Chapter 884

Blood drained from Harold and Tom's faces. They regretted their involvement in this messy affair, but they had no choice.

"Wendy's parents contacted me," Harold said, "They want compensation; enough compensation, and they won't pursue legal action against the boys." He wasn't giving up easily. His nephew only had one son; his future couldn't be destroyed by this.

Aiken raised an eyebrow. He dialed a number. "The principal of Woodman High told me you only want compensation. You won't press charges against those boys. Is that true?" he said into the phone, then put it on speaker.

Jimmy's desperate denial echoed from the phone: "No! Impossible! We don't want money. We want them to pay! They must pay for what they've done! Don't listen to Harold's lies! We never wanted money from them!"

Aiken hung up, staring at Harold and Tom emotionlessly. They left dejectedly. Aiken's eyes glinted coldly as he watched them slink away.

When Skylar arrived at the hospital, something felt amiss. Aiken stood by Simona's room, an unlit cigarette between his teeth, clearly in a foul mood.

"How are Simona and Wendy doing?" she asked.

The darkness in Aiken's eyes dissipated as he glanced at her. "They've just finished dinner and are reading now," he replied.

"Are you feeling ill?" Skylar asked.

Heat flared in Aiken's eyes as he greedily scanned Skylar, quickly averting his gaze. "Ten minutes ago, the principal of Woodman High arrived with a teacher. They wanted to beg for mercy for those boys, to grovel for our forgiveness."

Skylar frowned. "Ever since Simona and Wendy were bullied, the school hasn't taken a stand. Do you mean they pleaded the perpetrators' case instead of visiting the victims?" she asked. She wasn't a saint; she couldn't forgive those who hurt her family and friends.

This explained Aiken's displeasure. He looked up at Skylar.

"How did you respond?" she asked.

Aiken recounted the conversation verbatim.

"Everyone can be a saint until it happens to them," Skylar chuckled coldly. "When it does, suddenly it's not so funny anymore!"

Aiken rarely saw Skylar this angry. He'd initially feared she'd find him too cruel, that she might look down on him. Skylar appeared weak, but she possessed inner strength.

"I promised Simona those perpetrators would pay," Aiken said.

"They have to pay!" Skylar exclaimed. "No one has the right to demand forgiveness after a dismissive apology."

"You're right," Aiken agreed.

A voice interjected, "Ms. Sullivan, what a coincidence! And...Aiken. What are you two doing here?"

Skylar turned to see Vera approaching. She suddenly remembered Vera's family members were also hospitalized.