Elijah strutted into the dean's office, flanked by his parents. He quickly spotted Celine and Halley, both looking refreshed and composed. His heart fluttered when he saw Celine's delicate face. He had wanted her as his girlfriend from the moment he first saw her. Melody had only instructed him to create trouble for Celine, not to win her over.

What puzzled him was why Celine, from such a humble background, would reject him. He didn't care where she came from—why did she have the right to refuse him? He parked his sports car outside the girls' dormitory, and countless girls practically threw themselves at him.

He sneered arrogantly at Celine. "Celine, are you scared now? You've only been at Yorhine University for two days, and you're already about to be expelled! If you apologize to me now, maybe there's still a chance to turn things around."

Victoria grabbed his arm. "Elijah, look at how she beat you up! We're not letting her off the hook! We must make sure she's expelled from Yorhine University!"

Henry turned to Mr. Moore. "How are you going to handle this?"

Before Mr. Moore could speak, Celine interrupted. "Mr. Moore, if a bully sexually harasses female students on campus and threatens their safety, how should the university handle it?"

Elijah sneered. "Celine, why are you accusing me of sexual harassment again? Do you have any evidence?"

He was sure she had none. But Celine calmly pulled out her phone and played a video. It was a full recording—from the moment Elijah and his accomplices arrived to when he ordered them to seize Celine and Halley. Everything was clearly captured.

Elijah's expression changed. He was stunned. "Celine, you recorded a video?"

Celine smiled faintly. "Mr. Elijah, just as you wished, the evidence speaks for itself."

Elijah fell silent. He never imagined that Celine had been secretly recording everything. Celine's bright, clear eyes fixed on him, radiating intelligence and confidence.

Mr. Moore was furious. "Elijah! So you were the one leading a group to harass female students and stir up trouble. You didn't win the fight, and now you're playing the victim!"

Elijah was fed up with people saying he hadn't won.

Halley smirked. "Mr. Moore, what do you think we should do? I suggest calling the police!"

"No! Don't call the police!" Victoria rushed forward in a panic. She couldn't allow her son to get a criminal record.

Celine raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you planning to have us expelled from Yorhine University?"

"We were just joking! Let's forget about this and pretend we never came here!" Henry grabbed Elijah and pulled him away.

Elijah, still unwilling, protested, "Mom, Dad, does this mean I got beaten up for nothing?"

Henry smacked him on the head. "Shut up!"

They dragged Elijah out. The confrontation ended. Halley gave Celine a thumbs-up, and Celine responded with a radiant smile.

Outside, Adam watched the scene unfold. Behind him, Leo exclaimed happily, "So Mrs. Alvarez had an ace up her sleeve all along!" He frowned. "That Elijah is outrageous. He actually set his sights on Mrs. Alvarez and even wanted her to be his girlfriend. He must be dreaming." He turned to Adam. "Mr. Alvarez, it seems you misunderstood her."

He had indeed misunderstood Celine. She wasn't unruly or troublemaking; she was acting in self-defense. Elijah had targeted her.

Adam's gaze softened as he watched Celine, smiling brightly and vivaciously at Halley inside the office. She was so full of life. Earlier, in the dormitory, she had tried to explain everything to him, but he hadn't listened. Instead, he had lashed out at her, and that was when the light in her eyes had dimmed.