Chapter 16
Juliana looked at Cecilia, who was sitting on the couch calmly while drinking coffee, she asked, “Why are you here?”
If it weren’t for the presence of others in the chancellor’s office, she would have made a scene.
It was all because of this despicable woman, making everyone aware of William’s scandal.
She had become a laughingstock in both the school and the upper class!
Sophia looked at Cecilia with disgust and said contemptuously, “What else could it be? She must have violated the school rules again.”
What kind of karma did she commit to have such a
disappointing daughter?
Cecilia calmly took a sip of coffee, not even sparing them a glance.
Sophia was irritated and snorted unhappily.
“Where’s Mr. Lane? He called us here, but why isn’t he here himself?”
Lawrence felt so overwhelmed by Sophia’s aura that he dared not speak. He pointed at the lounge and whispered, “Mr. Lane is in there discussing something with my son.”
Sophia glanced at Lawrence and couldn’t hide her contempt for his shabby appearance.
“Julia, go knock on the door.”
Juliana found Lawrence somewhat familiar, but couldn’t remember who he was at that instant.
She responded and knocked on the door, saying, “Mr. Lane, are you in there?”
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The soundproofing in the lounge wasn’t very good. So, Hendrix heard the conversation between Juliana and Cecilia. “Wait for me a minute. I’ll be right out.”
After saying that, he looked at Joel seriously and said, “I’ll give you one last chance. If you choose to shoulder everything, you may not only be expelled but also go to jail!”
Joel closed his eyes and said firmly, “Framing Cecilia was my doing alone and has nothing to do with anyone else.”
Juliana was the light in his life, and he would never let an angel like her be tainted.
“Since you’ve made up your mind, you’ll have to bear all the consequences, including your father’s disappointment.” Hendrix opened the door of the lounge and walked out first. When Juliana saw Joel, her eyes showed a moment of panic. But thinking of Joel’s deep affection for her, she soon calmed down.
She pretended not to know anything, as if she didn’t recognize anyone, and asked, “Mr. Lane, did you ask me and my mom to come over because of the gossip on the campus forum?”
Hearing this, Sophia said unhappily, “Mr. Lane, school is for learning, not for spreading gossip. Whatever happened between Julia and William is their private matter and shouldn’t be discussed and criticized by students. You need to manage this properly.”
Cecilia lowered her eyes slightly, hiding the coldness in her
eyes.
What a double standard. When Cecilia was falsely accused, Sophia not only didn’t say a word in her defense but also verbally attacked her.
Even when she tried to explain herself, she was regarded as a mistress.
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Now that it was Juliana’s turn, Sophia was anxious to defend her, not wanting her to suffer any grievances.
Hendrix’s expression was solemn. “Mrs. Yancey, we can discuss the gossip later. I called you here today for something else.”
Sophia frowned, “What’s the matter?”
“This place is small. Let’s go to the conference room.”
The conference room had a projection screen, making it convenient to display evidence.
Lawrence followed behind them while looking at his son with a worried expression.
“Joel, I can tell something’s not right from Mr. Lane’s expression. Did something happen?”
Joel clenched his fists by his side. He felt like he was carrying a heavy load weighing a thousand pounds and had to exert all his strength for every step.
“Dad, I’m sorry!”
Lawrence immediately stopped walking, and his tone became stern. “Why are you apologizing? Did you do something wrong?”
“Dad, let’s go to the conference room first. You’ll find out in a moment.”
Listening to their conversation, Juliana confirmed that Joel had been caught making a video to frame Cecilia.
She became anxious again, afraid that Joel couldn’t withstand the pressure.
Seeing that they had arrived at the conference room, she said, “Mr. Lane, I need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
With that, she turned around and left.
As she passed by Joel, she gave him a comforting smile as if saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
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She knew this silly boy very well and knew how to make him wholeheartedly devoted.
Joel understood the meaning in Juliana’s eyes and secretly messaged her using his game account.
“Julia, don’t do anything foolish. I will protect you.”
Juliana entered the restroom and logged in to her game account as soon as possible.
Looking at the message from Joel, she smiled victoriously. After logging out of her game account and uninstalling the game, she rubbed her eyes vigorously until they turned red before returning to the conference room.
Seeing Juliana’s pitiful look, Cecilia said, “Why are your eyes red? You’re suffering from constipation?”
Juliana almost choked by her saliva. Feeling aggrieved, she walked over and sat next to Sophia.
Seeing that Sophia was about to get angry, she hurriedly said, “Mom, Ceci has some misunderstandings about me. Let her vent her anger. It doesn’t matter.”
“You don’t owe her anything now. Why should you let her off!” Sophia comforted Juliana and looked at Cecilia with a warning gaze. “Watch your mouth, this is not the countryside!”
Cecilia ignored Sophia and looked at Juliana, who was pretending to be pitiful.
“Juliana’s ugly bag is quite good at storing fake masks. But I wonder about the quality. Will it leak?”
After saying that, she turned to Sophia, who wanted to scold her. “Mrs. Yancey, don’t worry. You will have your turn in a moment.”
Clearing his throat, Hendrix said, “Let’s focus on the matter at hand.”
He projected the emails he had received onto the screen.
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The first video played was the one showing Cecilia hitting
someone.
Sophia thought Hendrix had called her over because Cecilia had caused trouble again and wanted to scold her.
She hurriedly severed ties with Cecilia and said, “Mr. Lane, although Cecilia’s first name is Yancey, she has no relation to me. Did you call the wrong person?”
“Mrs. Yancey, please hold on and watch the video.”
Next was the original video.
In the video, Cecilia was being humiliated, but it wasn’t her who was hitting someone.
“The video was maliciously edited, and the person who edited it was Joel. Here’s the evidence.”
Lawrence couldn’t understand the so–called evidence, but he understood what Hendrix said.
He looked at Joel and asked in a trembling voice, “Is what Mr. Lane said true?”
Joel nodded.
Slap!
Lawrence slapped his son in the face hard. “Why did you do this?”
“Because he fell in love with a girl who hated me. So, he helped her frame me.”
After explaining, Cecilia gave a meaningful look to Juliana.
Then, Hendrix showed the photos of Joel and Juliana.
There were quite a few photos, and Juliana deliberately avoided the camera, so only Joel’s face was visible.
However, Juliana’s clothing and demeanor were too recognizable. Sophia could recognize her at a glance.
She was shocked, but she didn’t say anything.
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Lawrence pointed to Cecilia first and then Juliana. “Joel, did you frame this classmate for her?”
Seeing that Juliana’s face wasn’t visible in the photos, Joel immediately denied, “Dad, it’s not…”
Juliana interrupted him, “The girl in the photo is me. I…”
Joel didn’t expect Juliana to admit it.
He thought she deliberately avoided the camera to keep their relationship a secret.
After the initial shock, fearing that Juliana would take the blame for him, he quickly interrupted her.
“Framing Cecilia was my idea. Juliana didn’t know about it. She helped me once, and I’m grateful to her. We occasionally chat when we run into each other.”
Juliana’s heart was finally relieved when she heard his remarks.
She intentionally continued, “Actually I…”
As expected, Joel interrupted her again.
“Ms. Juliana Yancey, thank you for your help in the past. You can’t help me this time. Don’t say anything.”
Cecilia chimed in, “Juliana, you really don’t need to speak up for Joel because he was the one who spread the scandal of William cheating on you on the campus forum.”
Juliana was rendered speechless.
“This idiot Joel, did he want me to be even more embarrassed?” she mused.
She was so angry, but when she looked at Joel, there was gratitude in her eyes.
As she wanted to give hope to Joel, that idiot, she told him that she didn’t like William, and it was merely for the convenience of family marriage.
Encouraged by Juliana’s gaze, Joel gained the courage to speak
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- up. “For the sake of your interests, you sacrificed your daughter’s happiness. You’re not worthy of being a mother.” Sophia got speechless.
She looked at Joel contemptuously, “What business is it of yours? You have no right to meddle in our affairs!”
Then, she looked at Hendrix.
“Mr. Lane, this student with such a twisted mind must be expelled!”
Hendrix nodded. “Mrs. Yancey, don’t worry. I will handle it according to the school rules.”
Hearing this, Lawrence hurriedly pleaded for mercy.
“Mr. Lane, please don’t expel Joel. He is a good kid and must have been instigated by someone to do this foolish thing.”
He knew his son well. Although he denied his relationship with Juliana, his fervent defense clearly indicated that their relationship was unusual.
“Joel, please tell me the truth. If you get expelled, your life will be ruined!”
Cecilia reminded, “Not only expulsion, but you’ll also face fines and imprisonment.”
Gordon’s vision darkened, and he almost fainted.
“Joel, don’t be foolish. Dad has raised you for so long; it hasn’t been easy.”
Joel’s eyes welled up with tears. “Dad, I’m not being foolish. I was wrong, and I won’t run away from it. Whether it’s expulsion, fines, or imprisonment, I’ll accept it.”
Lawrence pointed at Juliana in agitation and shouted, “You’re being foolish because of her!”
Sophia was unhappy and sneered, “Your son isn’t competent, and you want to drag my daughter down with him? Are you out of your mind?”
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“Joel, speak up!”
“Dad, stop it. Even if I like Juliana, I wouldn’t have posted her scandal on the campus forum.”
Upon hearing that, Lawrence slumped in his chair, defeated.
Sophia asked Hendrix, “Mr. Lane, now that things are clear, can my daughter and I leave?”
Hendrix looked at Juliana and asked, “Is what Joel said the whole truth”
Before Juliana could say anything, Sophia got angry. “What do you mean, Mr. Lane?”
“Mrs. Yancey, calm down. I just want to find out the truth.”
“Is your truth just to frame my daughter?”
Sophia roared angrily and pulled Juliana away.
Cecilia got up, looked at Joel, and said affirmatively, “You will regret it.”
After saying that, she called the police.
As soon as the call was connected, Lawrence knelt before Cecilia.
“I beg you. Please spare my son. I’m willing to do anything to repay you.”
Joel hurried to help his father up. “Dad, don’t beg her. Get up.”
Lawrence pushed his son away and wanted to continue begging Cecilia, but he heard her say, “Your son is right. It’s better for him to change his statement. If he cooperates with the police investigation, he won’t have to go to jail.”
Soon, Cecilia called the police.
She looked at Hendrix and said, “Mr. Lane, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know if there is any result.”
After Cecilia left the conference room, she quickly caught up
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with Sophia and Juliana, who were about to get in the car and
leave.
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