Chapter 81

“You think a ‘sorry’ can erase all the despicable things you’ve done?” Aurora’s voice dripped with contempt.

Jenny’s heart clenched. Flustered and disheveled, she shrieked, “But you hit us too! You attacked us!” The memory of being smeared with foul-smelling mud made her cringe. Even after showering at the hotel, she swore she could still smell it.

Aurora’s response was cold and cutting. “You started it. You got what you deserved.”

Jenny and Daisy buried their faces in their hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Their wails echoed through the school office. “We’ve already apologized! What more do you want?”

Aurora paused, a wicked glint in her eye. “You know, Mrs. Andrews had a pretty good idea earlier. Let’s go with that.”

They both instinctively recalled Nancy’s words: a serious demerit on Jenny’s record, expulsion, and a public apology on Monday.

“No way! Forget it!” Jenny immediately snapped.

Courtney frowned. The first two punishments could impact Jenny’s future, but a public apology didn’t seem unreasonable. After all, Jenny was about to graduate. Once she started college, no one would remember this incident.

“Aurora,” Courtney said, “Jenny knows she messed up. She won’t do it again. A demerit and expulsion are too harsh. What if she just apologizes publicly?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jenny stared at Courtney in disbelief. She couldn’t believe her mother would cave so easily, just going along with whatever Aurora said. Jenny shouted, her voice hoarse with anger, “Are you even my mother? Alison’s mom stands up for her, but you’re siding with everyone else! You’re not my mother!”

After yelling, she covered her face and ran out. Her words struck a chord with Daisy, escalating her own frustration. Daisy, too, rushed after Jenny.

“These kids,” Courtney muttered, “I try to talk some sense into them and they just storm off…”

Worried about their daughters, Courtney and Daisy’s mother rushed after them. The office suddenly felt roomier with four fewer people.

Nancy, who had been silently watching, let out a mocking laugh. She patted Alison’s hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Alison. As long as I’m here, no one will mess with you.”

Alison was overjoyed. She clung to Nancy’s arm, nuzzling her hand. “You’re the best, Mom.”

Nancy snorted, dismissing Aurora’s earlier warnings about criminal responsibility. She shifted in her seat, adopting a condescending air as she addressed Aurora. “Listen here, Aurora. Don’t push your luck. I’m letting the assault on Alison slide today, so you should count your blessings. Expecting an apology from Alison? Keep dreaming. It’ll never happen, not in this lifetime or the next! Go ahead and sue her if you want!”

Just then, Jaxon arrived, having received a text from his assistant. He caught the tail end of the conversation as he reached the doorway.

“What’s going on here?” Without fully understanding the situation, he pointed at Aurora and barked, “Why are you still standing there? Apologize to Nancy and Ms. Andrews right now! Have you forgotten everything I’ve taught you? Always keep your cool, never lose your temper. How many times have I told you this? It’s like you’re not even listening!”

Donald, seated nearby, furrowed his brow. He hadn’t expected Aurora’s father to react so strongly.

Aurora rolled her eyes, clearly not intimidated by Jaxon. “The people who actually messed up aren’t apologizing, but you want me to say sorry? I never faced this kind of injustice in all my years at the orphanage. Now that I’m back with the Crawford family, I’m supposed to just take it? If I’d known it’d be like this, I wouldn’t have come back at all.”

Jaxon’s face turned livid. He felt his authority challenged, leaving him embarrassed and furious. “You… you ungrateful brat!”

Suddenly, the school bell echoed through the halls. A wave of commotion erupted outside as lunchtime arrived.

Aurora patted her empty stomach, irritation rising as she realized she’d wasted her entire morning. She stretched leisurely and stood up. “Since Alison doesn’t think she did anything wrong, I’ll have to let someone else teach her a lesson. Better keep an eye out for that court summons.”

From the start, Aurora had no intention of letting Alison off the hook. She was certain that with a lawsuit pending, Alison’s SAT scores would suffer.

“Hold on!” Jaxon called out, alarmed, wondering how things had escalated. “What do you mean by court? What are you talking about?”

Aurora paused, suddenly remembering something. She walked to the teacher’s desk and gathered up the photos. “I almost forgot the evidence.”

Jaxon, confused, leaned in to see what she was holding. As he made out the contents of the photos, his face darkened. “Did… did Alison do all this?” His eyes narrowed as he easily spotted the Photoshop traces. His gaze shifted between Alison and Nancy, hardening with each second. He’d come expecting to mediate a petty squabble. These photos were something else entirely.

Aurora nodded, Jaxon’s fury mirrored in her eyes. “It’s not just the photos. Alison posted them online. Everyone’s seen them by now.”

Jaxon’s expression darkened. He prided himself on his reputation above all else. Alison’s actions had struck a nerve, and these photos would affect his standing in Mereida.

In front of the crowd, Jaxon patted Aurora’s shoulder, putting on a show of fatherly encouragement. “Well done, Aurora. I am proud of you for standing up for yourself.”

Aurora scoffed, having expected nothing less.

Alison knew her actions wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny. She tugged nervously at Nancy’s sleeve. Nancy flashed her a reassuring smile that seemed to say, “Don’t sweat it. We’ve got this.”

That afternoon, Alison’s father, William Andrews, returned from work to find Alison and Nancy sitting in the living room. “Alison, you’re home early today?” he asked, surprised.

Nancy was relieved to see him and rushed to explain, “Thank goodness you’re back. We’ve had such a terrible day.” She quickly filled him in on the school incident.

William listened silently, his piercing gaze making Alison lower her head uneasily.

“Aren’t you and Maura good friends? Why go after her sister?” he asked.

Alison, indignant, recounted Aurora’s “misdeeds.” “Dad, can you believe it? Aurora actually made me clean the bathrooms!”

William’s response was measured. “If you make a bet, you honor it. That’s just how it works.”

William, a seasoned player in the business world, was no stranger to deception and intrigue. Unlike Alison, he didn’t let emotions cloud his judgment when faced with a crisis.

Seeing that William wasn’t jumping to her defense, Alison grew frustrated. She stomped her foot, whining. “Dad, how can you say that? After all Aurora’s done to me, you won’t even take my side. She hit me in front of everyone!”

Turning to her mother, she pleaded, “Mom, can you believe Dad…?”

Nancy knew her husband’s soft spot for Alison and quickly caught on. She looked at William with a sly grin. “Honey, have you already cooked up a plan to teach that little brat a lesson?”