Chapter 22
“I didn’t…” Sheryl cried out..
Then came the sound of a slap from the office.
“Ms. Gaiman!” a man shouted, trying to step in.
Cassie knocked on the office door, and everyone inside turned to look at her.
The man sounded as if he was trying to stop Teresa, Jennie’s mother, but he wasn’t making much progress. Instead, he looked more worried about Sheryl and her grandmother, Maria, fighting back.
Maria was small and fragile, hugging Sheryl tightly, her sobs breaking Cassie’s heart.
“Cassie, what are you doing here?” the man asked, softening a bit when he noticed her.
“I brought Sheryl her notes. Cassie walked right over to Sheryl and handed her the notebook. “I read through it, and it was really helpful. Thanks for sharing
Sheryl’s cheek was puffy, her eyes red and swollen, and she shook from head to toe.
“What happened?” Cassie lifted Sheryl’s chin gently to get a better look at her injured face. “I just heard that Jennie attacked Sheryl and now it’s all over the news. How could you guys let this happen?”
“Ms. Murphy, it’s none of your business, Teresa shot back.
“Yeah! Have you settled your own problems? Why are you out here messing with ours?” Brianna’s mother, Clare, chimed in. “This brat set everything up, made that video, and sent it to the media just to ruin my daughter’s life.”
“Ms. Murphy, we’re nobles. You’re too young to understand how the lower classes act. Teresa added.
“So being a noble gives you the right to bully people? Cassie turned to Teresa.
“You can’t compare them to us nobles!” Teresa scoffed.
“Alright, let’s settle this. Ms. Gaiman, how do you want to resolve it?” the man asked quickly, worried about Cassie getting into a fight with Teresa and Clare.
Teresa laughed with disdain. “She just wants money, right? I’ll give her 150 thousand dollars. Get her out of here and issue a statement saying she had set up Jennie. Jennie didn’t bully her.”
“I’ve been wanting to leave this place for a long time, and I don’t want your money. They bullied me, and even if you killed me, I wouldn’t lie about it,” Sheryl shot back fiercely.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
It hadn’t been easy for her to come to this school. For years, she had endured in silence, thinking things would change after graduation. She never expected it to come to this-being kicked out. Now that it seemed inevitable, she had nothing left to fear.
“You brat, how dare you talk back! Teresa lunged at Sheryl.
Terrified, Maria stepped in front of Sheryl immediately to shield her. Not sensing the blow, they turned over and saw Cassie grab Teresa’s wrist, blocking the slap just in time.
“You… Teresa stared at Cassie, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Then, to everyone’s shock, Cassie raised her hand and slapped Teresa hard across the face.
A collective gasp echoed through the office. Teresa suumbled back and hit the floor, covering her face in shock.
“You like slapping people, huh? How does it feel?” Cassie asked while shaking her hand that was sore from the slapping.
“How dare you hit me?” Teresa shrieked.
Cassie smirked mockingly. “Isn’t that what you just taught me? Ain’t the privileged supposed to bully others whenever they want? By your logic, how can you compare to me?”
The office fell silent, and the tension in the air was palpable,
“Sheryl is my friend. Bullying her is the same as bullying me, Cassie continued. “This whole situation could’ve been resolved easily. Just lower your pride, apologize to the girl your kids picked on, and provide some reasonable compensation. But now, you had to escalate things
Cassie dragged a chair over and sat down. “Since you can’t handle it, I’ll take care of it for you.”
This isn’t your place to speak, Cassie. Teresa stood up and pulled out her phone. Just wait. I’m calling Mr. Lucas Murphy right now, telling him you’re going too far.”
Sheryl was panicked. “Cassie, please don’t worry about me. Just go. I’m fine. I wouldn’t want to stay here anyway. I can find somewhere else.”
“It’s not worth leaving for two jerks, Cassie said calmly. “My family values fairness and despises bullies. If she wants to make that call, it’s fine. The one who will regret it won’t be me.”
Teresa’s hand froze.
“Go on. Why aren’t you calling? Cassie said coldly. “By the way, your family’s partnership with Murphy Group is about to end. Just call my father and tell him everything you did today. Honestly, I don’t want to repeat it.”
“Ms. Murphy… Teresa hesitated. “I know you have a strong sense of justice, but you’re still too naive. You don’t understand how wicked people can be. This bit… girl isn’t as simple as you think.”
Cassie smiled, though it lacked warmth. “Well, I’m not as simple as you think, either.”
Teresa was furious, wanting nothing more than to hit Cassie. But she didn’t dare. Her gaze flicked between Sheryl and Maria, vengeful yet restrained. Anyway, she had plenty of chances to settle the score with them.
“Fine, since you want to protect her, Ms. Murphy, I’ll give you some grace. We’ll let this slide, Teresa said, crossing her arms. Behind her, Clare had gone silent completely since Cassie slapped Teresa.
“You think you can call the shots?” Cassie stared at Teresa, her eyes icy. The victim here is Sheryl. She gets to decide when it’s over, got it?”
“You! Don’t push it too far, Teresa warned.
“Same goes for you: Cassie looked down at her nails casually. “I have two options for you. One, Jennie and Brianna leave the school right now.
Two, each of you pays Sheryl and Maria one million dollars-totaling two million dollars-in emotional damages. Plus, Jennie and Brianna need to apologize to Sheryl and sign a guarantee promising they’ll never bully her again.”