True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee — Episode 32
Hailey studied the deletion log while Dr. Mercer explained its significance. Each missing recording corresponded to an incident in which school officials had blamed Hailey or protected Candice. The timing was too precise for maintenance, and ordinary students could not access the archive. Someone inside Western High had deliberately removed evidence.
The interim administrator dismissed the pattern as a technical anomaly. Shared credentials, he said, made it impossible to identify one user. Dr. Mercer replied that access had originated from an office computer assigned exclusively to senior administration. His expression hardened.
Hailey asked why anyone would erase footage before her identity became public. The administrator claimed staff had needed to protect the privacy of the Kaplan heiress—meaning Candice, whom he believed controlled the school’s donation. The explanation admitted motive while pretending it excused the act.
Dr. Mercer reminded him that evidence of assault could not be deleted to protect a donor. She requested the original incident reports and device-access history. He promised cooperation but warned that the Kaplan family’s pressure threatened the independence of the school. Frank’s money remained his defense against every question.
After the meeting, he stopped Hailey in the hallway and said Adam could no longer enter classrooms. A private guard, he argued, disrupted instruction and intimidated students. Hailey pointed out that Frank’s security condition was the only reason she had remained enrolled. The administrator suggested she reconsider that decision.
Adam offered to wait outside each classroom with the door in sight. It was a reasonable compromise, but Hailey recognized the strategy beneath the dispute. If the school could not remove her through discipline, it might make staying impossible by conflicting with Frank’s safety rules. She documented the exchange for Dr. Mercer.
Luke met Adam near the gym and asked to speak privately. He described the locker-room trap, his relationship with Hailey, and the reasons he sometimes approached without formal warning. Adam listened with the patience of someone conducting an interview. Luke joked that he could provide references if required.
The humor eased the tension between them. Adam admitted that Hailey needed friends more than another wall around her, but he would not apologize for protecting her. Luke said he wanted the same outcome, even if his methods involved fewer earpieces. They agreed on a signal before he approached from behind.
CeCe spent the afternoon helping Dr. Mercer construct a detailed timeline. Her organized notes linked Candice’s threats to classroom schedules, witnesses, and staff responses. She also identified which cameras should have captured each event. The investigator praised her precision.
Candice watched CeCe move between the conference room and classes with folders in her arms. Hailey had family records, Luke had direct testimony, and the castle supplied physical evidence. CeCe possessed something equally dangerous: a complete memory of the pattern. Removing her credibility could fracture the investigation.
During science class, Mr. Dalton announced that a major examination would take place Friday. CeCe had helped classmates study for weeks and hoped the grade would strengthen her scholarship applications. Candice noticed how carefully she copied the testing rules. Academic integrity was not merely pride for CeCe; it was her future.
After the bell, Candice approached Gail near the administrative wing. Gail tried to avoid her, but Candice reminded her that the police still possessed messages connecting her to the bracelet. One more favor, Candice promised, could ensure she helped present the theft as Gail’s independent mistake rather than a coordinated crime.
Gail said she was finished taking orders. Candice showed her a video from Hailey’s first day: Gail’s friend displaying a blade while Gail held Hailey against the bike rack. If released without context, it could make Gail the architect of every violent incident. Fear restored the obedience that loyalty no longer provided.
That evening, a side door near the science office opened using a student assistant’s borrowed key. A printer produced an early examination draft containing discarded questions and incorrect numbering. Gail folded the pages beneath her jacket while Candice waited beyond camera range. They reached CeCe’s locker before the cleaning staff entered the corridor.
The next morning, the interim administrator interrupted first period with a campus safety officer. He asked CeCe to open her locker in front of the class. Confusion became horror when the folded answer sheets appeared beneath her textbooks. Every student recognized Mr. Dalton’s exam heading.
CeCe denied seeing the pages before. The administrator treated her shock as performance and accused her of stealing confidential material. Mr. Dalton requested time to examine the document, but the administrator said possession alone justified immediate action. The standard sounded painfully familiar.
Hailey stepped forward, and Adam appeared at the open classroom door. She demanded that the locker area be preserved for investigation and that no one assume guilt before checking cameras. The administrator accused her of using security to interfere with discipline. Phones began recording again.
CeCe’s face had gone pale. A cheating violation could destroy her scholarship applications and every plan built on years of work. She whispered that she had never needed stolen answers. Hailey believed her without asking for proof, offering the same trust CeCe had given her.
The administrator suspended CeCe from classes pending a conduct review and confiscated the papers. Candice watched from the hallway wearing an expression of solemn concern. She had turned academic excellence into evidence against the person who embodied it.
As CeCe was escorted toward the office, Candice leaned close to Hailey. “You can’t protect every loser standing beside you,” she whispered. Hailey looked at her friend’s shaking hands and understood the attack was meant for both of them. This time, clearing the victim would not be enough; she intended to prove who had planted the lie.
