Chapter 51

A lion reluctantly stepped forward. “Hello, Mr. Hastings.”

Alex straightened his waist and looked at Mr. Augustine. “Mr. Augustine, I'm here to formally request Serena's withdrawal from the university as her guardian.”

Mr. Augustine was incredibly flustered. “Withdrawal? What? No, no, there’s no need for that. It’s just a small misunderstanding. How could it come to this?” “But I overheard this man mention expulsion,” Alex narrowed his eyes at Mr. Herbs.

Mr. Herbs was startled. “No, no, Mr. Hastings, you must have misheard. This is all a misunderstanding.”

Mr. Augustine and Mr. Herbs exchanged a glance. Mr. Augustine stepped forward with a smile. “This really isn’t a big deal. The university intends only to clear up the misunderstandings.”

He added, “If necessary, we can call the police. As university leaders, we’re concerned about protecting Ms. Ashford’s future. Mr. Blake confidently insisted the situation was exactly as it appeared online. We were momentarily misled by him.”

When Julian heard them planning to shift all blame onto him, he couldn't remain silent. The Blakes, already simmering under Alex's pressure on their businesses, were further offended.

Julian stepped forward. “Mr. Hastings, the situation isn't as the principal described.”

I had been completely alone. Now, I watched those three, previously united, trying to shift blame onto each other. It was chilling. “Mr. Herbs insisted on not reporting the matter to the police and having my sister clear her own name. So, I gathered the evidence myself,” Alex said, producing his phone.

Mr. Herbs nervously wiped his forehead. “I was only worried that Ms. Ashford’s reputation would be ruined if the police got involved and the news spread.” Alex ignored him and gestured for his assistant. The assistant stepped forward, switching on a laptop displaying prepared evidence. “Here’s proof that Julian and his friend, Elena, have been harassing Serena.”

I was stunned. The evidence contained records of every interaction between Julian, Elena, and me. Everything was documented.

I looked at Alex in shock. Could he have secretly had me followed? Or planted a tracker?

Alex raised an eyebrow, motioning for me to look at the screen. “This addresses the first matter. The second concerns the video incident,” he said, crossing his legs.

The screen displayed surveillance footage from the restaurant.

I was shocked.

After watching, Mr. Herbs and Mr. Augustine fell silent.

Alex folded his arms. “Out of consideration for the university’s reputation, we didn’t report the incident to the police. Having provided evidence proving her innocence, I hope for a satisfactory response, Mr. Augustine.”

Mr. Augustine’s panic was evident; sweat beaded on his forehead. He stammered, “W-well, Mr. Herbs, you wanted to expel Ms. Ashford. You handle this.”

Mr. Herbs was rendered speechless by Alex’s intimidating presence.