"Justin, are you asking for trouble?" Alfred stepped forward, his voice sharp. He hadn't expected to find Justin here, not in Yasnia. And that hand on Cedric? That was a blatant invitation to a fight.
Justin's body tensed at the familiar voice. He looked up at the masked man. Alfred? It had to be. "What's going on?"
Lucas rushed down from upstairs, finding Justin on the floor amidst broken glass. He helped Justin sit up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm not alright," Justin gasped, his face paling. The pain from Cedric's kick stole his breath. "It hurts… so much."
Xenia's anxiety spiked. "Lucas, what should we do?"
"Get him to the hospital!" Lucas snapped. "Who did this?"
Xenia glared at Noelle, still masked. "That school doctor went too far!"
Lucas recognized Noelle. "Noelle, do you know who Justin is? He's hurt because of you, and the Liddell family could be in serious trouble!"
"He started it!" Noelle retorted, frustrated. This night had gone horribly wrong. "Even the police would side with us."
Lucas turned on Cedric. "You hit him? The Parhams will come down on you like a ton of bricks! Don't drag my sister into this!"
Noelle stepped in front of Cedric. "This isn't his fault. He was protecting me."
"Noelle, are you crazy? I'm trying to help!" Lucas looked bewildered. "Can you take responsibility? This is the Parham family of Yasnia!"
Alfred added, "How can you say the Parhams aren't reasonable?" He wanted to slap Justin himself, but his disguise had to stay intact.
Ignoring Alfred, Lucas addressed Noelle. "Keep quiet. I'll handle this. Later, the man you're protecting will apologize to Justin in person at the hospital."
He helped Justin to his feet. "Mr. Parham, let's go. Your health is the priority."
Justin winced, teeth gritted. The pain overshadowed everything else.
As he passed Noelle, Justin glared. "You'll pay for this… it hurts… so much…"
Xenia lingered, her gaze fixed on Noelle. "This time, you're in serious trouble. He's one of Mrs. Parham Senior's favorites. You’d better apologize and beg for forgiveness."