Ch. 591..600

Chapter 591 Controlling

Alexander was still home when Elise came back. He was telling Cameron something, and they stopped talking when she came in. “Hello, Miss Sinclair,” Cameron greeted her.

Alexander looked at him, and he quickly changed his tune. “Sorry. Hello, Mrs. Griffith.” “It’s alright. Call me how you like.” Elise didn’t mind that.

“Mrs. Griffith?” Sheldon arched his eyebrow. I hope it’s not what I think it is.

“And this is?” Alexander went up to Elise and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“My classmate from the Elite Class. This is Sheldon, and this is Elliot,” she introduced. “Sheldon is Jamie’s brother.”

Alexander nodded and shook Sheldon’s hand. “Hello. I’m Elise’s husband.”

“Hello.” Sheldon shook his hand, and halfway through the handshake, he felt Alexander tightening his grip, and he frowned.

Alexander pulled his hand back like it was nothing. He put on his host attitude and said, “It’s almost lunchtime. You guys have a seat. I’ll get the maids to make more food.” And he left.

After he was gone, Sheldon huddled closer and whispered, “Boss, your husband gets jealous easily.”

“Really?” Elise didn’t think so.

“Yeah.” Sheldon put on an exaggerated look. “He didn’t even say his name. Only called himself your husband. It’s like he’s the women in ancient times who took their husbands’ last names and threw away their own.”

Elise was amused. “It’s not good to talk about someone behind their backs.”

“I’m not talking about him behind his back.” Sheldon sighed. He seemed a little disappointed. “And why did you have to marry at such a young age? Why didn’t you pick Jamie?” Then you’ll really be my sister-in-law.

“Did you just say she married too young?” Alexander said quietly.

Sheldon trembled. “Why are your footsteps so silent?”

Alexander smirked, and he wrapped his arm around Elise’s shoulder. “Hey, you have nothing to be afraid of, unless you did something wrong.”

Sheldon knew he was in the wrong, so he shut up. Alexander was the man Elise chose, and even Jamie lost out. He’s probably a scary person too. Better shut up.

Someone texted Elise at this moment and she checked her phone, then she sent a voice message back. “I’m home. Just send it right here.” She then told Alexander, “It’s Arthur. He’s sending me a new PC.”

Alexander smiled, saying that he got that.

A while later, Arthur and a group of young men in suits came in with computer parts.

“Whoa, Sheldon! That’s Arthur in the flesh!” Elliot held his friend in excitement. “The CEO of the biggest esports company in the nation and the creator of Dead Battleground!”

Sheldon was stunned, and he started feeling the flames of passion burn within him. Arthur was the idol and belief of every young person who wanted to get into game development. He was their goal, and now they were already meeting their idol before they even started working on their dream. This felt like a dream.

“Hey, boss.” Arthur came up to Elise and smiled. “So where do you want these computers? I’ll get my guys to send it over and assemble them.”

“Just put them here. I’ll mod them after this,” she said.

“Sure.” He nodded. “Put them down,” he told his men.

The assistants put the parts down and left.

“The guy who cheated yesterday is on all gaming companies’ black list. And I took down the company that made the cheat as well,” he said smugly.

“Thanks.” Elise nodded. “Tell the technical department to get ready. I’ll write a program that’ll detect cheats. They’ll need to upgrade the servers with this.”

“Thanks, boss.” Arthur loved that. Elise’s programs were nigh impenetrable in the nation, and using it in the games would save him a ton of trouble. “So, um, about that one-month marriage leave, can I cash in on that now?” he asked ingratiatingly.

“Um…” Elise had no idea how to answer that. She only told him that just to buy some time back then. What should I do?

“You’ll have to get in line,” Alexander interrupted. “Your boss is on marriage leave too.”

Arthur raised both eyebrows in surprise, and he pointed at them. “You guys are…”

Alexander held Elise’s left hand and showed the marriage rings they were wearing. “Yes.”

“Whoa.” Arthur didn’t know what to say. The boss married someone without even telling us?

“Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” Elise squinted mischievously.

“Congrats.” He sighed, feeling a little down. “But boss, I finally found someone to be my wife. If I don’t attend to her, she might run away.”

“True.” Elise didn’t want to waste his time any longer.

“Add me on WhatsApp.” Alexander handed his phone to him. “You take your leave. I’ll manage the company.”

Arthur’s eyes shone, and he looked to Elise for her decision. “Can I, boss?”

Elise shrugged. “It’s a shared asset. He has the right to manage it.”

“Alright!” Arthur added Alexander on WhatsApp and left right away. “My leave starts right this second. Thanks, boss!” He didn’t even look back in case they changed their minds.

Elliot and Sheldon arched their eyebrows and picked their nails awkwardly. This is supposed to be the mature, charming, and hardworking man we look up to? He’s just an office guy who doesn’t want to work.

“Sheldon, my dream is shattered.” Elliot massaged his forehead and leaned against Sheldon.

“Ah, piss off.” Sheldon shoved him away. “You want to act like a man with shattered dreams, go somewhere else.” He was feeling really doozy at the moment. He had heard Arthur and Elise’s conversation, and he found out that Arthur’s company was actually Elise’s. But how is this possible? She’s still in uni, and she’s a girl. Yet she’s the boss of a gaming company? Unbelievable!

While he was immersed in his thoughts, Jack came into the living room with a cake box in hand.

Elliot gripped Sheldon’s hand again, his eyes wide with excitement, and he stood up straight. “I-It’s an idol…” he stammered.

“Let me go!” He impatiently pried Elliot’s hands away, but he just wouldn’t let go even though Sheldon was prying it with his full might. When he turned around and saw Jack, he suddenly understood what was happening, so he gave up prying Elliot’s hand away.

Chapter 592 Petty Man

Elliot had a peculiar interest. Instead of beauties, he preferred to look at hot men. Everyone else had gravure idol posters pasted on their bedroom walls, but Elliot had Jack’s posters filling up his wall instead. Their friends knew that, and for some time, they thought Elliot and Sheldon were in a relationship.

Jack came up to them. Before he could even speak, Elliot was already blushing. Elise teased, “Oh my, Elliot. You swing that way?”

“No!” Elliot defended himself clumsily and loudly. “Don’t you guys know that Jack’s fanboys outnumber his fangirls?”

“You’re the only one who thinks that way,” Sheldon mocked. “I’ve never seen guys fanboying over a guy idol.”

“Hey, I am a fan of an idol guy!” Elliot snapped back by habit, then he realized Jack was around, and he blushed. He stared at the ground and explained quietly, “I like Jack because of his acting skills and charisma. It’s just admiration. I think he’s a really hardworking man and has a sense of justice. That’s all.”

The sudden ‘confession’ made things awkward. Jack looked at everyone quickly, and a while of silence later, he broke the silence. “Thank you for your admiration. I’ll keep doing my best at work.”

“Do your best!” Elliot nodded, fanboying again. “You can do it!”

“Thank you,” Jack answered calmly and handed the cake box to Elise. He then shifted the topic. “Here’s your dessert for the day.”

“Why are you giving it to me? Winona’s not coming today. Nobody’s eating it,” Elise said.

“I see.” Jack looked down, and for some reason, he felt a little bit empty inside. He was starting to get used to seeing that girl eating the things he bought, and it was an everyday ritual.

Elliot noticed the awkwardness, so he took the cake box from him. “I’ll eat it. I like desserts, Jack.”

“As long as the food is not wasted,” Jack said calmly. “Ronald’s outside. I have work to do, so see you.”

“Okay, Jack! See you!” Elliot, in true fanboy style, waved at him.

Sheldon shook his head and sighed. “I’m straight, Elliot. You’d better stay away from me.”

Elliot glanced at him. He put his cake down and jumped onto Sheldon. “I’m going to stick to you. If I can’t find a girlfriend, you aren’t going to find one either!”

“F*ck! Get off me!”

They started fighting in the courtyard.

“They’re lively,” Alexander joked

Elise smiled and took him into the bedroom. Once she closed the door and sat down at the table, Elise became serious.

“What is it?” Alexander touched her face, smiling.

Elise said seriously, “Alexander, I was on a variety show with someone called Kenneth. The TV station wants us to be on a live show together tomorrow. I want to go. What do you think?”

“And I thought something bad happened.” Alexander heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s your plan to lure the mastermind out, right? Why should I say no?”

“Aren’t you jealous?” Elise was surprised.

Alexander wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her into his embrace. “It’s just work. I’ve been prepared ever since I agreed to support you working in the livestreaming business. I’m not jealous.”

“Really? But Sheldon said you’re quite territorial,” Elise said.

Alexander sighed. “I am, and I am a little upset.”

“So why don’t I…” Elise cared about his opinion, so she thought it was fine if she rejected the invitation.

“Why don’t you compensate for that?” Alexander said, then he kissed her before she could say anything. “Right, that’s enough,” he said happily.

“You’re easily satisfied, huh?” Elise was amused.

“Do you want to satisfy me more?” Alexander huddled closer.

“No.” Elise pushed him away and went to the bed. “I want to take a nap. You go out first.”

Alexander stood up, sighing. “You’d better come out with me.”

“Why?” Elise asked innocently.

“We have stayed in the room for some time. If I were to go out alone, what would they think?”

“What would they think?” Elise then realized what he was saying. She blushed and quickly went out.

Sheldon and Elliot had just finished fighting, and they were sharing the cake Jack bought. When Elise came out, Sheldon stood up and tilted his head to the side as he stared at her. “Why are you blushing, boss?”

Elliot looked at her. He noticed that her face was red, and he immediately knew what must have happened in the room. He went and tugged on Sheldon’s sleeve, telling him to shut up.

“Why are you tugging on me?” Sheldon roared.

Elliot rolled his eyes and looked at him like he was an idiot. “Sheldon, do you know why my friend’s grandpa lived for a hundred and fifteen years?”

“Why?”

“He minded his own business.”

“What does that have to do with a long life?” Sheldon asked.

Elliot shook his head and went away with his cake in hand. He’s beyond salvation.

“Hey, don’t leave me hanging here.” Sheldon went after him, adamant on getting his answer.

Elise finally got the chance to escape, so she went to see Joseph and tested the computers.

After she went into the room, Alexander walked in from the yard and went to the boys. “Sheldon, are you interested in MMA?” Alexander smirked.

Half an hour later, Elise and Joseph came back out, and they saw Sheldon being suplexed and pinned down on the ground.

“Sheldon, get up!” Elliot shouted.

Sheldon felt his strength leave him, and he lay on the ground weakly. “I can’t. I give up.”

“What are you doing?” Elise didn’t expect to see this.

Alexander let Sheldon go and stood up, then rubbed his hand. “Just a little spar. I want to teach him how to protect himself.”

“Is that so?” Elise looked at Sheldon. She didn’t believe it.

Sheldon held his waist and got up. He looked at Alexander and nodded weakly.

Alexander smiled and walked over to Elise. He then took Elise’s hand and led her out. “Time to eat. Let’s go. Don’t let them wait.”

Everyone else followed. Elliot and Sheldon were dead last.

“Pick up the pace!” Elliot went to push Sheldon, trying to get him to walk faster.

Sheldon gasped. “Don’t touch me!”

“What happened? I thought you’re not hurt.” Elliot held him up.

Sheldon glared resentfully at Alexander, who was leaving. “He hurt me where you guys can’t see.”

“Whoa. He’s one cunning guy.” Elliot was shocked.

Sheldon agreed. He’s so petty. All I just said was she married too early, and he did this to me. I almost got killed.

Chapter 593 Not Your Choice

Elise’s phone wouldn’t stop ringing after dinnertime. First she got a message from an unknown number in WhatsApp, and she said she was on the class committee. She asked Mikayla, and Mikayla confirmed it, so she replied to her.

The person texted, ‘Hi, I’m Mica. Due to your special circumstance, I’d like to remind you that Mr. Kamp has added a night test. It counts toward the total score and will affect your chances of getting a slot, so please look out for that. The class chat group is made, and I’ll add you in later.’

Elise thanked her and turned on Do Not Disturb mode. Just when she was about to write the anti-cheat program for Arthur’s game, Tom video called her. She wore her jacket before she accepted the call.

“The jewelry competition is in two days, Miss Sinclair. Do you want to take a look at our participating work tomorrow?” Tom looked delighted and confident.

“I don’t think I have time tomorrow. Send the designs to me.” Elise was confident in the person she chose. The design they came up with should be decent.

“Sure.” Tom nodded. He asked, “Will you be coming on the day of the contest then?”

There might be a lot of changes during the contest. I should take a look. “Send me the time and location.” She then told him what to look out for and hung up.

Tom had a lot to report, since he was technically an employee, so Elise had to stop him.

At the same time, the Saunders household was in a mess as usual. “Out! Out I say! You disgust me!” And the door was slammed shut.

Edwin stood outside and sighed dejectedly. He lost count of how many times Celine had chased him out of her room. Even the maids weren’t surprised anymore, and they didn’t even stop to look.

Ever since she met Elise and Alexander at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Celina hadn’t been the same. She started having mood swings and developed a serious case of aggression. Fearing that she might hurt others and herself, David kept her in the room and let her have her meals in there. He’d see her occasionally as well. Edwin stayed in a different room ever since then, and he never went back to her room. Celina was his wife, but they had never consummated the marriage. What a joke.

He held his head low and went through the corridor. When he came downstairs, David called out to him from the couch, where he was sitting. “Come here, Edwin. We need to talk.”

Edwin heaved a sigh and cheered himself up, then he sat down before David. “Do you need something, Dad?”

David nodded and pushed a leather file to him. “Take a look at this document. If it’s fine with you, please sign it.”

Edwin gulped nervously and opened the file. When he saw what was in there, he felt a chill running down his spine, and his face was as white as a tombstone.

He wants me to get a divorce? Aside from the divorce agreement, there was also a local bank’s card. Edwin put the agreement down without even looking at the sum of compensation. “I won’t do it,” he said quietly.

David shook his head and sighed. “You know I only let you two get married to shut the public up. Now that the furore has passed, and you guys aren’t in love anyway, why don’t you two just get divorced? It’s better for the both of you.” They lived at his house after they were married, and David was tired of seeing them fight every day. Nobody can say a thing if they get divorced after the marriage.

“No.” Edwin wouldn’t give up. “I promised I’d take care of her my whole life. I can’t leave her like this.”

“Celina has me and the maids in the household. You’re just a failure of a man. What can you do for her? Don’t you see that every time you get close to her, she gets more agitated? If you know what’s good for her, then you will sign this agreement.” David’s face fell.

“I know I’m not good enough, but I’m trying. You have to give me time,” Edwin argued.

“You might have all the time in the world, but my daughter doesn’t.” David dropped the polite act. “Do you want to drag my daughter down with you your whole life?”

“I won’t. It won’t take too long. I am—”

“Enough,” David interrupted. “You have six months. If you can’t make something of yourself by then, you’re signing the papers whether you like it or not.”

“Alright. I’ll make something of myself in six months,” he promised.

David didn’t think it would work. He waved Edwin off, kept the agreement, and went upstairs.

Celina was in her room upstaris, watching her tablet and stuffing her mouth full of snacks. She kept changing between variety shows to vent her anger, then a notification caught her attention. ‘The mysterious yet popular star, Elise Sinclair, will be partnering up with Kenneth Bailey, the president of Smith Co. Watch all of it and more tomorrow.’

Celina held her tablet and got up from her bed. When she saw that oh-so familiar face on the poster, murder welled up in her eyes. She did this to me, and now she’s going to flirt with Kenneth on live television? I can’t even step out of my own home, but why can she live such a glamorous life, and on television?

And she’s wearing a mask? Probably because she’s afraid to let the audience know how ugly she is. Fine. If that’s how you want to play, then I shall give you a nice present to complement the occasion.

…

Elise woke up late. There was only half an hour left before the livestreaming when Winona came to wake her up. She washed herself up and went all the way to the set. While she was on the way, she texted Alexander, ‘Not even the alarm could wake me up without you around.’

Alexander answered quickly, ‘If I’m around, you would be too tired to wake up.’

Elise blushed from the teasing.

“Talking to Mr. Griffith?” Winona huddled closer.

Elise kept her phone and shifted the topic. “It’s just school stuff. So what’s today’s itinerary?”

Winona opened her notebook and double checked with Elise. “Some usual flow in the beginning. Intros, greeting the audience, the usual. Then the production assistant will hand you and Mr. Bailey a few mission cards. You’ll take those cards to the barnyard and make lunch yourself. It’ll end once you finish eating.”

“Easy enough,” Elise said.

They came to the set a while later, and everything went well. The equipment was set, the crew members were in their positions, and Elise and Kenneth had arrived at the barnyard the production team prepared.

Chapter 594 Exposing

The barnyard only had the most primitive farming equipment. They had to take the water from the well and collect firewood themselves. Naturally, Elise got the task of getting water and prepping ingredients, and she told Kenneth, “Get some firewood. We need the thin and dry ones. Better to make fire with.”

Kenneth leaned on the wooden stake and said instead, “Hey, if we can live together like this for our whole lives, it’d be swell. Nobody would disturb us, and we could make our own meals.”

Elise didn’t even look up. “I don’t know if it’ll be swell, but what I do know is that a dozen cameras are facing us. If you aren’t collecting the firewood, I’d starve before we can even live together.”

Well, that’s embarrassing. Kenneth went out to collect firewood, and the assistant director led him.

Elise got herself a bucket of water and washed the ingredients. She finished prepping a while later, and once Kenneth came back with the firewood, they could make fire and finish cooking in ten minutes.

But then, someone outside the yard shouted, “Sinclair!”

Elise and the camera turned around, and Elise saw Celina actually breaking through the security guards’ blockade, barging into the scene.

“Who is she? How did she get in?” The director was stunned.

Everyone else, however, thought it was just a segment of the show. They stood around to watch what would unfurl, doing nothing to stop Celina.

“You just had to cling onto me, huh?” Elise was getting impatient. She had prepared far too long for the national livestream, and she didn’t want to waste it just because an idiot like Celina showed up.

“Say what you want, but you won’t get to talk like that any longer.” Celina sneered and came up to her. “I’m here today to expose your true colors to the audience.”

Elise frowned. She had left in a hurry this morning, and she thought she didn’t have to take her mask off during the livestream, so she didn’t put on her ugly makeup. What was beneath her mask was her true face. Her real goal was to let her enemies see her making it in life and make them attack her. Letting her true face show was nothing, though she was worried that it might cause unwanted problems, since people were visual animals.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” Celina thought Elise was being nervous, and she took it a notch higher. “You tricked Alexander, and you deceived Kenneth, but you can’t fool everyone. A wicked person’s face is always ugly. Take that mask off if you dare, and let the whole nation judge.”

“If looks is how people judge someone’s skills and personality, then that skill must be a lame one.” Elise didn’t budge.

“Stop defending yourself, confusing people, and pretending that you’re such an innocent girl. You’re scared. You know how ugly you are, so you won’t ever let anyone know your true face. But I know what you look like. Surprised? You might have killed Faye, but you can’t hide your past, and now I’ll expose your true colors!”

Celina looked like she had won the battle. She raised the poster in her hand and turned it to the camera. “Look at this. This short-haired girl in red clothes with embroidery is Elise. You were all tricked by her. She’s not a beautiful woman who’s covering herself up. She’s just ashamed to show her face to everyone.”

This wasn’t in the plan, but a face reveal was a great topic that would garner a lot of traffic, so the director decided to follow up. He turned the camera to Celina and even gave her a close up to zoom in on Elise’s ugly face on the poster.

Even a gentleman like Alexander frowned back when Elise had her ugly makeup on. Now that the poster was revealed, the whole production team went silent with horror, and the audience was possibly disgusted as well.

The girl in the poster didn’t look like she was human at all. Her face was dark, and she had moles all over. Her hairstyle was drab, and her clothes were ugly. It horrified everyone. On the other hand, Elise was dressed up to perfection, and the part of the face she revealed was gorgeous. It was impossible to link her to the girl on the poster.

But everyone knew there were too few people in the world who had perfect looks. Most of them were just ordinary people. Embellishing someone’s looks through makeup wasn’t impossible especially at this time and age, so when they looked at Elise again, everyone was thinking that the girl on the poster was closer to what she really looked.

The production team received the audience’s feedback at this moment. They thought that a woman who couldn’t face her true self and chose deception instead had no right to be on live television.

Elise received a message from the director, who sounded helpless. He said, “Miss Sinclair, we might have to stop the live streaming early today.”

“No.” The stream could be rebooted, but if that were to happen, the audience who didn’t know the truth might not watch it because of what happened. It would ruin her plan of getting national attention and put a halt to her overall agenda. All her effort would have gone to waste then.

Elise took a deep breath and came out of the kitchen. She faced the camera and took her mask off, revealing her beautiful face. When they saw how exquisite she looked, everyone fell into silence. Makeup is real-life magic. It actually covered up all her flaws perfectly, and it looks so natural.

Celina was stunned, but she snapped out of it quickly and continued arguing, “I see you’re prepared. You even had makeup on. I know. You must be worried that someone might pull your mask off because they’re curious. Worried that they will reveal your true colors? If you’re so brave, why don’t you remove your makeup right now?”

Elise gnashed her teeth impatiently. Calm down, Elise. She repeated over and over again. Don’t argue with a b*tch like her. She’s rabid now. Don’t get mad over an idiot. She heaved a sigh and looked at the camera with resignation. “Director, do you have any makeup remover?”

The assistant director went up to her with the remover in hand, but Celina snatched it away, worried that they might help her. “You guys are trying to push her up to popularity’s peak. You won’t remove her makeup for real. Let me do it.”

Celina took it and poured some out on a piece of cotton pad. Then she went up to Elise. “Let’s see if you’ll still have fans once they see your face.” She wiped Elise’s face with the cotton pad, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t wipe the makeup off, and Elise’s face glistened even more because of the water.

Chapter 595 Elise Only Pretended; Celina Was Not

Addison was watching the livestream. She only watched it because her friend was on it, but when she saw what was happening, her chips fell out of her hand, but she ignored it. She stared at the screen in disbelief as it closed up on Elise. So Elise has been H all along? She’s my idol? So her backstage appearance was no coincidence? H has always been with me, and I never realized it?

A long, long time later, Addison snapped out of it and quickly searched for her phone, then she called her father. “Dad, I’m going back to Athesea.”

…

Celina watched as she kept failing to wipe the makeup off, and she slowly stopped. Eventually, she staggered backward. “Impossible.” Her face froze, and she looked at the makeup remover on her hand. “This thing must be rigged.” She angrily pointed at the crew. “You guys must be working with her! This thing is rigged! It can’t remove any makeup!”

The production team looked around innocently. Hey, you wanted Elise to remove her makeup, and now you accuse us of helping her. What do you want, exactly?

Celina was adamant that she was right, so she poured all the remaining makeup remover onto her face. She wiped her face quickly with the cotton pad, and a few moments later, she looked at the camera confidently. “See? This thing is fake. It can’t remove makeup.”

The camera gave her a close up, but aside from the cameraman, all the other crew members looked at Celina and frowned. Even Elise shook her head, her eyes filled with resignation.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Celina was annoyed by that look. “What? Angry that I exposed your tricks?”

Elise heaved a sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know if I should be angry at you, or if I should pity you.”

“Pity?” Celina thought something was off, and she looked down only to see some muddy mulch sticking to her hands. She then touched her face and realized that her makeup was off. She brushed her hand across her face and slowly looked at her hand. When she noticed the familiar color of her makeup, she froze up, and the bottle of makeup remover fell to the ground.

The makeup remover wasn’t a fake. It was, in fact, the best in the market. Celina might have used the whole bottle and removed all her makeup, but because of the way she removed it, all her makeup fused together and became a palette of grotesque colors. Some of the makeup was even flowing down her face. It was like her face became a wall that was filled with graffiti. All the colors had merged together, and it unnerved those who saw it. A while later, she realized something worse. This is a national livestream.

She screamed in horror and held her head, then she ran toward the cameramen, stopping them from recording. “Stop it! Stop recording right now!” But just when she stopped one camera, another took its place, then a whole dozen captured her messed up face and how she was throwing a tantrum.

She watched helplessly as the cameras pounced at her like vipers. She covered her face, trying to stop everyone from seeing her like this, but then she realized that it was all too late.

The whole nation probably saw how ugly and messed up she was. My image, all gone. All the years I spent maintaining my image as a wealthy young lady, wasted. Those rich girls who called my family an upstart are probably laughing their socks off.

Celina could hear them laughing at her. She covered her ears and looked around in panic, and the whole world spun.

“So she’s the real ugly person here. Yet she accuses the one H recommended as a liar?”

“Don’t you see? Elise is H. She’s my idol!”

“Whoa. Oh my god. That really is H!”

“Heh, that madwoman finally got what she deserves. Karma.”

“Elise was just pretending to be ugly, but she’s not. She even caused trouble, and now she exposed herself. She deserves this. Don’t pity her. The whole nation knows what kind of woman she is now.”

The crew members kept talking about Celina, as if they wanted to make the scene even more eye-catching; as if they wanted Celina to hear them. In fact, she did, and she snapped out of it. She turned to look at Elise, her eyes filled with malice. It’s all her fault. She did this to me. “I’ll kill you!” She pounced at Elise like a rabid dog.

“Sh*t! Stop her!” the director shouted to the crew members. He knew how many fans H had, so if she was hurt on his show, it would be the end of his career.

But they were standing far away from Elise. They were just going to stop Celina, but she was already inches away from H. She extended her perfectly manicured hands and tried to grab Elise’s throat.

Just before she managed to claw her way to Elise’s throat, someone suddenly came over from the entrance and pulled Elise into his embrace.

Celina missed her mark and slipped into the water tank beside the stove, and she flailed her legs around, revealing her undies.

The director quickly told someone to pull her out and yelled into the walkie talkie, “Censor that!”

The crew members were just about to do that, but Celina was already pulled out. Obviously, there was no need to censor her underpants now.

Celina choked on the water. She lost all her strength, and when she looked up to see the cameras still facing her, she went ballistic. She got up and ran away crazily. “Demons! All of you! Get away from me!”

And then the camera swiveled back to Elise. She was held by Kenneth, and they were watching as Celina made her escape. It was then that a few cameras gave them a super closeup. Elise snapped out of it and pushed Kenneth away.

Kenneth took a step back, and when he found his bearing, he gave Elise a look. “Ah, you are such a beauty, Miss Sinclair. I see I have been aiming for someone out of my league,” he teased.

Chapter 596 Was She Overthinking?

“Compatibility isn’t determined based on appearance, Mr. Bailey. If what you said earlier was broadcast, you’d be known as a shallow man,” Elise reminded him, her face emotionless.

“Well, perhaps I’m not a profound person to begin with,” Kenneth replied. His words seemed to have a deeper meaning. She sensed that as well, but now was not the time to argue with him. Hence, she changed the subject of their conversation. “Where’s the firewood that you collected? Don’t tell me you brought nothing back after being gone for so long.”

“Of course not.” He raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the courtyard, saying, “I wouldn’t disappoint pretty ladies.”

Hearing that, she ignored his flirty words and went straight to get the firewood.

The live broadcast proceeded without a hitch. At the very end, the director had a last-minute idea to include an exclusive interview on crisis management, and that greatly boosted Elise’s popularity.

The livestream show set a new record for ratings among all similar programmes in Cittadel, making Elise’s name ranking among the top three trending search terms on various social media platforms. The show was shared by many, resulting in a nationwide sensation that gradually spread abroad.

Shortly after the show ended, Jack arrived with a cake to express his congrats.

“Congratulations Miss H, our new queen of variety shows,” he teased. “Today’s script was good. The female actor was daring enough to remove her makeup in the live broadcast. She really went all out.”

“Thank you, Mr. Jack!” Winona took the cake with familiarity, and after a brief pause, she explained, as if she was afraid of something, “That wasn’t a scripted scene. That girl really barged in on her own. I merely walked away for a while and something terrible almost happened!”

Though she was still perplexed over the matter, she had quickly accepted the fact that her artist was H after hearing the crew’s explanation.

Winona, of course, still had some fear lingering in her after Celina’s previous attack on Elise. Hence, she vowed to herself that she would always stay by Elise’s side and not step away even for a single second for future shows.

“What?” Jack was surprised after he heard that, and he immediately asked, “Darling sister-in-law, are you alright?”

In response, Elise shrugged and with one of her brows raised, she answered, “No, I’m not.”

“Where are you hurt?! Why did you continue with the show when you’re injured? Quick, I’ll send you to the hospital for a check-up now!” He got anxious hearing her reply.

“I didn’t mean that.” Looking at the cake in Winona’s arms, she continued, “You always bring me cakes even though you knew that I don’t enjoy sweet things. Are you just unconcerned about me, or did you actually intend something else?”

Hearing that, Jack put on an awkward look and let out a few coughs to divert everyone’s attention.

Winona thought that he was hinting at her to leave. With great discernment, she said, “You both have a chat first. I’ll deal with this cake!”

And then she left with the cake in her arms.

Jack’s gaze followed her.

Elise looked at him helplessly and said, “The temperament of you and all your brothers is really different.”

“Why do you say so?” he asked.

“Though your brother isn’t skilled at sweet-talking, he will express his feelings openly. You, on the other hand, are constantly skirting the issue. All your words and actions are not on point.” Elise shook her head.

If he could just candidly say that the cakes he had been sending for the past few days were for Winona, she would understand his intentions.

After all, he had such an unique identity. It was difficult for people outside his league to imagine that he would have feelings for someone.

Winona most likely was aware that they were from different worlds, hence she had never thought about it too.

However, such thoughts of hers would only increase the distance between her and Jack. She had no idea that in fact, Jack took her as his equal.

Jack understood what Elise meant, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he found himself an excuse. “I saw someone that I know, and I’ll go and say hi to him.”

He left immediately after.

At the same time, Elise received a call from Alexander, informing her that he was coming to pick her up. They both agreed to meet at the entrance and ended the call.

With that, she walked to the entrance and stood there waiting. After a while, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Alexander walking out.

“When did you go in?” Elise wondered, since she did not see him inside just now.

“Given that Celina came to cause a ruckus while you were live broadcasting, I went in and asked about the matter,” he explained, then took her hand and led her to his car.

In the car, she asked curiously, “So, what happened to Celina eventually?”

“The director said the matter was reported to the police. I suppose they have informed someone from the Saunders Family and she will be brought back.” He then started the engine and drove away.

After driving for a distance, Elise smelled a familiar scent in the car.

Kenneth had worn the same cologne today; she had smelled it when he hugged her.

“You changed your cologne?” she turned to Alexander and asked.

“Yes,” he responded while concentrating on his driving. “I acquired a fragrance company recently and tried on their new product.”

“I see. It smells nice.” She nodded and looked outside the window.

She wondered why Kenneth would have it if it was a new product.

As if they had reached some mutual consensus, he remained silent too.

Earlier, he had taken some time to change his clothes and remove his mask, so he rushed out in case she had left, completely forgetting about the cologne.

Given her intelligence, she may have guessed something.

Thinking of this, he unconsciously gripped the steering wheel harder, with his brows squeezed together and feeling panicked.

It was not the time yet.

He hadn’t completely revealed his dark side to her. If he was exposed now, she would dislike him just like how she disliked Kenneth, and she would ignore him.

It looked like he had to move things along faster now.

They both had their own thoughts and remained silent throughout the journey. After sending her back, he left right away.

That night, Elise didn’t sleep well.

The next day.

Elise arrived in class early in the morning. The sun was rising with its rays slanted in the corridors, casting a layer of golden light on her. She looked breathtakingly beautiful.

That caused a commotion in the classroom.

“I suppose this is what they call a fairy. It’s all very surreal to me!”

“H is simply Cittadel’s standard of beauty, and she’s as lovely as a fairy. My heart is racing right now!”

“I’ve said that H must be a scholar, and indeed! She is the top scholar of the art stream! I adore her even more now!”

“I have to seize this opportunity to take a photo with her. Who knows if I’ll even get a chance next time?”

One of them took out his phone, and the others followed. All of them gathered around Elise.

“H, let’s take a photo together!”

“Just one photo is enough, Miss Sinclair! Please!”

“My idol! I’m your real fan too, can I…”

The entire classroom was instantly divided into two sections—one with Elise in the center where most of them couldn’t get near her, and the other, Sophie alone.

Chapter 597 Ridiculous Grandstanding

She felt disgusted seeing these people flocking toward Elise. Were the scholars in Tissote University this green? They were acting like they had never seen a beautiful girl before. What was the big deal about Elise’s beautiful looks and her past popularity?

In the end, she was just a wild girl from the countryside. God knew how many germs and viruses she carried, and even her genes were inferior to them! One would have ten years of life deducted from their lifespan just by touching her. Did they have to be so close to her?

Female artists could be found almost anywhere in this era, especially in Tisotte. Just throw a stone outside and it may strike a trainee, an artist-to-be.

But Sophie was different! She was a brilliant and talented science scholar, who would one day bring glory to the school, if not the country! Instead of being captivated by her, they instead went crazy for an actress. These people were just so unprincipled!

At this moment, Martin appeared.

When he walked in, he saw Elise standing on the podium, surrounded by students asking for her autograph or a photo with her. The entire classroom was extremely noisy. It didn’t look like a place to study at all.

His expression changed to an awful one when he saw this.

An alert guy noticed him and immediately exclaimed, “Mr. Kamp!”

Hearing that, everyone else ran back to their seats and sat down quietly.

With this, Elise felt relieved and walked toward her seat.

Martin then rose to the podium, tidied his shirt, and looked sternly at the entire classroom with his hands on his waist.

When the students saw him in this manner, they immediately felt guilty and lowered their heads. Sophie was the only one who raised her head arrogantly, ready to witness a good show.

The entire classroom was deafeningly silent. The students were under immense pressure as they all knew that there was always a terrifying calm before a storm.

After God knew how long, Martin finally broke the silence.

“Who can tell me what place this is? Who?”

“This is the Elite Class! Each and every one here enjoys the best resources and attention from the country, but what were all of you doing just now? You were all ridiculously seeking pleasure!”

“Especially one particular classmate who was initially left behind. Her family and friends spent so much effort to get her in, but she was ungrateful and sees the school as a venue for her grandstanding! She’s hopeless! All of you want to fail along with her, don’t you?”

All the students knew that they were guilty of what he said, so they lowered their heads even more.

Though he didn’t explicitly say that Elise was the root of the problems, what he said was obvious enough to have the same effect as if he had expressly identified her.

When he said “ridiculous” and “grandstanding”, he was obviously referring to her.

Hearing his scolding, she raised her gaze angrily and looked into Martin’s eyes across the classroom.

The shot always hit the bird that poked its head out. Martin immediately noticed Elise among all the students who were lowering their heads.

He could feel that Elise exuded a strong aura that a college student who had never stepped into the outside world would have; it meant that she had absolute confidence in her capabilities.

He had only seen that kind of gaze once in the eyes of a world-renowned professor. At this moment, he almost couldn’t bear her stare.

His mind went blank for the few seconds they both had eye contact, and he forgot what he needed to do next.

At this point, Sheldon walked in and he immediately came to the aid of Elise.

“Mr. Kamp, as a university professor, why are you so mean with your words? I can hear you from the corridor. I suppose this is school bullying and I can sue you for it.”

Hearing what he said, Martin regained his senses and directed all his anger toward him. “What has it got to do with you? Don’t think that you…”

“What?” Sheldon did not give him a chance to finish his sentence. “You’re knowledgeable, so I’ve nothing to say about that, but I can’t say the same for your personality. This Elite Class has just started, and how many times have you already treated Elise unkindly and made oblique accusations against her? If you aren’t decent yourself, how can you be qualified to educate others?”

“The fact that our classmates asked for her autograph as well as photos together shows how well-liked and popular she is, as well as how harmonious our class is. Furthermore, it did not occur during class. What did they do wrong?”

“People who know nothing have no right to say anything, as the old adage goes. How much do you know about Elise that makes you qualified to describe her so viciously?”

Sheldon was good at nothing, but he was the top guy in terms of arguing and talking back to their teachers. Martin was so stunned by all his words that he had no idea which sentence he should reply to first.

Some of the classmates had long been unhappy about Martin’s targeting of Elise, and hence, they immediately stood up and backed Sheldon.

“Mr. Kamp, Sheldon is right. Elise was innocent all the while. I was the one who stopped her on the podium and asked for her autograph as well as a photo with her. She was kind enough to not reject me, but she shouldn’t be my scapegoat. If you must punish someone, please punish me.”

“Me too! I’m involved also!”

“Mr. Kamp, I stopped Elise too!”

“Mr. Kamp, you’re too obvious in targeting Elise!”

“Exactly! To be honest, I initially thought all of the teachers in this Elite Class would be easy-going, but Mr. Kamp’s conduct for the last two days has really disappointed me…”

Within a minute, almost half of the class had stood up, and the public opinion was that Elise had been treated unfairly.

Martin lost all of his arrogance and his expression turned more and more sour.

A teacher who lacked the support of his students had no right to lose his temper.

“That’s enough! Stop talking and get back to your seats!” Martin decided to just ignore all of them and end this matter sloppily. “This matter ends here. There’s no need to continue arguing about such meaningless matters. Keep quiet. I’ve got a very important message to share…”

“Wait!” Just after everyone sat down, Elise stood up and shouted. She looked at Martin firmly and asked, “The matter was meaningless just because you said so?”

Hearing that, Martin adjusted his glasses and with gritted teeth, he said rudely, “What do you want then?”

“I need an apology,” she said, in a way which was neither haughty nor humble.

“What?” Martin appeared as if he found what she said amusing, and he asked, “Are you asking me to apologize to you? Do you need me to remind you that you’re merely a student, and I’m the teacher who imparts knowledge to you?”

He, being a teacher who graduated from a prestigious foreign university, was highly sought after everywhere. How could he admit defeat to his student?

Elise was not at all impressed by what he said. “Do teachers have any special privilege? Can teachers simply wrong students then? In which book is it stated that teachers do not need to apologize after making a mistake? Or do you believe that you’ve been doing the right thing all this while, and thus you don’t need to apologize, Mr. Kamp? You humiliated me with your words earlier. If you think that this is a normal thing to do to a student, then I highly doubt your credentials as a teacher!”

“That’s true! Elise is right. No matter who you are, you have to apologize after making a mistake!”Sheldon agreed.

“You two!” Martin’s face flushed with anger. He needed to find some support among the students so that he wouldn’t be humiliated.

Sure enough, Sophie was sharp enough to sense that, and she stood up.

“Elise Sinclair, you’re being unreasonable! Everything Mr. Martin has done is for our own good, as well as for the benefit of the entire Elite Class. Who are you to make things difficult for him?

Chapter 598 Apology

Betrayers were the most despised. Sophie’s words immediately aroused the dissatisfaction of the other classmates. “So, according to what you have said, we should be like a robot that only knows how to study and nothing else?”

“That’s right. Shouldn’t he be more fair and just if it’s for the benefit of the entire class? Elise couldn’t have caused such a commotion on her own, and everyone was involved. It’s either all of us or none of us get punished. No one should be excluded!”

“How can that be?” Sophia refuted angrily. “I’m not like the rest of you, who acted as if you’ve never seen an artist before. What exactly is the big deal? She merely knows how to produce one or two songs and get close to men in front of the cameras to attract attention. Standing by someone like her is beneath my dignity!”

As soon as she finished her words, everyone’s expression went through a subtle change.

Seeing this, Elise shook her head contemptuously and smiled.

Sophia indeed impressed her by getting into this Elite Class, proving that she had exceptional logical thinking skills when it came to physics. However, she lacked emotional intelligence. The word she just said was aimed at Elise, but she had unintentionally offended the entire class.

She thought she was superior to everyone else, but in fact, she had become everyone’s common enemy.

But she was still immersed in her own thoughts, convinced that she was unique and untainted by the people around her.

“First and foremost, I thank you for not wanting to be close with me,” Elise said graciously. “However, I don’t think that requesting an apology from someone who has done me wrong and holding him accountable for his actions are overboard. You said I was unreasonable, Sophie, but what are you doing now?”

“That’s right.” Sheldon continued in a hostile tone, “What’re you doing with such a fallacious argument? Aren’t you also being unreasonable? Furthermore, Elise has reason on her side. Your argument is nothing but sophistry!”

“Y-You two!” Sophie was so mad that she had no idea how to respond.

At this moment, an articulated hand stretched into the classroom and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

The knock on the door interrupted the debate in the classroom, and everyone looked toward the source of the sound. They saw Kenneth standing by the door dressed in a full suit, a hat in his hands. He was smiling, but those who knew him would be able to tell that it wasn’t a genuine smile.

“Excuse me, everyone. Please give me a few minutes.” With a faint smile on his face, he turned to face Martin and said, “Mr. Kamp, please come out for a moment. I need to speak with you privately about something.”

After finishing his sentence, he turned and walked to the corridor, where he waited for Martin.

Martin, on the other hand, noticed Kenneth’s curving lips dropping the moment he turned. That caused Martin to start having chills.

With his teeth clenched, he raised his legs and walked out nervously.

Kenneth stood in the corridor while leaning against the railings, his head slightly tilted up. Looking at him from afar was like admiring the tranquility of the rising sun.

Martin approached him and came to a halt half a meter in front of him. Casually, he asked, “Mr. Bailey, what do you want?”

Hearing his voice, Kenneth turned around, lowered his head while smirking, and slowly removed his white gloves.

Then, out of the blue, he gave Martin a hard slap.

Martin was unable to react. He could only feel numbness on his face and a bloody taste in his mouth.

He raised his hand to touch the corner of his mouth and brought it before his eyes. Indeed, his mouth was bleeding.

“Kenneth Bailey!” Martin was enraged. “You’re assaulting me! Believe it or not, I’ll sue you!”

However, Kenneth couldn’t care less about what Martin said. “What? You can’t even stand this? Did you feel like you were humiliated?”

His voice turned colder as he continued, “The force I used to slap you earlier wasn’t even a tenth of what you used to slap Elise. What’s there for you to be upset about?”

“Nonsense! When did I slap Elise before?” Martin disputed.

“You should be thankful that you didn’t do so.” Kenneth’s eyes were tinged with malice. “If you did lay your hands on her, I wouldn’t just slap you. As the homeroom teacher, you humiliated a female student in front of everyone with your vicious words. Do you know that the loss of reputation and dignity is far more serious than any physical injury for a lady?”

“I merely gave you a slap and you wanted to sue me. That being the case, the hurt you inflicted on Elise should be paid for with your life. She was kind enough to merely demand an apology, but you said she was unreasonable. Who is the one being unreasonable here?”

“Of course, if you don’t think that you’re wrong, I too, need not be guilty about slapping you just now.”

“So, Mr. Kamp, do you want to hear me apologize, followed by your apology to her after you go in, or do you prefer to admit your lack in morality, which makes you unfit to lead the Elite Class, and thus fired by the school?”

Martin was rendered speechless, but he unconsciously clenched his fists that were hanging by his side.

It was no surprise that Kenneth was a successful businessman. He could talk so well that Martin felt dizzy from all he said.

Then again, Martin himself was a big shot in the academic field. What rights did Kenneth have to teach him how to educate his students?

In the end, he was only doing all of these for Elise.

It was unfortunate that the culture in this country was such that the wealthy could do whatever they wanted. A wise leader could submit or stand tall. Thus, he would give in to Kenneth this time.

After today, he would request the principal to set up a prohibition and to lock the entrance of the building to prevent outsiders from entering during class.

He wanted to know how Kenneth could stand up for Elise then!

“Thank you for your reminder, Mr. Bailey. I know what to do now,” Martin swallowed his anger and said.

Hearing that, Kenneth heaved a long breath and said nonchalantly, “I was too desperate earlier that I used my authority. Please do not take it to heart, Mr. Kamp. If there’s nothing else, you may return to the class.”

Martin grinded his teeth harshly and cursed Kenneth for the umpteeth time in his heart before he turned around angrily and stormed back into the classroom.

His fists were clenched and his expression was awful. The entire class fell silent as he entered.

“Everyone take a seat.” He tried to keep his rage under control and his tone of voice calm. He then took a deep breath before turning to face Elise, summoned his courage, and said, “I’m sorry, Elise. I apologize for my inappropriate words earlier. Please forgive me.”

“I accept your apology,” Elise said, not wanting to drag out the issue any longer. She sat down right after that.

Martin was furious looking at her indifferent expression, but at the same time, he was also afraid that he might lose his temper when Kenneth was still around. Thus, he immediately looked away.

“Okay, let’s get down to business.” Composing himself, he continued calmly, “The Nationwide High School Know-All Competition is approaching. The principal ordered that Elite Class form a group to participate in it, for the glory of the school. Who would like to be the representative?”

“Mr. Martin, I would like to be the representative!”

Sophie would, of course, not let go of an opportunity to be in the limelight.

Chapter 599 Hopeless

“Good.” Martin nodded in relief. He then swept his gaze over the entire class and asked, “Who else?” Once they were shortlisted in the Know-All Competition, they would have to attend the final at the TV station. Except for Sophie, who was used to attracting people’s attention, none of the other students wanted to be given that much attention. Hence, they lowered their heads and remained silent.

At this moment, they were behaving similarly to those from the normal class, being chatty and noisy when there were no questions posed, but remaining silent once the teacher began asking questions.

“Fine. None of you is willing to participate, right?” It was not Martin’s first time facing such a situation, and he was well-prepared. He took out a box he had prepared earlier and placed it atop of the podium, saying, “We’ll draw votes then. Come up and draw your vote one by one, beginning with the first group. Those who get a star will represent the entire class to shine brightly at the competition.”

Given what he said, all of the students had no choice but to line up to draw votes.

Elise was the last in the line. After getting her vote paper, she immediately opened it up beside the podium.

Luckily, there was nothing on it.

Hence, she placed the vote paper on the podium and went back to her seat.

“Mr. Kamp, I got it.” A guy wearing spectacles raised his hand and showed his vote paper, which bore a star.

“Mica got it too!” a female student exclaimed.

Following that, Elise’s desk-mate, a slightly plump girl, raised her hand too and displayed her vote paper.

Elise thought the name sounded familiar. Hence, she turned to look at Mica, and she vaguely noticed a hint of helplessness on Mica’s face.

“That’s great. The class monitor will lead the team and everyone else in the team should cooperate with each other. I’ll brief you about the details of the competition after class,” Martin said decisively before starting his lesson.

The class was over in no time. When the bell rang, Martin packed his teaching materials and began nagging, “The lesson isn’t difficult at this point. Students who have high expectations of themselves can try to do some exercises on their own. Physics is a subject in which you need to work hard and think a lot, especially for those who have a poor foundation…”

His words came to a halt here, and he subconsciously raised his head to look at the last row in the class.

However, the seats of Elise, Sheldon, and Elliot were long empty.

Seeing that, Martin put on a solemn expression and shook his head. They’re just hopeless, he thought.

Poor students would always remain poor. No matter how hard he tried to push them, they would never take it seriously.

“Class is over!”

Elise returned to her house to conduct a body check-up on Laura. Then, she accompanied both the elders for a meal before she went back to the school.

When she was transferred to the Elite Class, her hostel was changed as well. So far, she hadn’t been there yet. Since Alexander had something on tonight, she intended to stay at the hostel.

Martin was right; the Elite Class was provided the best resources by the school. Her new hostel had only two people in a room, meaning that she would only need to deal with one roommate.

Dragging her luggage behind her, she opened the door of the hostel room, and she smelled a faint floral scent. When she walked in, she noticed that the bed on the left side had been tidied up with personal belongings placed on it. The bed on her right was empty, but it appeared to her that it had also been cleaned, as there was no dust on the bedstead.

Seeing that, Elis couldn’t help but be grateful as she thought that her new roommate was a helpful person.

“You’re here.” The door of the toilet swung open. Mica walked over to her bed while saying, “Because you arrived later than me, I tidied up your place while I was tidying mine. You just need to put on bedsheets, and then you can sleep on it.”

“Thank you,” Elise said smilingly.

“You’re welcome.” Mica forced a smile. She was probably in a bad mood because after she sat down on her chair, she turned her back to face Elise and said nothing more.

Elise guessed that Mica was frustrated over the Know-All Competition.

Since Mica had tidied her place for her, she would definitely help Mica out if she asked for it.

However, Mica chose to keep that to herself, which made it difficult for Elise. Hence, Elise had no choice but to feign ignorance and begin making her bed.

After getting everything done, both of them were ready to sleep.

Just as Elise was about to climb into her bed, she heard a loud crashing sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, followed by the sound of a chair colliding with the bedstead and the floor.

When she turned around, she was shocked to see that Mica had fallen to the ground from her bed. Furthermore, Mica was lying on the floor with her limbs flailing around and foam coming out of her mouth.

Elise immediately recognised this as an epileptic symptom. She hurriedly jumped out of her bed, tilted Mica’s head to one side so that she wouldn’t be choked by her foam, and then held her limbs down to prevent further injuries.

After a few minutes, Mica finally quieted down, but she remained unconscious.

Seeing that, Elise wiped the foam from Mica’s face. She then took a silver needle from her luggage and poked it into some of Mica’s acupuncture points several times. After doing so, Mica gradually regained consciousness.

Mica was initially dazed the moment she awoke, but she quickly realized that she had exposed the worst side of herself on the first day of living with her roommate.

She sat up from the floor and frowned with embarrassment, then hugged her legs as if she were an injured child.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret,” Elise said softly.

“Thank you,” Mica answered, her head lowered. She dared not look at Elise.

She knew that what Elise said was pointless. Mica had met classmates who were kind enough to keep her epilepsy a secret after witnessing her attack, but eventually, they would all stay away from her and treat her as a freak.

She didn’t resent them. At the very least, they were far better than those who openly commented that she looked like a monster when she was suffering an attack. However, she still felt broken-hearted.

No man was an island. She, of course, would really love to be friends with those who were kind-hearted.

But she was unqualified for that because of her illness.

Elise knew that Mica needed some time alone. So, she went back to her place with discernment and kept her silver needle.

After that, she couldn’t control herself and said, “Actually, this illness can be cured.”

“What did you say?” Mica, who had just stood up, didn’t hear her clearly.

“I said that epilepsy can be cured,” Elise repeated while looking at Mica with a serious face.

“I know.” Mica gave her a bitter smile. “But the chances are slim. Most of them who suffer from this can only spend their entire lives in between the attacks of the illness and waiting for the attack to happen. I won’t be the exception.”

“That’s not what I meant. I did a simple diagnosis on you just now, and I think your illness can be cured,” Elise said decisively.

Hearing that, Mica looked at Elise with her eyes full of anticipation.

Mica had been observing everything that Elise did in class for the past few days, and she felt that Elise was a special girl. She had never met anyone like her before. She felt especially so when Elise was arguing with Martin. In Mica’s heart, she admired Elise.

Perhaps it was because of this that Mica had the impression that Elise was not someone who would make empty promises. Hence, if she said this illness could be cured, then it could be cured.

“Are you recommending a doctor to me?” Mica took the initiative and asked.

“Kind of,” Elise replied calmly. “Let me go back and do some research first before recommending her to you. In the meantime, I’ll get you two kinds of medicine tomorrow to delay your condition.”

She then continued, “Don’t be too worried about the competition. I’ll go with you.”

“Are you serious?!” Hearing that, Mica was ecstatic. She had never been on stage before because she had no courage to do so, and because of her health.

“Yes.” Elise nodded and didn’t explain further.

In fact, Mica would not necessarily suffer the attack while on stage, but she would be more at ease having someone by her side, which could reduce the likelihood of an attack.

“Thank you, Elise. Can I call you Elise?” Mica asked shyly.

Chapter 600 Just to Keep up the Appearance

“It’s fine to me, as long as you’re comfortable with it,” Elise answered nicely. “It’s late now and we have classes tomorrow. Let’s sleep.” “Alright, goodnight.” Mica felt relieved as she now had some options to resolve the two major issues in her life.

Just when Elise stretched her hand to turn off the lights, her phone on the table rang. She looked at the screen and found that it was Sheldon who made the call. Elise wondered why he would call her this late.

Despite this, she still picked up the call and placed her phone beside her ear. “Boss! Help!”

Elliot’s sharp voice resonated from the phone, and it was so loud that it almost deafened Elise. She reflexively pulled the phone away from her ear, and after taking some time to react, she answered the call again, this time holding the phone at a suitable distance away from her.

“Boss! Come here quickly! We’re being cornered by more than ten people! We’ll be dead if you’re not coming—”

Just after he ended his sentence, his phone seemed to have been knocked to the ground as she heard the sound of the electric current from her phone.

“Hello? Elliot? Can you explain more? Hello?”

Elise tried to comprehend the situation better, but there was no longer any voice coming from the other end of the phone.

After hanging up, she immediately put on a coat and a snapback and walked out of the room.

However, she came to a halt after only two steps.

She remembered that she didn’t bring her set of anesthetic silver needles along, and without them, she probably couldn’t handle the situation herself.

After some thought, she dialed Moses’ number.

“Hello precious! Why are you looking for me at this hour?” After Claude removed the scar on his face, he had been having a rich and vibrant nightlife. When Elise called him, he was just about to start his playful night.

“Do you have any subordinates near Tissote University who can be there within five minutes?” Elise asked straight away.

“That’s your school and the second place which I’m in charge of. Of course I do! How many do you need? What about I go in person?” Moses said in a loyal tone.

“That isn’t necessary. Just try to get me more subordinates of yours to keep up the appearance.” Elise did not plan on getting into a real fight.

There were numerous fights in this university town. Most of it was just a bunch of young guys getting riled up over some verbal squabble. Simply pulling them away would suffice.

“Okay. Send me the address and they’ll be there in five minutes.”

Elise immediately ended the call and sent Moses the location of the internet café via WhatsApp.

“Are you heading out?” Mica got off the bed.

“Yes. A few of my friends are facing some problems and I need to check it out,” Elise answered as she walked away.

“I’ll send you downstairs.” While walking, she continued, “The housekeeper for this building is my mom. At this hour, you need to notify the management before you can leave.”

Elise did not reply to what Mica said as she was surprised by her candidness.

Graciously, Mica continued, “There’s no other option. She’s worried about me living by myself with this illness.”

It was quite apparent from her words that both of them had a close relationship.

Elise pursed her lips and smiled. Though Mica was plagued by this illness, she was still blessed as she had her mom around.

They were both downstairs in no time. Mica’s mom readily opened the door for Elise and promised to wait for her return.

Meanwhile, a group of people were fighting on the street outside the internet café, and passers-by stopped to observe them from a distance.

In fact, the real situation was that two younger guys were surrounded and beaten up by a group of men who appeared older than them. It was apparent that the older guys were seeking revenge, so no one dared to step forward and intervene.

Sheldon and Elliot were cornered into a supper stall, where Elliot hid inside and Sheldon held up a stool to keep the ruffians out.

“F*ck this! I’ve asked you to call my brother. Did you call him?” Sheldon shouted while breathing heavily. He couldn’t hold on any longer.

“Yes, I did! The one named ‘Boss’ in your phone, right? The call was answered and you heard what I said just now. They must be reaching soon!” Elliot looked anxiously outside.

The truth was that he only managed to finish half of what he wanted to say before the phone was knocked off. Hence, he was unsure whether Jamie would be here.

But Jamie was their only hope now.

“Boss?” Sheldon was stunned for a few seconds in the midst of the chaos. He then opened his mouth and yelled, “F*ck! The Boss that you called isn’t my brother! It’s Elise! What’s the point of calling a girl to help us?”

“How would I know that the ‘Boss’ in your phone actually refers to her! Sh*t, we’re dead now!” Elliot wished that he could simply sit and cry. That was his last phone call, and he didn’t even have the chance to say his final words!

At this moment, another thug was about to charge in with a wooden stick in his hand. Sheldon immediately picked up the stool and charged forward like a bull, pushing him to the ground.

Elliot quickly followed. Both of them stood there, back to back, fighting off the ruffians together.

Upon seeing that, the ruffians formed a circle around them, then provoked both Sheldon and Elliot with the weapons in their hands.

Elliot couldn’t hold back any longer. He aimed at the skinniest of the ruffians and charged at him. However, the skinny ruffian was very agile and managed to dodge him swiftly.

As a result, Elliot did not fall on anyone, but on the ground. Just when he was about to pick himself up, a ruffian standing beside him hit him hard on the back of his head with a wooden stick, causing him to pass out on the spot.

Seeing that, Sheldon hurriedly got rid of the ruffian that was pestering him and dashed over to Elliot to protect him.

“Elliot! Are you alive? Say something!” While calling out to Elliot, Sheldon vigilantly guarded against the ‘attacking wolves’ in front of them, but there was absolutely no response from Elliot.

“Sh*t!” he scolded. “All of you are just a bunch of b*stard! Who’s behind this? Do you have any idea who the person you’ve just attacked was?”

Even without considering the Keller Family, the Howard Family themselves had enough cash to smash these ruffians to death. How dare they offend both families in one go?

The ruffians, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about what he said and responded with a sneer. “We have to solve the problem of the one who pays us. Even if both of you are kings of heaven, I’ll still have to cut your legs off! Stop being wishy-washy. Go on, everyone! Settle this fast and we’ll go for supper!”

“I’ll fight you with my life!”

Sheldon rushed over to the ruffians, pushed one of them down, sat on him and punched him.

But Sheldon only managed to throw a few punches before being overwhelmed by the others and becoming the one being sat on.

Fists swung toward him from all directions. The only thing Sheldon could do at the moment was to hug his head to protect it from injuries.

Just when he was on the verge of collapsing, a clear woman’s voice interrupted the entire scene.

“Stop it!”

This voice…

Oh no! Don’t tell me that Boss actually showed up!

“Boss, just leave me here and get my brother! Go now!” Sheldon shouted with all his might.

At this point of time, all the ruffians had stopped what they were doing and looked toward the direction of the voice. When they identified the source of the voice, they were stunned.

The streetlights divided the alley and the road into a few sections, and a girl in a snapback appeared in their sight. With the wind blowing through her long coat, she looked cool and sassy.

But they laughed seeing her small build.

One of the ruffians, who appeared to be the leader, joked maliciously. “In the past, it has always been the hero who saves the beauty. It’s such an honor for me to witness the opposite today—a beauty saving the hero! Haha!”