Chapter 1154 He is Just a Student
"Did you really submit it?" Audrey frowned. She believed Kevin wouldn't deceive her in such matters. If Quentin was lying, then Audrey couldn't tolerate his despicable actions toward a student, especially her cousin!
"Come with me!" Audrey grabbed Kevin's hand and headed towards the office building.
"Where are we going, sis?" Kevin was bewildered.
"I'm going to demand justice for you!" Audrey's eyebrows furrowed, eyes wide with fury. She was genuinely angry this time!
It was the first time Kevin had seen Audrey express such assertiveness. It was a stark contrast to her usual composed and aloof demeanor. Audrey was usually meek and avoided confrontations, but this time, for Kevin's sake, she was furious.
The two arrived at the office of the English department head, David. Seeing Audrey and Kevin, David was surprised and asked, "Mrs. Johnson, what is this about?"
"Mr. Carter, my cousin said he submitted his essay. I hope you can summon Mr. Rodriguez to confront him face to face. Let's see if Kevin lied or if he did!" Audrey spoke without mincing words.
David was taken aback. In his experience, Audrey was a teacher who kept to herself and never let personal matters affect her professionally. Today was out of the ordinary. He pushed his glasses, looking at the chilly-faced Audrey, shook his head, and said, "Mrs. Johnson, there's no need for such impulsiveness. We are colleagues. Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding. Mr. Rodriguez has only just taken over Class 57, and many things have not been settled yet. How about you go back first, and I'll have a word with Mr. Rodriguez to clarify things. What do you think?"
Internally, David also suspected Quentin's involvement. Quentin's reputation in the department was not great, and his substituting was often half-hearted. However, due to Quentin's influential connections, David was hesitant to further upset him, especially as he was nearing retirement. He preferred to downplay the situation.
Audrey, however, declared, "Mr. Carter, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't trust Quentin. I must confront him, and if you disagree, I'll directly approach Mrs. Johnson."
Seeing Audrey's resolve, David realized that Quentin had truly angered her. Quentin had stirred up trouble for Audrey. David acknowledged Audrey wasn't as simple as she appeared, being both a mid-level teacher and an outstanding city-level teacher. Perhaps her connections were not inferior to Quentin's. Rather than mediating, he decided not to get involved and summoned Quentin.
Quentin insisted that Kevin hadn't submitted his essay. Though Audrey knew Quentin was up to mischief, she lacked evidence, leading to a frustrating and tearful confrontation.
"Alright, Mrs. Johnson." Kevin observed Quentin's distasteful expression, feeling a surge of anger. This guy had no boundaries. Kevin had hoped Quentin had changed, but evidently, his bad habits persisted. Engaging in a standoff with Kevin was like picking a fight. Kevin and Audrey left the office. Audrey was still visibly upset. Kevin sighed, "Sis, don't be upset. It's just an essay competition, not a pivotal exam. You don't have to be this distraught."
"No, Kevin," Audrey, tears in her eyes, said, "This is your hard work, and it's all ruined by a single sentence. This can't be easily brushed aside."
"Thank you, sis," Kevin was touched. He reached out to hug Audrey, touched by her uncharacteristic concern. Perhaps Audrey wasn't as weak as she seemed; her kindness was often mistaken for vulnerability. Only when Kevin was faced with adversity did she step up to defend him.
"What are you doing? This is a school," Audrey reprimanded, quickly stepping back. Unsure of how to handle the situation, Audrey struggled to decide on the next steps as Quentin continued to deny his actions.
"Mrs. Johnson, Kevin." Vanessa intervened, walking over. Observing their expressions, she chuckled, "I've heard about what happened earlier. Quentin, that scoundrel. Mrs. Johnson, reasoning with him is futile. If he were reasonable, he wouldn't resort to such tactics. Mr. Carter is in a bind too."
"You can't stand by and watch Kevin be bullied," Audrey bit her lip, unwilling to accept defeat. "Kevin put in tremendous effort into his essay. I'm confident it could compete nationally. Quentin was purposefully malicious."
"Alright, alright." Vanessa took out her phone, saying, "I discreetly took pictures of the top three essays. Guess what I discovered?"
Curious, Audrey took a look. Shocked, she exclaimed in anger, "This is outrageous! How could Quentin do this?"
Kevin leaned in as well, only to realize that Ivan's essay was a blatant copy of his own, with just the title changed. The content remained virtually untouched. It became clear to Kevin that Quentin had surreptitiously submitted his essay under Ivan's name. Otherwise, how could Ivan, with his skills, have possibly secured first place?
"Quentin has lost his mind. If he wanted to please Devon, he could have written a piece himself. Instead, he chose to plagiarize," Vanessa sneered. "To think that by letting Ivan claim the first place, who would be satisfied with that? He's asking for trouble."
"No, I have to reason with Mrs. Johnson." Audrey's brow furrowed. Since David was reluctant to intervene, she decided to seek Oliver's help. With allegations of plagiarism, she believed Oliver wouldn’t shield Quentin.
"Let's go, Mrs. Johnson. I'll go with you. We must not let Quentin cause chaos in the English department. We have to get rid of him for good. Kevin, come along. You may need to testify," Vanessa enthused, eager to see Quentin face consequences. With her conflict with Quentin already apparent, she wouldn't miss a chance to put him in his place.
Surprised by his cousin's resolute attitude and Vanessa's support, Kevin saw an opportunity to see Quentin face some consequences. He followed Audrey and Vanessa toward the office building.
"Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Jones, where are you all heading?" Kimberly happened to exit the office building and was startled to see Audrey, Vanessa, and Kevin mobilized.
Audrey explained the situation, detailing the events that transpired. Kimberly was equally outraged, particularly recalling Quentin's ugly behavior when he visited her house at night. She promptly declared, "This is outrageous. I'm coming with you all."
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