Chapter 488

Dawn broke, and the setting sun slowly rose from the horizon. When Tiffany woke up, she walked to the villa's courtyard. All the flowers at the door were blooming in colorful clusters—a beautiful sight.

A servant meticulously tended the garden. Seeing Tiffany, she smiled and said, "Good morning, Miss Kelley."

"Morning, Lucy," Tiffany replied, smiling as she got into the car to go to school.

It was late autumn, and winter was approaching. Fog rolled in, and she drew a few strokes on the window.

"Miss Kelley, we're here," David announced. The car stopped in front of the school.

"Goodbye, David," Tiffany said, getting out with her bag.

Tiffany sat in the car and gently blew on the car window, sketching a smiley face. It was a rather lopsided smile.

It was early, but many people were already at school. Tiffany walked through the crowd along the path to the school. As she approached a pond, someone on the rockery threw something at her.

Tiffany dodged. A sandwich landed at her feet. The meat filling had cracked from the impact, splattering grease onto her white sneakers.

Tiffany looked up and saw two men and two women on the rockery, smiling at her with gloating expressions. They whistled and sneered, "What's wrong with your face, Miss Kelley? Did you accidentally hurt yourself sleeping with a man?"

Tiffany's eyes grew cold. "I'll give you three seconds to get down here," she said.

"Or what? Bite me? Do you really think Mr. Hampton will back you up? Didn't you see yesterday's news? Mr. Hampton already has a new girlfriend!"

"Exactly," the two girls sneered. "You're immoral and embarrassing, Tiffany!"

Tiffany's almond-shaped eyes narrowed. "I repeat," she said, "come down and clean my shoes." She pointed at the boy who had thrown the sandwich.

"Dream on!" he scoffed.

Their position on the rockery gave them an advantage. If Tiffany approached, they could easily kick her down. They looked smug.

Tiffany rotated her wrist. "Okay then."

She suddenly lunged, kicking a nearby rock to propel herself into the air. With a sweeping kick, she sent all four of them into the pond. It was late autumn; the water was icy.

Caught off guard, they fell, shivering and struggling. One of them cramped his leg and choked on water, reaching out desperately. His desperate grab pulled his friends down further.

"Help!" they cried.

Chapter 488 (continued)

After giving them a lesson, Tiffany retrieved a stick—originally for picking up trash—because, in her eyes, these four were no different from garbage.

They clung to the stick, struggling ashore. Just as they were about to attack, Tiffany was gone.

"That bitch!" one boy exclaimed.

"I'm so cold," a girl shivered.

Another girl said, "I choked on water! My nose and throat are killing me! We can't let this go! Let's find the principal!"

The matter was neither small nor large, depending on the principal's judgment. Soon after Tiffany returned to class, she was summoned to his office.

The group exaggerated Tiffany's actions, shouting, "Mr. Principal, we almost died! You must punish Tiffany!"

"Yes, severely!" another agreed.

The principal waved his hand. "Go change your clothes. You'll catch cold. I'll handle this!"

"Mr. Principal…"

"Go on!"

They reluctantly stomped off.

Silence fell. Tiffany leaned against the table, calm and unconcerned about the consequences.

The principal sighed and leaned back. "What else do you have to say, Tiffany?"

Tiffany's lips twitched. "Nothing."

The punishment was a one-week suspension, which Tiffany accepted. Leaving the principal's office, she almost fell down the stairs. Yesterday, her kneecap had been pierced by three poisonous needles; she'd re-injured it during the confrontation.

Tiffany continued walking, expression unchanged, and bumped into a group of school executives and board members. The leading man was tall and impeccably dressed in a custom suit, noble and calm. He was handsome, with an indifferent expression and a powerful aura. It was Richard. Tiffany's heart trembled; she almost lost her balance.

She'd heard Richard had invested heavily in Lovell School. Her heart pounded. She didn't know whether to move.

The group approached. Richard walked steadily, his deep eyes cold and indifferent, pausing only briefly on Tiffany before looking away. He passed her, and the others followed, flattering him with discussions of school resources. The incident was seemingly insignificant to them.

Chapter 488 (continued)

Tiffany gripped the railing, her knuckles white. Her injury was completely forgotten. She limped forward.

Passing the school doctor's office, she encountered the doctor. "Did you hurt your foot? Let me take a look."

"No, thank you," Tiffany politely declined.

The doctor insisted, examining her injury. He had a kind appearance. Tiffany had always… (The passage cuts off here).