The governnt had originally intended for the Hale Family to organize the stone-selling event, but who could have predicted such a twist? The event was of imnse importance to Tollan Town, and even to the entire city of Sanford, so any negative press was out of the question. Now that the Hale Family was embroiled in such a shocking scandal, they were naturally disqualified from hosting. The officials in charge couldn’t find a suitable replacent on short notice, which presented Terrence Grant with the perfect opportunity.
Terrence Grant personally owned a jade boutique, but it dealt exclusively in exquisite, high-end pieces, catering only to prominent families. It had virtually no na in the mainstream market and was known only within the circles of high society.
Terrence Grant had no idea what strings Seraphina Sterling had pulled to persuade Jade Pavilion, the most influential jeweler on the mainland, to back his bid to host the stone-selling event. This venture would certainly bring him enormous profits—profits that were completely separate from The Grant Group and belonged entirely to him. This would significantly bolster his personal power.
It was certainly a substantial thank-you gift. But Terrence Grant wasn’t particularly pleased. It wasn’t that he was unworthy of it; he just hated this feeling of being treated like an outsider. He had taught her how to protect herself, and in return, she had brought him a massive windfall. It felt just like a transaction, with no other emotional ties involved.
This was, in fact, Seraphina Sterling’s exact intention. ’The Grant Family of Aethelgard is not an entity I can afford to provoke. My only target is the Hale Family. If I get on the wrong side of the Grant Family’s Demon King of Chaos, I’d be making an enemy far more powerful than the Hales. That would be anything but a wise choice.’
The Hale Family had been utterly blindsided this ti. They never would have dread they’d be taken down by a seventeen-year-old girl like Seraphina Sterling. Philip Hale couldn’t fathom it; how could sothing he’d kept so carefully hidden have been discovered by her, of all people?
The Hale Family now had their hands full, scrambling to save their business on one end while trying to figure out how to get Philip Hale out of jail on the other. As for Willow Hale, she had lost all of her forr arrogance. ’If the Hale Family is gone, then I’ll truly be nothing!’
The girls who once flocked around Willow Hale had all scattered in an instant. She went from being the center of attention to a solitary figure, and she couldn’t stand the jarring change. ’This is all Seraphina Sterling’s fault! Seraphina! It’s all her fault!’
Willow Hale had been lying in wait for Seraphina Sterling for two days. On the morning of the third day, she finally caught sight of her. Without a second thought, Willow charged right up to Seraphina.
"Seraphina Sterling! How dare you show your face at school? I thought you were so good at hiding? Weren’t two days of leave enough for you? You should’ve just dropped out!"
"Hiding?" Seraphina Sterling chuckled. "I haven’t forged anything, I haven’t sold any fakes, and I haven’t bullied anyone. Why should I hide?" Her gentle voice, with its unique lilt, was enough to make Willow Hale’s face flush crimson with rage.
"You still have the nerve to say that! If it weren’t for you, why would my dad be in jail? My dad didn’t forge anything, and he didn’t sell any fakes! You frad him with your dirty tricks! You venomous bitch, I’m not letting you off the hook today!" Willow Hale shrieked, snatching up a chair and hurling it at Seraphina Sterling.
Everyone in the classroom was terrified. The more timid students imdiately ran to get a teacher. Seraphina Sterling, however, paid Willow Hale no mind. With a slight side-step to the right, she easily dodged the chair.
The perfectly good chair shattered into splinters. The rest of the class was stunned silent. The braver boys stared at Seraphina Sterling in shock. ’She neutralized the threat with a single step. Incredible! If that were , my legs would’ve been frozen in fear. Forget dodging! I’d have been badly injured, if not killed!’
Sumr walked into the classroom just in ti to see the perilous scene unfold. She rushed over to Willow Hale and slapped her hard across the face. SMACK! The sudden blow stunned even Willow Hale herself. "Just because your dad did sothing wrong, doesn’t an people can’t report him? All your Hale Family’s money cos from swindling and cheating! With a business as big as yours, who knows how many people you’ve ripped off? Seraphina was doing everyone a favor!"
"Sumr! You dare to hit ? Who the hell do you think you are? You’re just the daughter of so little innkeeper, and you dare to hit ? Even if the Hale Family is in trouble right now, it would be nothing for us to shut down a tiny little inn! I am the young lady of the Hale Family, and you’re going to pay for hitting !" Willow Hale’s spoiled-rotten attitude flared up again.
Sumr panicked. ’I was just trying to protect Seraphina, I wasn’t thinking! If my family gets dragged into this because of , I’ll feel so guilty!’
Seeing Sumr’s fear, Willow Hale grew cocky again. "I can forgive what you just did, on one condition: you slap Seraphina Sterling right now. Then we can pretend this whole thing never happened." As she spoke, Willow’s smile turned venomous, like a viper. ’Go on and act so smug, Seraphina. You’re about to get a taste of your own dicine!’
Seraphina Sterling remained perfectly calm, the warm smile never leaving her lips. No one had any idea what was going through her mind.
Sumr had indeed been frightened by Willow Hale’s threat, but upon hearing her demand, she didn’t hesitate. She swung her hand and delivered another sharp slap to Willow’s other cheek.
Another crisp SMACK echoed, silencing the classroom completely. Everyone stared dumbfounded at Sumr. ’She’s normally so quiet,’ they thought. ’Who knew she had such a violent side! You really can’t judge a book by its cover! Thank goodness I’ve never provoked her!’
"Willow Hale, there’s one thing you should know about : I hate being threatened! Seraphina is my friend. I would never hurt her, and I sure as hell won’t let you hurt her either. Our inn is right here in town. If you think you have what it takes, then go ahead and try to shut it down!" Sumr stood protectively in front of Seraphina like a fierce big sister, ready for Willow to lash out again.
Clutching her red, swollen cheek, Willow Hale glared at her with bloodshot eyes. "Sumr, you’ll regret this! A starved cal is still bigger than a horse! No matter how far the Hale Family has fallen, we’re still more powerful than your family’s little inn!"
Seraphina Sterling slowly stepped forward. "Sumr, I rember your father once bought a Jade Bracelet from a Hale Family store for Miss Wallace, right? And it wasn’t cheap. The Hales are already in trouble for faking raw stones; who’s to say they wouldn’t fake finished jade pieces, too? If anything were to happen to your family’s inn, you should have your father take a trip to the police station and ask them to test that Jade Bracelet. If there’s a problem with it, you’ll want to seek compensation from the Hale Family right away."
Sumr was smart; she caught on imdiately. ’Threats? She could play that ga, too!’ "You’re right. If they can fake raw stones, they can certainly fake jade!"
Willow Hale trembled with rage. "Seraphina Sterling! Go to hell!" With that, she snatched up another chair and hurled it.
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