence of the principal.

He also focused on or dealt with the rule breakers.

Normally, he should be seething with rage and use all means to find the culprit behind such mischief, but here was Duran… acting all nonchalant and carefree.

However, his nonchalant attitude now spoke about his stance. He wasn’t planning to investigate nor hold anyone accountable.

Aston had sought Duran in the hopes of finding an ally, but now… he was unsure.

“Mr. Aston?” The two words showcased the slight impatience bubbling in Duran’s chest.

“Ah, yes, sir. I was wondering if you know the culprit, and how are you going to punish him…”

“I am not.” Duran’s calm voice betrayed no emotion; however, it didn’t promise any explanation either.

He simply stared at his document.

Aston opened and closed his mouth for a long while before asking with dissatisfaction, “But why?”

“Hm? Because I was presented with the evidence of how someone had tried to bully a student, and that student was retaliating.” Duran’s calm voice made irritation rise in Aston’s heart, and he tried to argue.

“What kind of bullying, and why can they even retaliate? They should leave this matter to teachers…” Aston began; however, this Duran didn’t let him finish.

“Mr. Aston, did you forget the rulebook?” Duran’s deep eyes finally fixed on Aston, and Aston started to feel difficulty in breathing.

His eyes widened, and he heard Duran’s stern voice: “According to article 33(B), if a student is getting defamed and knows the culprit, then they can report the matter to the disciplinary department, who will be responsible for issuing a clarification to the public.”

On a closer look, Lana’s speech indeed resembled a clarification rather than mischief committed by a mischievous student.

Aston was speechless; however, the years of experience let him calm down, and he began,

“But the clarifier began a rumor about Miss Brenda too!”

Duran smirked, “According to article 33(E), if a student body could produce sufficient proof for their claim, then the rumors can’t be called rumors; rather, they become accusations. If the person involved wants to clear their name, they have to produce specific evidence and apply for an apology.”

The Shadowridge university itself was an ecosystem. It had hierarchy and rules. To call it a small country wouldn’t be an overestimation.

Because of the various aspects of the university, it was able to rank in the top 3 on the international scale.

“Alright then, I will ask Brenda to apply for an apology.” Aston said in a defeated tone.

After giving him a perfunctory nod, Duran busied himself with work. Aston left the room with a furious expression.

It took him a lot of effort before he realized Lana’s entire plan.

First she used the rules as a shield, and then she spread a rumor.

However, he felt that there was something tricky about the situation… he kept on feeling… Lana’s plan won’t be so flawed.

She wouldn’t have started to spread a rumor… if she didn’t have a trump card.

And sure enough… the next moment he received a message from the university updating its rulebook stating that a new rule has been passed.

Now, to apply for an apology, one needs to prove the source of the rumor too.

This was done to ensure that innocents weren’t punished and those planning to take advantage of the loophole and starting a rumor on their own while creating false evidence and framing innocents get punished.

The moment Aston read the names of those who had petitioned for this rule, he wanted to explode.

Brenda! This idiot!

Brenda had begun a rumor about Lana and applied for this rule to trap Lana. But Lana used this rule as her shield.

Now… Brenda will have to find evidence that Lana was the one who had started the rumor, but the CCTV footage was destroyed!

As for asking for the help from the disciplinary committee to reveal the name of the person (though they know it was Lana) who had used the broadcasting room… he can forget it!

The members of the disciplinary committee were selected anonymously. It gave them the freedom to investigate matters more thoroughly.

Without others knowing their identity, the disciplinary committee could find the rulebreakers easily!

So they can forget about getting help from the disciplinary committee!

’What a plan Lana… you are still as astute as you were before!’ Aston cursed in his mind.

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