Chapter 505
Everyone watched in stunned silence, unable to believe what they were seeing. The way he looked at her, the gentle way he reached out, left everyone speechless.
Olivia’s hands curled into tight fists, her eyes burning with a mix of jealousy and hatred. Anthony was the man every woman in this city dreamed about. She just couldn’t understand it. What did he see in Charlotte? Was he completely blind?
The Dean of Students glanced nervously at Anthony, who stood quietly behind Charlotte. “You’re the victim here, Charlotte,” he said carefully, struggling to keep his voice steady. “It’s up to you how you want to handle this.”
With Anthony’s presence looming so close, the dean didn’t dare show any favoritism.
Charlotte took a slow sip of hot water. Her face was unreadable, her tone flat and cold. “Same as before. Expel Olivia and post a public announcement online. Do it right now. Is there any problem with that?”
“Of course not,” the dean replied quickly, not missing a beat. He turned to Olivia, who still looked like she’d been struck by lightning, and spoke without a trace of warmth. “Olivia, Charlotte isn’t willing to forgive you. That means your punishment stands. Since both your parents are here, you can go handle your withdrawal paperwork immediately.”
There was no room for argument. His tone made sure of that.
Olivia just stood there, frozen. The sadness and humiliation pressed in so hard that she couldn’t even think of anything else.
After Charlotte finished speaking, Anthony finally stepped forward. He stopped in front of Steven and looked down at him, his voice icy. “So, how are you planning to handle Olivia’s situation?”
“What?” Steven looked up, his face pale and confused. He didn’t get it. Wasn’t getting kicked out of school punishment enough?
Anthony let out a cold laugh, his lips twisting in a smirk. “Well, I guess you’re only Olivia’s father now. No wonder you want to protect her. But you know what they say. When a child goes this far, the parent isn’t innocent either. Olivia did something terrible, and you’re not blameless.”
Steven couldn’t say a word. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the fear that gripped him when he faced Anthony.
Wasn’t this enough? Was it really not over yet?
Anthony’s eyes were sharp, his voice cutting right through the quiet. “Charlotte has nothing to do with The Main Family. From today on, I don’t want to see your familyin. Cabinda ever agam.”
Steven looked over at Charlotte,
searching her face for any sign of
weakness. But all he saw was calm indifference. For a moment, something dark flickered in his gaze, a secret he almost fet slip He bit
biti
back at the last second. Maybe her real background could help him make a comeback someday.
Forcing himself upright, Steven clenched his fists so tight his knuckles
sturned white. He stared at
Charlotte, his eyes red with anger and desperation. “You’re pushing me
to the edge ke this rope you don’t end up regretting it.”
Charlotte didn’t so much as flinch. She narrowed her eyes, her voice lazy and cool.
“I never regret anything I do.”
Steven said nothing more. With Elizabeth’s help, he staggered to his feet, still fuming.
She’ll regret this, he thought. Sooner or later.
Half an hour later, news of Olivia’s expulsion had exploded online. Everyone seemed to have an opinion, and most of them were cheering the decision.
In the quiet of the study, Hans stood in front of the desk, holding a fresh DNA report.
“Anthony,” he said with respect, “the results are in. Charlotte and Steven have a 99.99 percent match. There is a definite parent-child relationship, but
Anthony’s eyes flicked up from the computer, where he’d been reading the comments. Warm sunlight spilled across his face, but there was no warmth in his expression at all.
“But what?”