Chapter 433 Inferior Tactics
"What does Ryan look like?"
"No clue, but Tyler's seen him," Scarlett replied, realizing too late that it was Maximilian who had asked.
She blushed and said, "Katniss, are you really with Mr. Hamilton?"
Katniss chuckled, "Did you think I was kidding when I said I was joining Maximilian's company?"
Her playful tone lightened the previously tense atmosphere.
Tyler, standing next to Scarlett, chimed in, "Katniss, don't sweat it. The movie she mentioned was awful. Good thing you skipped it."
Sophia and Brynn also greeted Katniss and Maximilian over the phone.
Katniss then realized there were quite a few people on their end and reassured them, "I'll be careful, don't worry."
After Katniss promised multiple times, they finally hung up.
Maximilian had already walked to the other side to make a phone call before Katniss ended the call.
When he returned, his expression was still serious.
He said, "Don't worry too much. I'll be careful."
Since Scarlett and the others had already given her a heads-up, there was no way she would let Clara get the upper hand.
She had made up her mind to be vigilant in the coming days.
Moreover, Maximilian had arranged several bodyguards to stay by her side, so she wasn't too worried.
However, there was one thing that concerned her—the enemy was in the shadows while she was in the light.
They didn't know who Ryan was.
"Alright, I'll pick you up and drop you off for the next few days," Maximilian said. "I've also sent Patrick to keep an eye on Clara and her associates."
Katniss felt a surge of security at his words.
The day passed quickly.
The next morning, instead of heading to the office first, Maximilian drove Katniss to school.
Although Katniss thought Maximilian was being overly cautious, she didn't object and accepted his concern with a sweet feeling in her heart.
The morning training went smoothly, but Katniss noticed that when she walked into the classroom, people were giving her strange looks.
Ethan had taken the day off to handle family matters, so she had no one to ask about it.
Despite the odd looks, no one did anything to make Katniss uncomfortable.
However, as the class progressed, the stares became more unsettling, making her feel extremely uneasy.
During the break after the second period, someone approached her—a familiar face.
Katniss looked at Alex and asked, "What's up?"
Alex didn't like Ethan and, by extension, didn't like her either.
Katniss knew this, but they hadn't interacted much recently.
Why was Alex suddenly seeking her out?
Moreover, Stella, who usually stuck close to Alex, was nowhere to be seen, which was odd.
"The teacher wants to see you," Alex said curtly.
Katniss stood up and asked, "Which teacher?"
"Follow me," Alex replied without hesitation, leading Katniss toward the office building.
Katniss observed her surroundings and Alex's demeanor before following him.
"Didn't you hear the rumors?" Alex asked as they walked, noticing Katniss's calmness and looking at her like she was a strange creature.
Katniss frowned. "What rumors?"
Among the trainees, she was only familiar with Ethan and had exchanged a few words with Alex and Stella.
She hadn't interacted much with anyone else.
Alex gave her a disdainful look. "Your brother is dying, and you're really that heartless?"
Katniss's face turned cold. "I don't have a brother."
"You don't have a brother? Isn't your brother in the hospital? And you did something to harm your sister. I can't believe you."
"I don't have a sister," Katniss said coldly, realizing Alex must have heard some rumors. "What you heard is false."
"False? It doesn't sound like a lie. They seem pretty convinced," Alex said, eyeing Katniss skeptically.
Ignoring him, Katniss asked, "Is the teacher calling me because of these rumors?"
Alex was about to say more when he saw Stella coming out of the office building and fell silent.
Stella smiled and approached Katniss, "Katniss, the teacher is waiting for you. I'll take you there."
Katniss followed Stella upstairs and into the office.
Sure enough, their teacher, Hannah Nguyen, was sitting inside, looking very serious when she saw Katniss.
After Stella left, Hannah Nguyen asked, "Is it true that you refused to help your brother and framed your sister?"
"No," Katniss responded calmly. "I don't have a brother or a sister. If you don't believe me, Ms. Nguyen, I can show you my passport."
She was disgusted by the Manners family and suspected they were behind the rumors, but she didn't want to air their dirty laundry.
The Manners family might not mind the shame, but she did.
Hannah saw that Katniss wasn't flustered and believed her for the most part.
"No need to show your passport. But the whole class is talking about it. How do you plan to handle it?" Hannah's tone softened.
Katniss replied, "I'll call the police."
The Manners family thought they could intimidate her with rumors, but she wouldn't let them succeed.
Hannah nodded approvingly and said a few more words before letting Katniss handle the matter herself.
Katniss didn't hesitate. She left the office and returned to the training area.
Before entering the classroom, she could hear people discussing something.
When she walked in, the room fell silent.
Finally, Katniss understood why people had been giving her strange looks all morning.
Someone had deliberately spread rumors about her.
During the self-study period, she walked to the front of the class, facing everyone's curious and confused gazes.
"I know what everyone has been talking about this morning. You've been misled by false rumors," Katniss said. "I've already called the police about the rumors. When they arrive, I hope you'll cooperate with the investigation to help find the person who spread them."
Her words shocked the class.
They had thought Katniss was heartless and cruel to her family, but now she had called the police.
And she didn't have a brother or sister?
Some were skeptical, and one brave student asked.
Katniss had already asked Conrad to retrieve her passport from outside the school.
She said openly, "You'll see my passport soon."
The police arrived almost simultaneously with Conrad.
Katniss quickly explained the situation to them and waited for them to investigate.
After checking Katniss's passport and questioning a few students, the police concluded that the rumors were false.
They soon discovered that the trainees had seen the rumors on a piece of paper posted on the classroom podium before entering.
The method was crude, but the content was convincing enough to deceive everyone.
Katniss was helpless and asked, "Where's the paper now?"
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.
"No idea."
"Maybe someone took it?"
The murmurs grew louder, and the police, unable to get more information, took Katniss outside the classroom and asked, "Ms. Manners, do you have any suspects?"
"Yes," Katniss replied calmly, giving them a name.
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