Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Zoe's work was neatly written, perfectly clear, and correct. Not just correct—it was the exact solution Zack had described, and even better than Eunice's own.
Eunice's mind raced. 'This can't be right. That nobody from a backward town? There's no way Zoe could be the genius those big shots are obsessed with. But how did she solve something even I couldn't?
'Did she cheat? Maybe she found out who the real prodigy is and copied the answers. This isn't fair.'
Zack walked over to Eunice with concern. "Eunice, what's wrong?"
Eunice pressed a shaking hand to her lips, tears spilling over as she pointed accusingly at Zoe. Her whole body trembled with the perfect portrayal of heartbreak. "Zoe, how could you steal my answers?" she wailed, her voice breaking.
The classroom went silent. Everyone stared at Zoe, who was holding the answer sheet, their expressions shocked and confused.
Eunice maintained her composure as she lied. "I worked on this problem for a month before solving it. I haven't slept for three days. My brothers can confirm that.
"You're my family, so I left my test paper on the table without a second thought. Zoe... I trusted you completely. How could you steal all my hard work?
"Your answers are the same as mine. I was just so tired from the sleepless nights, so I messed up a simple formula earlier."
She collapsed onto her desk, pretending to be overcome with grief, selling the story that Zoe had stolen her month's worth of effort.
Herbert stood up first, acting as a witness. "It's true. Eunice has been working hard on a chemistry problem."
Jacob immediately slammed his hands on the desk and stood up too. "Zoe, you're embarrassing our family name."
With Eunice's brothers defending her and Zoe's reputation as an uncultured girl, the class quickly took their side.
The students weren't just convinced—they were furious, ready to stick up for Eunice.
"How dare Zoe pretend to be some kind of genius?" someone shouted.
"Anyone here could be the prodigy except Zoe," another student scoffed. "She's just some nobody from a backwater town."
Cheryl joined in, her voice sharp with rage. "First, you almost killed Mr. Ludwig, now you're stealing Eunice's answers? You're pathetic! They should expel you!"
The room erupted into chaos, but through it all, Eunice kept her face buried in her arms, hiding a triumphant smirk.
Zoe stayed silent, her expression cool and distant, like she wasn't even there.
Her silence only made Zack's face darken with anger. "You're unbelievable! Stealing from your own sister? Zoe, don't you think you should explain this?"
Zack was still furious about Zoe injuring his hand and had been looking for any excuse to expel her from Highcrest University. This situation seemed to confirm his worst suspicions about her.
He was about to blow things out of proportion. "Fine! If you have nothing to say for yourself, let me make this clear—Highcrest University values integrity. If you can't even meet basic moral standards, then you don't belong here."
"Hold on!" a middle-aged man interrupted. Dressed sharply in a suit, he wore thick-rimmed glasses and carried a briefcase in one hand while clutching a photo in the other. He rushed into the classroom, clearly on an urgent mission.
Without hesitation, he held up the photo and announced, "I'm Kevin Lambert, Ms. Yoder's secretary. I'm here to find the genius girl."
The photo, taken during the incident, showed Zoe's blurred profile amid the dust and chaos—just a vague outline of her face.
Kevin scanned the classroom, comparing each student to the photo as he recalled Joyce's description of the girl. His sharp eyes searched intently for the right face.
Kevin's entrance silenced the class. All attention followed him, and whispers erupted each time he looked at a female classmate.
Eunice felt her chest grow tighter with each passing second.
"It's you!" Kevin suddenly exclaimed, his voice bursting with energy. "You're the one who saved Ms. Yoder in the lab and solved that impossible chemistry problem, aren't you?"
Every head swiveled toward where Kevin pointed, their shocked stares all landing on Zoe.