Principal Davis let out a choked, wheezing sound. He looked like a man who had just stepped on a landmine.
Richard Sterling’s face turned purple. He shot out of his chair, pointing a shaking finger at Maya. “This is a forgery! It’s illegal hacking! I’ll have you in federal prison for this, you little—”
“I didn't hack anything,” Maya said, her voice remaining as cool as ice. “You sent that over the school's unsecured guest network. My tablet logged the traffic automatically. The metadata is time-stamped, authenticated, and currently sitting in the inboxes of the state educational accreditation board, as well as three local news outlets.”
Mrs. Vance turned slowly to look at Principal Davis. The disgust on her face was absolute.
“You sold our academic integrity,” Mrs. Vance whispered. “You sold keys to our faculty desks.”
“Vance, listen to me,” Sterling tried to intervene, adopting a low, threatening tone. “You need my funding. You need my backing. You expel this lying little rat right now, or I pull every dime I have in this institution.”
Mrs. Vance stood up. She smoothed her skirt, looking Sterling dead in the eye.
“Pull your money, Richard. You'll need it for your legal defense.” She turned to the door. “Security!”
Two uniformed guards stepped into the boardroom.
“Escort Mr. Sterling and his daughter off the premises immediately,” Mrs. Vance ordered. “They are no longer welcome at this school.”
“You can’t do this!” Chloe screamed, abandoning her fake sling entirely and waving both arms. “She beat me up! She threw me!”
“Because you thought she had the footage on her tablet, so you violently destroyed it in public,” Mrs. Vance deduced correctly, her voice dripping with contempt. “Get them out of my sight.”
Sterling grabbed Chloe’s arm, practically dragging her toward the door. He glared at Maya, sheer venom in his eyes, but Arthur stood up, positioning his body effortlessly between Sterling and his granddaughter. The old man didn't raise his hands, but his presence was an immovable wall. Sterling blinked, looked away, and stormed out, dragging a sobbing Chloe behind him.