Chapter 10 - EXPEL THE BILLIONAIRE’S DAUGHTER
The disciplinary hearing was scheduled for the next morning.
Victoria’s board allies wanted speed.
Naomi wanted witnesses.
Elliot wanted Lila nowhere near the room.
Lila insisted on attending.
“It’s my name.”
She said.
“They’re talking about me.”
She wore her navy Ashbury blazer.
No designer bag.
No jewelry.
No sign of the Mercer fortune.
Just Lila Reed.
The board attorney accused her of accessing emergency food without permission.
Lila answered quietly.
“I asked first.”
“Who did you ask?”
“The cafeteria worker.”
“What did she say?”
“She told me my account was restricted.”
“And you took food anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.”
The room became uncomfortable.
The attorney changed direction.
“You also concealed your father’s identity.”
“My enrollment paperwork listed him.”
“But students did not know.”
“I wanted friends who didn’t know how much money he had.”
“Would you agree that was deceptive?”
Lila thought carefully.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because my money isn’t my personality.”
Elliot looked down.
The board attorney stopped smiling.
Then Noah Ruiz testified.
He described the scholarship tax.
Another student followed.
Then another.
Peyton entered last.
Victoria was not present.
Peyton looked terrified.
“Did Lila steal food?”
The attorney asked.
“No.”
“Did you ever take Lila’s lunch?”
“Yes.”
“How many times?”
Peyton’s eyes filled.
“Six.”
Lila looked at her.
Peyton continued.
“I threw it away twice.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted her to leave.”
“Why?”
“My mom told me things would be easier if Lila hated Ashbury.”
The board room erupted.
Peyton began crying.
“I know it was wrong.”
“I knew then.”
“I just wanted my mom to be proud of me.”
Lila’s expression changed.
For the first time, she saw Peyton not as a monster.
As another child shaped by an adult.
The suspension was overturned.
But Victoria was not finished.
Before the meeting ended, she released a statement to the press.
It accused Elliot Mercer of secretly placing his billionaire daughter into a scholarship program intended for needy families.
By noon, headlines appeared everywhere.
BILLIONAIRE DAUGHTER TAKES SCHOLARSHIP SEAT.
MERCER HEIRESS POSES AS POOR STUDENT.
The story spread faster than the truth.
May you like
Lila read one headline.
Then she ran to the bathroom and locked the door.
