Amari stared at Mikayla and sneered. “Well, well, looks like you’ve got some skills after all.”

Mikayla’s face went pale, and she looked lost. “Mr. Goodman, what did I do wrong? Please, just tell me straight.”

Her eyes welled with tears, making her look pitiful.

Amari’s voice was cold. “From now on, you are no longer my student. I don’t take on ungrateful students who don’t know what’s good for them.”

Mikayla’s heart trembled. She had no idea what she had done to offend him. However, if Amari, an eighth-grade master alchemist, refused to support her, her future in the Sovereign’s Apothecary would be finished.

She quickly bowed her head. “Mr. Goodman, I was wrong. I deserve to be punished. Please calm down. Whatever punishment you decide to dish out, I will accept it.”

Amari narrowed his eyes, his disgust growing. In the past, he might have thought she was a likable student who would admit fault even without knowing what she did wrong. That seemed admirable then, but now he only felt coldness and disgust.

He finally realized that she was far too calculating. If she was this good at playing the innocent, then it meant she had been manipulating people all along.

Amari said coldly, “Ms. Owens, bottom line, a pampered star like you isn’t someone I can or will teach. You always wanted to meet my senior brother, didn’t you? Well, you already did, but apparently, you looked down on him. If you look down on him, then you look down on me, too. So from now on, stay out of my classes.”

With a cold snort, Amari turned and stormed away.

Mikayla broke down, bursting into tears as she ran after him.

Caden clenched his fists, too scared to speak up. He thought Amari was going too far, making such a beautiful and talented student cry.

How could the old man be so cruel? Inside, he cursed Amari as an ungrateful old bastard, but he still rushed after Mikayla.

Just then, Brielle appeared. “Mikayla, stop crying. Whatever the issue is, I’ll handle it.”

Mikayla, still in tears, sobbed, “Madam, I was wrong. No matter what it was, I was wrong. Please don’t let Mr. Goodman abandon me.”

A flicker of doubt crossed Brielle’s eyes, but she nodded. “Don’t worry. Amari’s temper is eccentric. I’ll see what set him off. As long as you didn’t actually do anything wrong, he has no right to blame you.”

Mikayla wiped her tears and walked off, as if looking for somewhere private to cry. In reality, she stormed out of the Apothecary, yanked open her car door, and her expression immediately turned cold.

Isabelle, who was always with her, looked up in surprise. “Mikayla, why were you crying?”

Mikayla pulled out a mirror, touched up her makeup, and said flatly, “Acting.”

In just a few strokes, her face returned to flawless perfection, once again the dazzling beauty who captivated half of Chetvine’s young men.

Isabelle gave her a strange look. “Mikayla, did someone bully you?”

Mikayla snorted. “Bully me? Please. That old man Amari doesn’t have what it takes. I just don’t know what got into him, suddenly turning on me like that. His attitude changed a full 180. I can’t let this slide. I need to figure out what’s behind it. If I don’t, then my chances of advancing as an alchemist in the Sovereign’s Apothecary will be ruined without a mentor to guide me."

Isabelle suddenly said, “I saw Andrew leaving earlier. Could it be because of him?”

Mikayla shook her head dismissively. “Him? Don’t make me laugh. You’re saying as if he has the power to crush me from behind the scenes. Still, it is strange… Amari’s anger seemed tied to his senior. But I’ve never even met him.”

She frowned deeply, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Brielle had tracked Amari down. “What’s going on? Why are you suddenly clashing with a low-ranking student like Mikayla?”

Amari huffed, his face still dark. “Nothing, I just realized that the Owens bloodline doesn’t seem all that great after all.”

Brielle’s eyes lit with sharp understanding, and she smiled knowingly. “So, this has to do with Andrew. You remember how you promised Mikayla you’d introduce her to him? I warned you not to make promises like that because it only makes trouble for your senior.

“The Owens family is only rising in Chetvine because of the power struggles there. They’re being propped up, so they look strong, but it’s not because of their own merit. Mikayla just got swept up in it and started thinking she’s actually that talented. In the end, she’s just another poor soul blinded by fame and vanity.”

Her tone grew colder. “But don’t underestimate her. She’s a schemer, and as another woman, I can see right through her. It’s better if you distance yourself anyway. It keeps her from dragging Andrew down. He’s the one I care about. As for you, Amari, you lack restraint. Your mouth runs before your brain, and now you’ve learned your lesson.”

Amari hung his head, took a gulp of liquor, and suddenly his eyes turned red. “I just can’t stand anyone looking down on Andrew. What has he ever done to deserve it? He doesn’t owe anyone anything. The powerful clans want him dead, his own Lloyd royal family won’t even acknowledge him, and the military erased all of his past contributions like they never happened.

“I can’t change those things because I don’t have the influence. But Mikayla? That brat? She dares to disrespect him? Forget it. From now on, I won’t give the Owens family any more respect. That little brat is dead to me. She’s not qualified to play mind games with me.”

Brielle sighed. “Calm down. Just don’t mentor Mikayla anymore from now on. Focus on your alchemy and help Andrew out. You’re getting old, and the grudges he’s caught up in aren’t something you can get involved with. As long as you’re okay, that’s one less thing for him to worry about.”