Chapter 48: School Anniversary

Penny Palmer turned and shot her a venomous glare. ’Shirley Vance is no saint, so how could Amanda Vance be any better?’

’After all, she’s the one who just embarrassed me so badly.’

Seeing the furious glare, Amanda Vance inwardly shook her head. ’See? They’re always like this. They’re the ones in the wrong, yet they insist on acting like they’re the righteous ones.’

’But of course. Here, in their eyes, I’m the villain.’

The thought suddenly struck her as so amusing that she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Penny Palmer stared at her, her expression turning strange and wary. She had a bad feeling about Amanda calling her out.

Shawn Ford was also baffled by her reaction. "What’s she laughing at?" he asked, puzzled.

Samuel Ford watched the woman, who was surrounded by the crowd. It was as if an invisible line separated her from everyone else, creating two opposing camps. Despite being clearly outnumbered, she stood with her back perfectly straight, her gaze calm as she faced them, showing no fear or inclination to back down.

He watched her and suddenly spoke. "Laughing at the clowns?"

"Huh?" Shawn Ford looked around. Where were the clowns? ’Did the school hire clown performers?’

Samuel Ford didn’t explain. His gaze remained on her, a flicker of admiration in his eyes that even he himself didn’t notice.

Under Penny Palmer’s guarded stare, Amanda Vance spoke nonchalantly, pulling another invitation from her bag. "Shouldn’t you explain where this came from?"

Penny Palmer’s face fell the moment she saw the invitation.

She had assumed the invitation Amanda showed earlier was the fake one she’d given her, intending to make a fool of her. But Amanda was still holding that one, and now she had produced another. This new one was clearly the one Penny had given her.

The memory of how she’d obtained it sent a flash of panic through her eyes.

’No, absolutely not!’

She reached out to snatch it again, but Amanda easily restrained her. Amanda gripped her hand, a radiant smile on her face. For the first time, seeing that stunning beauty didn’t fill Penny Palmer with jealousy, but with profound fear.

The smile on her lips widened as a flicker of mockery crossed Amanda’s eyes. ’So she does know fear after all.’

’Someone who so carelessly slings mud at others’ reputations is actually worried about her own.’

’Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious.’

She raised her hand and gave the invitation to the teacher at the registration desk. "Penny Palmer gave this to me. As for where it came from, I think everyone will find out very soon."

As she finished speaking, a chorus of notification chimes rose from everyone’s phones.

The sound of new mail arriving.

Samuel Ford received one too. He opened the new email, and his gaze deepened as he watched the video on the screen before lifting his eyes to look at Amanda Vance.

"Damn." Shawn Ford had also received it. He watched it quickly, his eyes widening in shock. "They stole it?"

One of them was distracting the principal with conversation while the other sneakily reached for the blank, unfilled, and unstamped invitations on the side. Truly a well-matched pair, their coordination was seamless.

Tsk.

’But then again,’ he thought, ’where did this woman get everyone’s email addresses?’ He checked; everyone present today had received it, even the teachers.

’How on earth did she know?’

The others were thinking the same thing.

Uninterested in clearing up their confusion, Amanda Vance looked at the pale faces of Penny Palmer and Bob Rhodes and began to clap. Her tone was utterly sincere. "A pair of master thieves. You really do qualify as outstanding graduates. Truly outstanding."

Her mockery made their faces flush red then drain of color. They could clearly feel the strange looks from the people around them, and their cheeks burned with heat.

The teacher from the registration desk’s face darkened as well. She walked up to them and said in a harsh tone, "Please leave."

For something so disgraceful to happen at First High’s anniversary celebration, the school had completely lost face.

Today was the centennial celebration, a momentous occasion. It wasn’t just the school’s leadership attending, but also representatives from other schools and the Bureau of Education.

Thank goodness they hadn’t arrived yet, or this would have turned into a real joke.

After having them escorted out, the teacher took a deep breath, feeling a massive headache coming on. The people present were all elites from various fields, no longer her students. It wasn’t as if her words as a single teacher would carry any weight. She could only pretend that nothing was amiss and ask everyone to take their seats.

’Let’s just hope they don’t spread the word about what happened today.’

But was that even possible?

At this thought, she couldn’t help but glance at Amanda Vance again. She had seen everything that just happened. Penny Palmer and her friends had started it, and Amanda had merely retaliated. But her methods... The teacher then remembered the seal on Amanda’s invitation and, not daring to offend her, quickly averted her gaze and walked away.

She had to report this to the principal immediately and see if there was anything they could do.

"What? Amanda Vance?" Upon hearing her words, the principal spat out a mouthful of water. "Why is she here? I never gave her an invitation."

The teacher found this a bit strange. "You still remember her, Principal?"

It had been several years since she graduated, right? Students came and went, and even teachers like them couldn’t guarantee they’d remember every student they’d taught.

"How could I not remember?" The principal pinched the bridge of his nose. Back then, the school had been full of rumors about her. He hadn’t wanted to pay them any mind, but then she was actually expelled from Auden University. That was the first time in First High’s long history that something like that had happened.

And for *that* kind of reason.

Someone had dug deep into the matter and found that she’d been involved in similar incidents back in high school. The news spread like wildfire, and he had been forced to make a statement.

For him, she was truly unforgettable, even if he wanted to forget.

Good-looking and a good student, but her private life was a mess.

He frowned, not fond of such students. "How did she get in here?"

"She has an invitation."

At these words, the principal’s frown deepened. He had personally written every single invitation. He remembered clearly that there wasn’t one for her.

"The former principal gave it to her," the teacher explained, finding it strange that he seemed unaware. The principal froze completely at her words.

’It was from the former principal?!’

He suddenly remembered that the former principal had indeed asked him for an invitation a few days ago. He had assumed it was for the old man himself, never expecting it was actually for Amanda Vance.

’They know each other?’

The principal frowned, unable to make sense of the situation. He put down his water cup, growing restless. "Let’s go take a look. We can’t let anything else happen."

"Okay."

First High Auditorium.

After Penny Palmer and Bob Rhodes were escorted out, Amanda Vance said nothing more. She simply lifted her gaze to glance at Samuel Ford. She had been feeling a pair of eyes on her for a while now.

Unlike the malicious and gossipy stares from the others, this person’s gaze was calm, almost friendly from her perspective. Seeing now that the eyes belonged to him, she was taken aback for a moment before quickly recovering, offering him a smile and a nod.

She didn’t approach him, instead finding a place to sit by herself.

The onlookers who had been hoping for more drama saw her suddenly quiet down and sit obediently in her seat like any other guest, and their attention gradually shifted away from her.

The seats were assigned with name cards, and each place was set with snacks and drinks. Amanda opened a bottle of mineral water and was taking a sip when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that someone was sitting down in the seat next to her.

She turned her head slightly and froze.

"President Ford?"