Chapter 1183

Wrenching her arm free from her mother’s grip. Jocelyn shouted, “I won’t apologize! What are you going to do about it? If you’re so bold, why don’t you hit me back?”

She thrust her tear–streaked face toward Zoey, her cheeks flushed, as if bearing a heavy injustice.

Naturally, Zoey would never strike her, but a cold laugh escaped her lips. “Very well. In that case, I’ll

go to the Quinton family and ask Lord Gerald what kind of upbringing you’ve had

there.”

She turned to Carissa. “Headmistress, it would be a great help if you could vouch for me when the time comes.”

Carissa nodded. “If you go to see Lord Gerald, I will speak plainly.”

Vera knew it would be disastrous if word of this reached Gerald. If he heard of it, their branch of the family would surely be reprimanded.

With that thought, she gritted her teeth and said to Jocelyn, “Apologize.”

Tears streamed down Jocelyn’s face as she stomped her foot. “Mom, I won’t apologize!

They’re the ones bullying me and trying to kick me out of the academy! They should apologize to me!”

Vera glanced at Zoey and Carissa, who both looked cold, and immediately put on a stern face.

“If you’ve done something wrong, apologizing is the proper thing to do,” she told her daughter.

Jocelyn felt she had already suffered enough these past few days. Now, not only was her mother not standing up for her, but she was also asking her to apologize.

She angrily threw her hands down, stomped her feet, and cried, “I won’t apologize! Let them make a scene if they want to. I’d rather die than back down!”

With that, she turned and bolted for the door.

But with Carissa standing there, Jocelyni didn’t get far. Within a few steps, she caught up to her and dragged the girl back toward Zoey.

Carissa turned to Zoey and said, “This incident occurred at Gracewood Women’s Academy, so the academy bears some responsibility. Here’s what we’ll do. Since she’s harmed Ms. Prince’s reputation, we’ll take it to the authorities. Whatever they decide, the academy will bear its share of the blame.”

Zoey held Courtney’s hand and replied solemnly, “If that’s what you suggest, then we’ll go to the authorities, Lady Carissa.”

Jocelyn froze, her eyes wide with fear. “I don’t want to go to the authorities!” novelbin

There was no way a well–bred young lady could be sent to the authorities. How would she ever show her face again?

“Then, hurry up and apologize! Get it over with so we can leave this wretched place!” Vera snapped, her voice rising in sharp anger.

Jocelyn fumed for a moment, then reluctantly walked up to Courtney and Zoey. She pursed her lips and muttered, “Sorry, I was wrong.”

Her tone was still brimming with resentment, but Zoey had no desire to argue further.

She sighed and said flatly, “Enough. We can’t afford to cross the Quinton family.”

With other students present, Zoey’s words were meant for them too.

The Quinton family had grown arrogant over the years, completely unaware of how they were perceived. Even now, Kylie was boldly attempting to secure alliances through marriage to win over military generals and strengthen Connor’s position.

If even a woman like Zoey could see it clearly, how could Salvador not suspect Kylie was trying to force his hand in declaring Connor as the crown prince?

So, it was fine if things turned sour with the Quinton family.

Vera felt awkward hearing that, but didn’t think much more about it and just grabbed Jocelyn

and left.

Even Catherine couldn’t help but furrow her brow. “What has become of the Quinton family’s fourth branch?”

“The Quinton family is no longer what it once was,” Athena replied.

There were other students present, so the conversation ended there.

Rosalind told the students to head back and prepare for class. She appeared unaffected, her expression still calm and gentle.

Carissa stayed behind for a brief conversation with Kyle, while Zoey stepped outside to soothe Courtney and explain the situation to her.

In Kyle’s class, everyone behaved well, especially when he was teaching painting. His students‘ eagerness to learn was so encouraging to watch.

“Ms. Young works the hardest and worries the most. Her class always has those troublemakers, but thankfully one’s been sent away. With her gone, the others will be too scared to cause much trouble. Since the academy opened, Ms. Young has had to deal with a lot of gossip but she’s handled it all. She’s stronger than we thought, so you don’t need to worry too much,” said Kyle.

Carissa nodded in agreement. After exchanging a few more words, she stood up and said, “I’m going back with Madam Zoey. We need to talk on the way.”

(+25 BONUS

Kyle nodded slightly, his eyes showing some concern. “Go ahead.”

After a pause, he stopped her and said, “Cari, choose a few women skilled in martial arts to come to the academy and keep an eye on things for a while. I’m worried something might happen.”

Carissa understood what Kyle was concerned about. She was worried too, but there weren’t many women who knew martial arts. Alana and Leah were busy at Skye Embroidery and couldn’t be reassigned, so she could only have Mabel, Claire, and the others take turns. Carissa truly wished they could recruit more female students trained in martial arts.

Enhance your reading experience by removing ads:

Remove Ads Now