Despite Mason Lawson’s reassurances, Eve Vaughn was still worried sick.

’Even if Mason really managed to suppress the talk on the forums, her classmates would still be convinced she committed donation fraud.’

At the school gate, just before Eve Vaughn got out of the car, Mason Lawson suddenly leaned over to hug her. He gently patted her back and said, "Trust me. It’ll be okay."

"Okay."

A wave of warmth washed over Eve Vaughn, and she managed to force a smile to put him at ease.

When she got to her classroom, Eve Vaughn was immediately called to the counselor’s office.

The counselor, sporting dark circles under his eyes, said reproachfully, "Do you have any idea? I was at the hospital with Sharon Lowe until the middle of the night yesterday for her check-up. If I hadn’t stopped them, her parents would have called the police!"

The counselor had always been quite supportive of Eve Vaughn, so she didn’t talk back when he reprimanded her.

She just calmly explained, "Sir, I did get into a physical altercation with Sharon Lowe yesterday, but only because she threw my bedding and all my belongings in the trash first."

The counselor immediately said, "Oh, right, I almost forgot. Do you have any idea how much her clothes, bags, and skincare products you ruined are worth? Over three hundred thousand! You’ll probably have to compensate her for that. I always thought you were a model student, but look at all the trouble you’ve gotten into lately."

Eve Vaughn lowered her head, silent. ’Three hundred thousand worth of stuff... who knows if it’s even hers? Pay her? My ass!’

The counselor sighed. "I know you probably have someone backing you. But no matter what, Sharon Lowe is your roommate. You can’t just burn all your bridges and be so ruthless."

Eve Vaughn finally lost her patience. "She came after me first. Besides, I held back when we fought yesterday. I definitely didn’t hit her anywhere vital."

The counselor nodded. "That’s true. We took her to the hospital for a full examination yesterday, and it was just superficial injuries. However, the full-body scan cost over two thousand, and you’ll definitely have to cover that."

Just then, the bell for class rang. The counselor said, "Go to class for now. As for the donation fraud issue, it’s gotten the city’s attention. The education bureau has given us only three days to investigate. The school administration might want to speak with you soon, so be prepared. I believe you wouldn’t do something like this, but we have to give an explanation to the sponsor, as well as to all the students on financial aid."

Not wanting to make things difficult for the counselor, Eve Vaughn said, "I’ll cooperate with the school."

Back in the classroom, the professor had already started the lecture.

All of her classmates ostracized her. The entire row where she sat was empty except for her; no one was willing to sit next to her.

For the first time, Eve Vaughn felt the chilling reality of being bullied.

Even Aria, who she was usually close with, was now ignoring her.

She couldn’t focus during class because of everything that was happening. While her classmates were busy writing and taking notes, she just stared off into space.

Just then, the university president hurried in, with the counselor close behind him.

"Professor Chambers, my apologies for the interruption. We’ll need about fifteen to twenty minutes of your class time to address a matter."

The professor was happy for the break. He handed the class over to the president and went to his office for a cup of tea.

The president stood at the lectern and had the counselor plug a USB drive into the computer.

Soon, a conversation between Eve Vaughn and her sponsor appeared on the projector screen.

The timestamp was from before the fraud accusations surfaced. In the messages, Eve Vaughn had informed her sponsor that her financial situation had improved and that she wanted to pass the aid on to a student who needed it more.

This screenshot of their conversation was the most powerful evidence proving Eve Vaughn’s innocence.

The president explained, "The ’donation fraud’ accusations against Ms. Eve Vaughn have been running rampant lately. Her sponsor personally sent this to us half an hour ago as an explanation. Ms. Vaughn did not fraudulently obtain financial aid. When she initially applied for it, she was indeed facing financial hardship. Moreover, as soon as her situation improved, she immediately requested to pass her spot on to a student in greater need. This clearly reflects Ms. Vaughn’s sincerity and kindness!"

After the president finished speaking, a murmur went through the students below. Even Eve Vaughn herself was stunned.

She never expected the ’uncle’ to step in and help, much less that this message could be used to clear her name.

’Did he see the posts on the forum? Is that why he helped clear my name?’

Eve Vaughn was incredibly touched. She had assumed her presumptuous suggestion to sponsor someone else had upset him.

The president said sternly, "You are all adults and students of Rivaster University. I will not have this kind of blind rumor-mongering at our school! As for the person who started the thread on the forum, I will continue to investigate. A student with such a venomous heart and sinister intentions will not be tolerated at this university!"

His words sent a chill down the spines of the students who had attacked Eve Vaughn.

After all, the president himself had gotten involved, which showed just how seriously the university was taking the matter.

Everyone started speculating that the original poster was in for a world of trouble.

The president added, "From now on, I don’t want to hear any more false statements slandering Ms. Vaughn on campus. Anyone caught doing so will be disciplined for spreading rumors and violating school regulations, and it will be noted in their permanent record!"

Having said his piece, the president left the classroom with the counselor.

Eve Vaughn’s head was spinning. The reversal had been so sudden that she still hadn’t fully processed it.

’Just like that, all the accusations against me have been completely washed away?’

The surrounding students were dead silent. No one dared to say a single bad word about Eve Vaughn now.

After class, Aria walked over, bag in hand, and sat back down beside her. "I’m so sorry, Evie," she said. "I misunderstood you, just like everyone else. But that’s not actually what I was mad about."

Eve Vaughn gave her a puzzled look. "Then what was it?"

Aria hesitated for a moment. "It was actually... about Todd Hayes."

"Todd Hayes?" Eve Vaughn asked, slightly surprised.

Aria nodded. "I just felt so bad for him. He got that disciplinary action, the one that was going into his permanent record, all because he was pursuing you. But I heard him say that they changed it to a verbal warning today."

Eve Vaughn felt relieved. As long as this incident didn’t jeopardize Todd Hayes’ future, that was all that mattered.

Suddenly, she seemed to realize something. She looked at Aria. "You... you don’t have feelings for Todd Hayes, do you...?" Aria’s face flushed red as she whispered, "I don’t even know if he’d be interested. It’s probably just me being wishful."

Eve Vaughn couldn’t help but smile. "Go for it! You know what they say, ’When a girl chases a boy, there’s but a veil between them.’ I think you two have a real shot!"

"Really?"

Aria’s eyes lit up.

The professor returned and resumed the lecture.

Aria whispered to Eve Vaughn, "When I got back to the dorm last night, I heard Sharon Lowe cursing you out and saying she was going to make you pay. Did you really throw out all her designer bags and skincare products?"

Eve Vaughn felt no regret at all, saying bitterly, "She had it coming!"

"She definitely had it coming, but she said she won’t let you off the hook. I heard all that stuff is worth a fortune."

Aria came from an ordinary family in a small town. While she never had to worry about basic necessities, she had never used luxury goods.

When she heard Sharon Lowe say yesterday that everything was worth over three hundred thousand combined, she almost fainted. She couldn’t help but worry about Eve Vaughn.

Aria sighed. "You have no idea what a scene she made last night. Nina Steele and I barely got any sleep. I honestly don’t think there was anything seriously wrong with her, but she was groaning all night long. Then she finally called the counselor to complain and demand a hospital check-up. It was so annoying! I bet she’s going to try and extort you for this."

Thinking about how all of Sharon Lowe’s things were actually her own, Eve Vaughn chuckled. "Don’t worry," she said. "She won’t be able to extort me."

Aria asked in surprise, "Is it because you sold your family’s villa? You have money now, so you’re not afraid of her trying to extort you?"

"To be precise, it’s not that I’m not afraid of her trying to extort me. It’s that she has no way of extorting me, period!"

Eve Vaughn was brimming with confidence. ’Next, I need to get to the bottom of this with Mrs. Linton.’