Chapter 39

At the gates of Harvard University, Sophia Lowell stood in an elegant maxi dress, her hair fluttering in the breeze—the very picture of a refined young lady from an aristocratic family. Her gentle, coaxing voice contrasted sharply with Evelyn Laurent, who wore a cheap T-shirt and was the target of the crowd's scorn.

"Are you saying I'm the one causing trouble here?" Evelyn scanned the crowd, her lips curling into a cold smirk. "Who was it that started hurling insults? 'Country bumpkin'? 'Ill-bred'? 'Man-stealer'?"

With each word, her gaze grew sharper.

She took slow, deliberate steps toward Sophia. "You claim you have an acceptance letter? Show it to me."

An oppressive aura radiated from her, her eyes as sharp as blades.

Sophia instinctively took half a step back, forcing herself to stand her ground. "Evelyn Laurent, what do you think you're doing?"

Vincent Lowell and the other two immediately shielded Sophia, their voices harsh. "You wouldn't dare hit someone right at Harvard's gates!"

"Since when do I need to pick a place to slap you?"

Before the words had fully left her mouth, Evelyn's hand lashed out—

SMACK!

The crisp sound of the slap echoed across the campus entrance.

Vincent staggered back, clutching his face, his ears ringing. He stared at Evelyn in disbelief, never imagining she would actually strike him in public.

The crowd fell dead silent. The gossiping women shrank back, terrified of drawing her wrath.

"Evelyn Laurent, you—"

Brandon Lowell barely got a word out before another sharp slap landed on his face.

"Idiots, the lot of you." Evelyn flicked her wrist in disgust. "You just had to ask for it, didn't you?"

For the past three months, she'd been occupied with far more important matters—these clowns weren't worth her time. But if they insisted on provoking her, she'd happily oblige.

Sophia watched as her father and brother were struck, a fleeting glint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes. Then, her lashes fluttered, her voice trembling with feigned distress. "Evelyn, they raised you for seventeen years! How could you do this?"

She deliberately raised her voice, ensuring the crowd heard every word.

Just as she intended, the onlookers erupted.

"Ungrateful wretch!"

"Such cruelty at her age!"

"She must've seduced her way into everything!"

Evelyn's eyes turned glacial. In a flash, she closed the distance between them—

CRACK!

The force of the slap sent Sophia sprawling to the ground.

Her ears buzzed, her cheek burning with searing pain. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she clutched her face, the picture of pitiful misery.