The heavy doors clicked shut.
Mrs. Vance turned her furious gaze to Principal Davis. “Pack your office, Harold. The board will be pursuing criminal charges against you for fraud.”
Davis didn't say a word. He looked utterly broken. He pushed his chair back and shuffled out of the room like a ghost.
Silence descended on the boardroom once again.
Mrs. Vance let out a long, exhausted sigh. She looked at Maya, then at Arthur. The hostility was entirely gone, replaced by profound respect.
“Ms. Lin,” Mrs. Vance said gently. “On behalf of the board, I apologize. The corruption in this administration ends today.”
“My scholarship?” Maya asked quietly.
“Fully secured until you graduate,” Mrs. Vance promised. She looked at the flash drive. “And as for the tablet that was destroyed... the school will replace it. Top of the line.”
Maya reached out, pulling the flash drive from the table.
“Thank you, Mrs. Vance,” Maya said. “But you don't need to replace the tablet. The casing was broken, but what was inside is safe.”
She looked at her grandfather. Arthur offered her a small, proud smile.
Maya slipped the drive back into her blazer pocket. She stood up tall, adjusting her uniform. She had walked into the room as a target, a vulnerable charity case about to be crushed by the elite.
She walked out with her dignity entirely intact, her head held high, leaving the bullies and their empire in ruins behind her.