Chapter 19
When Cyrus saw Simone, his lips quickly flattened into a straight line, and his gaze hardened with a hint of anger.
Simone thought he was upset with her, so she awkwardly looked away, feeling a bit guilty.
After all, she had promised him she wouldn’t cause any trouble when they went back to the Irwin family. But lately, it seemed like she had done just that.
As she pondered how to explain herself, Cyrus marched over with a dark expression. His voice was cold, “What’s going on?”
There was unmistakable tension and concern in his tone.
Simone hesitated for a moment before replying, “I got hit.”
Seeing Cyrus’s look turn gloomy, the teacher, Irena, approached them. The moment she laid eyes on him, an unexplainable, heavy pressure settled over her.
“Hello, who are you?” Irena asked, a bit uncertain.
Cyrus Irwin, Simone’s real father.” Cyrus cast a pointed glance at Samuel, emphasizing the word “real.”
Irena immediately sensed this man was extraordinary, not just anyone. She suddenly thought of the famous name everyone in Sogin knew, and her heart raced as her mind started piecing things together.
‘The real father and the foster father? This is an awkward situation,‘ she thought, taking a sharp breath and forcing herself to stay calm.
Irena explained everything that had happened to both Cyrus and Samuel in detail.
Samuel hadn’t fully grasped the situation earlier, but hearing the homeroom teacher say that Simone had ranked first in the recent exams left him mildly surprised.
“Are you sure?” Samuel questioned, skeptical, considering Simone had barely scraped by in previous monthly tests.
Irena frowned slightly, visibly displeased. “Mr. Spence, Simone was once your foster daughter. Don’t you know how capable your own daughter is?”
She couldn’t believe how this man could be so oblivious. Even if Samuel could crush her like an ant, Irena boldly voiced her thoughts.
It wasn’t a secret that Simpne was a foster child of the Spence family at school, and Samuel had once been her father. It was irritating to hear doubt about his daughter coming from him.
Moreover, Irena had always liked Simone; she had noticed early on that Simone was deliberately hiding her strengths, but given the Spence family’s complicated situation, she had never called her out.
Seeing Samuel silent with a grim expression, Irena forced a laugh and added, “Mr. Spence, I know you’re skeptical, but Simone definitely didn’t cheat. The principal himself has already vouched for her.”
The renowned Theodore Xiang was an esteemed figure in the education field and held significant standing in Sogin. He wouldn’t lie on behalf of a student.
Samuel kept his gaze steady without saying another word.
Cyrus, though surprised,‘ didn’t doubt that Simone had cheated. He was, however, surprised that she had secured the principal’s backing. After all, Theodore was known for not giving favors and was indifferent to matters like these.
“Mr. Irwin, Mr. Spence, I’ve brought you both here to emphasize the seriousness of this matter. Additionally, I hope Simone and Raymond can mend their relationship,” Irena stated firmly, articulating her primary goal.
As soon as Irena finished speaking, Simone frowned slightly. She wasn’t willing.
“No way. I will never reconcile with Raymond.” Simone firmly rejected the idea.
She knew perfectly well what kind of person Raymond was. As soon as Stella had a bad day, Raymond would relentlessly cause trouble for her. They could only ever be enemies; reconciliation was impossible.
Hearing Simone’s words, Raymond snorted in disdain and retorted, “Even if you beg me, I won’t reconcile with you.”
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The atmosphere in the office suddenly chilled, and Irena felt a headache coming on. Still, she refrained from pushing for a resolution any further.
Cyrus, who had been silent until now, spoke up firmly. “Irena, if I’m not mistaken, it was Raymond who came to my daughter’s classroom to cause trouble, right?”
His brow was furrowed, eyes sharp, radiating an intimidating aura of authority. Irena nodded hesitantly.
Cyrus
continued, “He harassed my daughter and even went so far as to hit her. He should apologize to her.”
“Why should I apologize? Simone should be apologizing to Stella!” Raymond puffed up like an angry cat, instantly riled.
Everyone turned to look at him, confused. ‘What does this have to do with Stella?‘ they thought.
What do you mean by that?” Irena asked.
Raymond shot back confidently, “Simone stole Stella’s first place. Shouldn’t she apologize?”
“Stole?” Cyrus narrowed his eyes, his gaze cutting. “Isn’t first place determined by scores? When did it become Stella’s personal property?”
He looked coldly at Raymond. “So, according to you, whoever comes in first has to apologize to the second? Does someone outstanding need to apologize to a loser?”
At that moment, everyone stared at Raymond in disbelief, even Samuel raised an eyebrow.
Feeling cornered, Raymond shouted, “She cheated!”
Irena’s face immediately went serious. “Raymond, the principal has already testified about this. Please watch
your words.
“Simone did not cheat,” Cyrus said coldly, locking his gaze on Raymond. He added a warning, “If you continue to spread rumors, I will call the police.”
Being younger, Raymond was caught off guard by Cyrus’s fierce gaze and instantly shut his mouth.
Apologize, Cyrus demanded, his patience running thin.
Raymond bit his lip, refusing to speak. After a long pause, Samuel finally said coldly, “Raymond, apologize.”
Raymond’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Samuel. “What?”
Samuel’s voice grew even colder. “Apologize.”
“Fine, I’m sorry,” Raymond said through clenched teeth, clearly unwilling.
Simone’s gaze swept over him coolly. “If you’re not sincere, there’s no need to bother saying it.”
She paused for a moment before adding, “Even if you were sincere, I wouldn’t accept it.“.
With that, Simone took Cyrus’s hand and said, “Let’s go.”
Feeling the gentle touch, the tension in Cyrus’s expression melted away instantly.
“Okay.” His voice softened in a way that was unlike his.
After leaving, Simone followed Cyrus to the hospital for a check–up. The results showed only minor bruises.
Simone felt indifferent about it, but Cyrus was extremely tense, insisting that the doctor wrap her injuries in a bandage. They bickered about it the whole way.
“Do we really have to do this?” Simone asked, exasperated.
“Yes,” Cyrus replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Feeling she had no choice, Simone reluctantly compromised.
On the way back, Simone watched Cyrus as he drove, her gaze thoughtful and deep. She found herself puzzled by him.
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“I caused you trouble. Are you not mad?” After hesitating for a while, Simone finally asked hirn.
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