Chapter 175

Josef shot Calvin a look. "Dad, seriously? Sienna can't come over unless there's a reason?" He turned to Sienna with a grin. "Don't mind my dad, Sienna. He's getting old, a bit out of it these days. Come on, have a seat—I’ll get you something to drink."

Calvin was speechless, thinking to himself, "Should I thank this kid, or knock some sense into him?"

"Sienna, don’t take it the wrong way—I’m just worried you might be too busy," Calvin said, breaking into a fit of coughing.

Sienna frowned, quickly checking his condition. After taking his pulse, she said firmly, "Uncle Calvin, you haven’t used the 25 serum I gave you, have you?"

Josef came out with the juice just in time to hear that, and with a loud smack, he slammed the glass down on the table. He moved too fast, and hot tea sloshed over, spilling onto Calvin’s arm. Calvin jerked from the burn and barked, "Josef, you little brat! Are you out to get me or what?"

Josef gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, Dad. Sienna, you're right. My dad hasn't used the 25 serum at all."

"The doctor said his body isn’t fit for it and even claimed there might be something wrong with your serum. He kept it for a full analysis, saying he’ll only let my dad use it after confirming it’s safe."

"But come on, it’s the 25 serum—worth over ten million dollars. How could there possibly be a problem with it? That doctor’s just being paranoid." Josef thought, "Dad just trusts Dr. Lambert way too much. So what if they’ve been friends forever? That doesn’t mean he’s always right!"

Out of everyone, Josef trusted Sienna the most. She was the CEO of Hart Corporation—no way she’d ever hurt Calvin. Besides, who would use something that expensive to mess with someone?

"It’s my fault," Calvin said, coughing again. "Sienna, Leo Lambert is my friend. He just wants to analyze what’s in the serum. I’ll have him bring it over later."

Sienna’s brows furrowed, a sharp glint in her eyes. "Uncle Calvin, do you trust me?"

Calvin was taken aback, then blurted out, "Of course, Sienna—I would never doubt you, or any of you."

Sienna’s eyes dimmed. "Why? Why do you trust me so much, Uncle Calvin? We’ve only met twice, haven’t we?"

Calvin gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with a trace of sorrow and guilt. "Sienna, this may be your second time meeting me, but it’s not my second time seeing you. Ever since you were born, I’ve been secretly watching over you every year."

The Bayer family had let Selina down, and that was something they could never make right. They tried to cover one lie with another, but in the end, they couldn’t change her resolve.

"Uncle Calvin, listen," Sienna said. "If you trust me, I’ll be straight with you—I can get you back on your feet."

With a heavy thud, Josef fell to his knees in front of Sienna, eyes red with emotion. "Sienna, are you for real? If you can help my dad stand again, I’ll owe you for life—I’ll do whatever you ask, no matter what."

Sienna hurried to pull him up. "No need for that, Uncle Calvin, your legs aren’t completely beyond saving. I can help you, but you have to take the 25 serum. Right now, your body’s in bad shape—your heart isn’t strong enough to support you."

The 25 serum was a special drug that targets the heart, lungs, and even people’s cells. It was made from ultra-rare lifeforms that couldn’t even reproduce—basically, once they were gone, they were gone for good. That was why that drug cost a fortune.

"Alright, Sienna, I promise. I’ll do as you say," Calvin replied, his tone resolute.

Sienna glanced at Reno, who pulled out some documents and set them on the table. "Uncle Calvin, this is a partnership agreement with my company. If you’re interested, you can sign it anytime."

The relatives in the room instantly lit up with excitement. Now that the Bayer family’s crisis was finally resolved, they knew they shouldn’t stick around any longer. One after another, they quickly slipped away.

"Sienna, there’s barely any profit in this for you. It just doesn’t feel right for me to take advantage," Calvin said, shaking his head.

"Just let me do this for you, Uncle Calvin. Think of it as a little something from me," Sienna replied.

Winifred strode into the classroom in a black jacket, hands shoved coolly in her pockets, exuding an air of effortless swagger. She tossed her backpack onto a desk, and for a moment, everyone just stared in shock.

Then someone finally snapped out of it and called out, "Winifred?"

1:00 PM

That was all it took; the classroom instantly exploded with chatter. "Winifred? No way, it really is her!"

Someone said in shock, "No way, how is she even here? Wasn’t she expelled? I heard she turned into a total thug, always up to no good—she’d do anything for cash!"

Another one nodded. "Word is, she’s even killed someone. Like, actually killed a person."

People like her shouldn’t even be allowed in school. She ought to be arrested or something. A girl shook her head.

Another girl gossiped, "Last time I saw her, she was hanging out with a whole group of guys. Seriously, how shameless can she get?"

The other students got alerted. "We need to get the teacher, or the security guards—someone needs to kick her out of here!"

They all showed looks of disapproval. "She’s way too dangerous! How can they even let her into the school?"

With a loud crash, Winifred kicked over a desk and chair. "Shut the hell up, all of you!"

The room fell dead silent, not a single person daring to make a sound. Then, a girl in a white dress stood up.

Sylvie barked, "Winifred, you’ve already been expelled. You should know your place—you’re an outsider now."

"Trespassing on school grounds is a crime—don’t think I won’t call the police right now."

"Look, we were classmates once, so let’s not make this any uglier than it has to be. Just leave on your own. You don’t belong here."

She thought, "This is Avalore’s number one art academy—how could a delinquent like Winifred even be mentioned in the same breath as art? She doesn’t deserve to set foot here! The only real art prodigy is me!"