System Revenge: From Trash Boy to Top Boss

Chapter 31

Brenda Harrow’s office was silent except for the tick of the brass clock on her shelf. Damon sat on the edge of a stiff chair across from her desk, his back straight, hands folded in his lap. Four teachers flanked Brenda like a tribunal, papers and folders stacked before them. Brenda shuffled her notes, then fixed Damon with a frosty glare.

“Mr. Newton,” Brenda began, her voice clipped, “we’re here to discuss grave matters concerning your conduct at Woodhurst Academy.”

Damon didn’t flinch. “I’m aware you asked me here, Ms. Harrow. But no one’s told me what I’m accused of.”

Mr. Langley snorted. “Playing innocent already.”

Brenda ignored the interruption. “Let’s begin. Last week, you achieved a perfect score on Dr. Patel’s chemistry exam. Isn’t that right?”

Damon nodded. “I studied hard.”

Ms. Patel arched a brow. “You expect us to believe that?”

Damon’s gaze didn’t waver. “Yes. I do.”

Brenda leaned back, lacing her fingers. “We have reason to believe you obtained the answers in advance, through bribery.”

Damon blinked, incredulous. “That’s absurd.”

Mrs. Ellis, lips pursed, tossed a folder onto the desk. “We have testimony that you approached a staff member with an… offer.”

Damon looked at her. “Who says that?”

Mr. Langley sneered. “You think you’re clever, Newton? You think we’d reveal our sources?”

“I think you’re lying,” Damon replied quietly.

Brenda’s nostrils flared. “Watch your tone.”

Damon straightened. “I’m just pointing out that you have zero evidence. I took the exam in a monitored classroom, and Dr. Patel was there the whole time.”

Ms. Patel’s mouth twisted. “You’re not above suspicion just because you’re a scholarship student.”

Mr. Langley leaned forward, voice oily. “Speaking of which—how exactly did you get in here, Damon? You’ve never told anyone what your parents do.”

Damon’s jaw tightened. “I grew up in an orphanage my mother and father passed away.”

Mrs. Ellis shook her head. “That’s tragic. But it doesn’t entitle you to cheat your way to the top.”

Damon’s voice was steady. “I didn’t cheat. And you know it.”

Brenda tapped her pen on the desk. “Let’s move on. We’ve received multiple reports that you’re running an unauthorized business on campus. An ‘errand service,’ I believe?”

“I used to run errands for students,” Damon said. “It’s not against the rules. I’ve checked the handbook.”

Ms. Patel’s laugh was sharp. “Is that what you call it? I’ve heard you do homework for money. Maybe even write essays.”

Damon shook his head. “That’s a lie. I only deliver things—lunch, supplies. Never academic work.”

Mr. Langley smirked. “Convenient. But we’ve heard otherwise.”

Mrs. Ellis piped in, “It’s always the ones who act the most innocent.”

Damon glanced at Brenda. “Is there any proof? Or just rumors?”

Brenda’s eyes narrowed. “Are you calling us liars?”

“I’m saying you have no evidence,” Damon replied calmly.

Brenda’s lips curled into a sneer. “We have plenty. And we’re not finished.”

She flipped to another page. “You’ve also been spreading false and damaging rumors about other students and staff. There was that business with Coach Reynolds—suddenly half the school believed he was being investigated.”

Damon frowned. “That rumor started online. I wasn’t involved.”

Mr. Langley scoffed. “Everyone knows you’re always poking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Mrs. Ellis nodded. “You’re always scribbling in that notebook of yours. What are you writing? Gossip? Blackmail material?”

Damon’s voice was firm. “Notes. Homework. Ideas.”

Ms. Patel’s laughter was cold. “How convenient.”

Brenda steepled her fingers. “You see, Damon, it’s a pattern. You disrupt classes. You undermine authority. You think you’re clever, but you’re just… trouble.”

Damon’s eyes flashed. “Or maybe I just don’t fit your mold.”

Mr. Langley chuckled. “He thinks he’s special.”

Mrs. Ellis sighed. “It’s always the same with these charity cases. They just can’t accept their place.”

Damon turned to her. “My place, Mrs. Ellis? Is that what this is about?”

Brenda’s smile was thin and cruel. “Your place is not here, Damon. No one here believes you. You don’t belong in this school, and you never did.”

Damon stared at her, unblinking. “I see.”

Ms. Patel’s voice was mocking. “You really think you can outsmart us? You’re delusional.”

Mr. Langley sniggered. “Ungrateful, too. After everything the school’s done for you.”

Damon’s voice was quiet but steady. “The school gave me a scholarship. I earned it. I work hard. That’s all.”

Brenda slammed her hand on the desk. “Enough! You act like you’re some kind of victim. But you’re just a liar. You’ll be expelled, and that will be the end of this sorry little experiment.”

Damon’s jaw clenched. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Brenda stood abruptly, her chair scraping the floor. “Defiant to the end.”

She strode around the desk, standing over Damon. “Look at me when I’m speaking to you.”

Damon lifted his head, meeting her eyes and then.

SLAP!!!

Brenda’s hand shot out. The slap echoed, sharp and shocking, across the office. Damon’s head jerked sideways. The teachers gasped.

A beat of stunned silence.

Damon pressed his palm to his cheek, then slowly turned to look at Brenda. His eyes were calm, cold.

“You’ll regret this,” he said quietly.

Brenda’s lip curled. “Get out, Damon. You’re dismissed. You will receive a notice for your disciplinary hearing. Don’t bother preparing a defense—no one will believe you.”

Damon stood, facing each teacher in turn. “You’re all complicit.”

Ms. Patel sneered. “You’re finished here.”

Mr. Langley grinned, satisfied. “Enjoy packing your bags.”

Damon ignored them. He walked to the door, paused, and looked back at Brenda.

“I’ll see you at the hearing, Ms. Harrow.”

Brenda’s smile was smug. “Don’t count on it. By this time next week, you’ll be just another failure.”

Damon opened the door and stepped out, leaving the teachers watching him—some triumphant, some uneasy.

Brenda smoothed her hair, breathing hard, then turned to the others. “That’s how you handle troublemakers. He won’t dare show his face again.”

Mr. Langley chuckled, “He looked like he wanted to cry.”

Mrs. Ellis sniffed. “He’ll probably run home to his mother.”

Ms. Patel shrugged. “Let’s hope he does. This place will be better without him.”

Brenda straightened her papers, her voice icy with satisfaction. “Prepare your statements for the hearing. I want Newton out by Friday.”

As the teachers murmured their agreement and gathered their things, Brenda allowed herself a victorious smirk.

Outside, Damon walked away, cheek still burning, fists clenched—but his eyes shone with the promise of retribution.