Chapter 174

“Anastasia
Anastasia’s face was cold as ice, her lips curling into a frosty sneer. “Looking for trouble? I think you’re the one begging for it!”
With a sharp jerk of her hand, she sent Sandra tumbling to the floor. Sandra let out a shrill scream.
“Sandra!” Several girls nearby rushed over to help her up.
“Anastasia!” Sandra staggered to her feet, her face twisted with anger. “What the hell is your problem?!”
“My problem?” Anastasia crossed her arms, her gaze steely, her presence suddenly overpowering. “That hand you just raised-who were you planning to hit?”
If Sandra didn’t know about her and Juliet, that would be one thing. But from what Anastasia had just overheard, Sandra clearly knew Juliet was her cousin yet she still had the nerve to ask what this was about. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the.net
Sandra’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “Fine, I wasn’t planning to let you off in the first place, and now you’ve come to me yourself!”
No sooner had her words landed than she lunged, clawing at Anastasia’s hair. Anastasia’s expression darkened. She reacted instantly, catching Sandra’s wrist in a vice-like grip.
“Sandra, have you lost your mind?”
“Lost my mind? You can dish it out but can’t take it, huh? When you coaxed your cousin into seducing my boyfriend, did you ever consider this day would come?”
Anastasia blinked, confusion written all over her face. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb! I know everything! My boyfriend admitted it, and Penelope told me the whole story!”
Anastasia still didn’t know what the hell was going on, but hearing Penelope’s name, she instantly understood who was behind this mess.
She let out a cold laugh. “Sandra, have you always been this brainless? You know what kind of person Penelope is. You didn’t before, but you still don’t now? And yet you believe her? Just how stupid are you?”
“I trust my cousin—she would never do something like that. If you had even a shred of common sense left, you’d go check the facts before making a scene.”
With that, she released Sandra’s hand with a shove. “Juliet, let’s go.”
Juliet…
Hearing that long-familiar name, Juliet felt tears sting her eyes.
She bowed her head and followed silently behind.
Anastasia glanced back and saw that Juliet was keeping her distance, as if afraid to get too close. With a silent sigh, Anastasia turned around, walked back, and firmly took Juliet’s hand.
Juliet stiffened, unused to such open affection.
Anastasia pretended not to notice, leading her straight to the restroom where she gently washed the dirt and tears from Juliet’s face and smoothed down her disheveled hair.
“What on earth was Sandra talking about?” she asked quietly.
At the mention of it, all the hurt Juliet had been bottling up came rushing to the surface.
“I hardly know Sandra’s boyfriend at all,” she said, her voice trembling. “The only time we ever spoke, he asked me to pass something on to Penelope. I had no idea it was a Valentine’s gift. I gave it to Penelope-she accepted it at first, then gave it back and asked me to hold onto it for a day. I didn’t think anything of it and agreed. Then Sandra barged into my dorm with her friends, pointed at the gift, and accused me of trying to steal her boyfriend!”
“And Sandra’s boyfriend, Samuel-he didn’t want Penelope’s name dragged into
it, so he went along with the story and said I was the other woman
Anastasia’s expression turned glacial.
“And what about Penelope? What did she say?”
Juliet blinked back tears. “Penelope denied everything. She said the gift had nothing to do with her. I even overheard her whispering to Sandra-saying it was you, that you hated Sandra and made me go after Samuel on purpose
Anastasia’s face was terrifyingly cold now. Seeing her cousin fighting back tears, she felt a surge of fury that made her want to break something.
Almost without thinking, she said, “Why didn’t you tell me about any of this—”
But she stopped short, remembering something, and fell silent.
And right on cue, Juliet’s hoarse voice broke the quiet-