"His family's loaded, and he's already established. Why would he cheat?"
"What would he even gain?"
Doubt flickered across Bonnie's face. Her gaze slid toward me, uncertain now.
But Cliff's lips curled into a mocking sneer. He jabbed a finger at my face.
"Need me to spell it out for you?"
"It's for the guaranteed admission spot!"
His voice turned razor-sharp. "You all think this competition is just about rankings and prize money. But the grand champion gets a guaranteed spot at a top international art academy."
"That's something no amount of competitions can buy!"
Gasps swept through the room.
Bonnie's eyes filled with disgust. "Even if you worm your way into an elite school through dirty tricks, you won't last. And besides—" She smiled coldly. "Your true colors are about to be exposed."
When my expression didn't waver, she pointed at me, voice dripping venom.
"We'll see who's crying when the coffin lid closes!"
A group of uniformed investigators approached, one of them holding up a USB drive.
"This contains the complete footage—the painting process and the submission procedure. We're here to settle this once and for all."
The lead investigator turned to me. "You're Jack Gilbert, the one who was reported?" His tone was clinical. "I'll ask you one final time: Did you swap someone else's artwork to secure guaranteed admission?"
Cliff and Bonnie exchanged gleeful looks, practically vibrating with anticipation as they waited for the footage to destroy me.
I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw my own brain.
"I was granted exceptional admission last year," I said flatly, spreading my hands. "Why would I swap paintings to get admitted... again?"
