Chapter 6 The Art of Deception Chapter 6 The Art of Deception Azalea clicked her tongue softly . " You're blinding me . Sydney froze , confused . " Huh ? " ོ་ པད་ +10 Free Eding " The saintly glow you're giving off is way too bright . " Only then did Sydney realize that Azalea was mocking her for meddling . Her eyes immediately reddened as she stood there , looking hurt and pitiful . And , of course , with a beauty shedding tears , some fool was bound to jump out to defend her . " Azalea , don't be so shameless ! Sydney is just kind and concerned about you . What's wrong with that ? Look at the gap between you and her ! " Azalea brushed off Sydney's hand and gave her a little smirk . " Is that so ? Then , do you all know the training camp spot at Jubilee that Sydney got was actually mine ? I gave it up for her . " If someone selected for Jubilee's training camp didn't want the spot , they could pass it on . But in reality , very few ever gave up such a rare opportunity . As soon as those words left her mouth , one of Sydney's supporters turned to stone - her face said it all : I can't believe what I just heard . Sydney was supposed to be the star , the prodigy . For that , Azalea was forced to hold herself back in every subject , per the Larks ' orders . She couldn't even sign her name on the stunning paintings she created- those were handed to Sydney instead . But she had wanted to shine , too , even just a little . So , behind their backs, she secretly signed up for the Jubilee training camp . Her plan had been to surprise them with the results . But whether it was in her past life or this one , in their eyes , Sydney was always the only one worthy of such opportunities . Gasps erupted around them . " Had Azalea really given up the spot , didn't that mean her talent far exceeded Sydney's ? " The art teacher didn't deny her claim either . That spoke volumes . " And she's switching to academic classes now ? She really must be crazy ." People began to glance at Sydney differently . Who could say what was true in a powerful family like the Larks , with all that drama about real and fake daughters ? Sydney almost couldn't hold her expression . Her mask cracked for a split second , revealing a flicker of real jealousy and hatred . How could Azalea say that out loud ? Wasn't she afraid of upsetting her ? Of being scolded by their parents and brothers ? In Sydney's eyes , Azalea should be groveling right now - desperate to be welcomed back into the family , 1/5 Chapter 6 The Art of Deception doing everything to please her . $ 10 Fise Cant She was supposed to be the foil , the one who made Sydney shine even brighter . The one who helped her become the perfect , gracious daughter of the Larks . At that moment , two figures stood quietly outside the open classroom door , taking everything in . Hubert Lennox hadn't expected this . He'd just come to drop his nephew off at school and check on the institution he'd invested in - and now , unexpectedly , he saw her again . But she didn't look like he remembered . Her life now seemed much worse . " That girl , is her name Azalea ? " Hubert watched the thin silhouette in the classroom . Somehow , she looked even skinnier than the photos from three years ago . Hadn't grown much either . And those shoes … Weren't those the ones she wore on her 15th birthday ? She went home , and things somehow got worse ? Wylie Lennox gave Hubert a strange look . As far as he remembered , Hubert had left Draywick three years ago to expand his business overseas - he couldn't possibly know the newly ' found ' Larks ' daughter . " Yeah . You know her ? " " I've heard of her . Isn't she from the Larks ? Doesn't look like it , " Hubert said casually as if just making small talk about someone he vaguely remembered hearing about . Wylie didn't think much of it . " Everyone in our circle knows she's treated worse than a servant over there . Heard she fell out with them recently and moved out . " Hubert nodded . " Go to class . I've got to chat with your principal ." He had no intention of stepping into the classroom . As he turned to leave , he pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to his assistant . When Levi Harrington , his assistant , saw that Hubert wanted a full report on a female high school student , he nearly dropped his phone . Is Mr. Lennox falling in love ? For real ? He couldn't help thinking about it - after all , he'd followed Hubert ever since college , and he had not seen him show interest in any woman in all those years . Levi glanced at the girl's age and muttered nervously , " She's of age , right ? This isn't … illegal , right ? " Meanwhile , Hubert had no idea what wild guesses Levi was making . Wylie glanced at Hubert's back , feeling puzzled . " Could it be that he is going through early menopause ? " Back in the classroom , Wylie slumped into his seat without a care , ignoring the awkward atmosphere , dropped his bag , and dozed off like nothing had happened . The moment he entered , Azalea noticed Sydney visibly tense up . O 2/5 4951 Chapter 6 The Art of Deception She didn't get a good look at who it was , but it didn't really matter . Brushing past Systory & supporters . Azalea turned and walked out of the art class without looking back , When dhe returned to Class 13. the teacher was already lecturing up front . Thankfully , the homeroom teacher must've given a heads - up . The teacher didn't react much and simply motioned for her to find a seat . After the period ended , instead of diving into practice questions like usual , the classroom buzzed with hashed conversation . Azalea could feel the glances being thrown her way . Her brows knit slightly . If attention in the art class could be blamed on Sydney , then what would have happened in Class 13 ? She wasn't stupid . Something was definitely up . " You're Azalea , right ? " Her deskmate spoke up . The girl had a short , shaggy wolf - cut and was eyeing her strangely . " Yes , I am . " " I'm Irene Romanov . Just wondering - have you checked the school forum yet ? " With that prompt , Azalea suddenly realized something . She pulled out her phone , and sure enough , the school forum was blowing up . There were all kinds of posts accusing her , slandering her , and even saying she should die . They called her twisted , saying someone her age shouldn't be thinking about murder . Pinned to the top was a post accusing her of being jealous and pushing someone - obviously Sydney- down the stairs during the inheritance banquet . It even claimed that the Larks had kicked her out because of it . Azalea didn't even have to guess - this had Sydney written all over it . Makes sense - at least from Sydney's perspective . Step one was a success : kicking her out of the Larks . Step two was ensuring she couldn't even stay in school . That was Sydney's play . But Azalea didn't panic . Didn't even frown . " You're not mad ? " Irene asked , puzzled . Azalea tapped her screen . " Why would I be ? This is nothing . " A few lies and twisted half - truths ? Please . Sydney was being lazy with her tactics . Azalea had suffered far worse in the Larks in her last life . Any one of those experiences could outmatch this online smear campaign ten times over . Sydney's tactics weren't meant to bring her down for good ; it was more about planting a first impression in everyone's minds . That way , if anything else happened later , people would just think , " Azalea ? Oh , that's 3/5 ။ O Chapter 6 The Art of Deception . not surprising . " +10 Free Coins That was exactly how the Larks had treated her - layer by layer , they molded her into someone unworthy Her lips curled into a cold smile . If she hadn't learned anything after living a second life , then she might as well be dead again . Azalea pulled up a video from her phone's album and posted it directly on the forum under her real name . It was footage from the Larks ' security cameras . She'd recorded it before she left their house , just in case Sydney tried to pull something like this . Irene , watching beside her , saw everything in the video . It looked like she wanted to say something , but she held back . Azalea acted like it was just a minor inconvenience . She didn't even bother checking the comments after posting it . Elsewhere in school , a group of school leaders trailed after Hubert , showering him with praise . " Thank you so much , Mr. Lennox , for your generous investment . Thanks to you , our students now have such a fantastic learning environment , " the principal said , his last two hairs bouncing on his balding scalp . " Yes , yes ! Our students are the cream of the crop - future elites of society ! " another chimed in . " Future elites ? " Hubert raised an eyebrow . His tone was unreadable . He smirked and opened his phone - on screen was the full report Levi had sent him , including the forum scandal . " Is cyberbullying what your ' elite ' students do ? " The principal's two hairs wilted instantly . It was still scorching in Draywick this September . His forehead was drenched with sweat . " Mr. Lennox … " Maybe take a look at this first , " Levi offered helpfully . He'd flagged the worst offenders - those who'd led the bullying - with names and full profiles . After reading through them , the principal looked like he might pass out . This was the investor's first visit , and he'd done everything to keep things perfect - only to have this explode in his face . " I guarantee we'll investigate this thoroughly and hand out disciplinary action ! " he vowed . Hubert finally put his phone away and said slowly , " Didn't you say earlier that your school cultivates society's elites ? How could you allow rotten wood among them ? " Even though he sounded pleasant , no one dared to mistake that for goodwill . The principal trembled . " So , should we expel them ? " " School matters are up to the principal , of course , " Hubert replied politely - but his eyes had gone icy . III O 4/5 14:49 Saty Aug Chapter 6 The Art of Deception How could they let her be bullied like this ? He ground his teeth quietly , a dark storm gathering behind his calm gaze . ||| Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!