“Just wait and see!” Julian threatened before hanging up. I was busy organizing the information Alex wanted and didn’t have time to dwell on it.

The next morning, I received a call from the university administration. I thought Alex had arrived. Hurrying to the office, I was surprised to find Julian sitting there instead. A bad feeling settled in my heart.

Julian stood up and, with an aggrieved expression, said to Mr. Augustine, “It’s her. Peter, the things she said were so hurtful that I ended up resorting to self-harm.” Mr. Augustine’s expression immediately darkened.

I scoffed inwardly. Julian was truly bad at reading the situation. Was he really calling the principal by his first name in this setting?

“Serena, would you care to explain yourself?” Mr. Augustine reluctantly asked.

Mr. Herbs stepped forward and said haughtily, “What’s there to explain? Yesterday, we told you to find proof by today. Did you manage to find anything?”

I shook my head. “Julian is trying to falsely accuse me. You can’t just listen to his side of the story.”

“If you claim it’s a false accusation, then produce the evidence,” Mr. Herbs retorted aggressively. It was clear he was trying to win Julian’s favor. I looked at Mr. Herbs and couldn’t help but sneer. “The accuser should be the one who needs to prove it. Julian needs to show his evidence. You can’t just ask me to prove that I didn’t say those things.”

“The video online is evidence enough,” Mr. Herbs said, rising to face me. His eyes were filled with malice and vengeance.

Julian had Mr. Herbs and Mr. Augustine behind him; I was alone. The precariousness of my situation was clear.

Mr. Augustine and Mr. Herbs didn’t want to know the truth; they wanted to curry favor with the Blakes and suppress the issue to protect the university’s reputation.

I trembled with anger but maintained my composure. “The video online was obviously maliciously edited. Julian, are you trying to twist the facts?”

“I sure am. What can you do about it?” Julian said with an arrogant smirk.

Mr. Herbs waved it off. “Alright, alright, that’s enough nonsense from you. We told you to bring a guardian yesterday. Did you? If there are no objections, then we’ll proceed with your expulsion. Make sure you behave yourself after you leave.”

“What she does outside this place is none of your business.”

Just as I was starting to panic, I heard a voice behind me. It was Alex.

I turned to see him calmly walking into the room in a light khaki suit. His gaze never left me. “Why are you crying?”

Mr. Herbs frowned. “You must be Serena’s guardian. Let me tell you, Serena’s behavior is just unacceptable. We’ve already decided to expel her, so take her home and discipline her properly.”

Alex gently wiped away my tears and shielded me behind him. “What exactly happened to warrant her expulsion?”

Just as Mr. Herbs was about to speak, Mr. Augustine seemed to realize something. He stepped forward with a sleazy smile. “Are you Mr. Hastings from Hastings Group?”