Chapter 5 Her Crush on Her Brother

The next morning, the early fog was thick.

In front of the Sweet Water Shop, Alice once again saw Sunny.

She had noticeable dark circles under her eyes, and her demeanor seemed worn out; she probably hadn't slept well the previous night.

Alice wasn't in much better shape.

She had left The William Family villa in the middle of the night and found a nearby hotel. The hotels around Mountain were top-notch, but ridiculously expensive.

After checking in, Alice collapsed into bed.

She was incredibly tired, but as soon as she lay down, her mind refused to rest.

The feather pillow was uncomfortable, and the Sealy mattress didn't feel right either...

Long story short, she barely slept until around 4 AM, when she got up to use the bathroom. She came back and managed to fall into a light sleep for a little while.

By 7 AM, she was jolted awake by the persistent vibration of Sunny's messages.

Alice was irritable, still feeling the effects of her lack of sleep.

"Did Stuart say anything? Did he delete the video?" As soon as she saw Alice, Sunny rushed to ask.

Alice didn't answer right away. Instead, she silently studied Sunny's face.

At that moment, the fear on her face was hard to reconcile with the arrogant behavior in the video-slapping other girls and spitting at them.

"The video? Stuart has already deleted it." Alice replied.

"Really?" Sunny asked, her voice full of relief.

"Yes."

Sunny visibly relaxed but wasn't ready to completely let her guard down. She quickly lowered her head and typed a message to Stuart.

"I'll send you the photos once he replies."

Alice agreed.

Clearly, Stuart wasn't going to reply immediately, and Alice wasn't even sure if he would respond at all.

Maybe he had ignored Sunny's messages entirely.

Regardless, Alice and Sunny both had to wait patiently for his reply.

They sat in the Sweet Water Shop for a while. Sunny didn't seem to have much of an appetite, so Alice ordered a bowl of Mango Sago as her breakfast.

By 8,30 AM, students with early classes began walking towards the teaching building in groups, and the shop got busier.

Sunny was tense, clutching her phone and glancing at the screen from time to time.

Alice was also nervous, unsure whether Stuart would keep his promise.

She knew nothing about his character or integrity.

All she knew was that he was a bully!

After finishing the Mango Sago, Alice lightly stirred the remaining liquid in the bowl with her spoon.

Time ticked by as Alice and Sunny sat in silence, waiting.

Around 10 AM, Sunny's phone finally buzzed with a message that was like a breath of fresh air.

Stuart, "Deleted."

Sunny let out a huge sigh of relief, clutching her phone and crossing herself in thanks.

"That's it, your turn to keep your promise," Alice said.

Sunny, naturally excited, handed over her phone's QR code, "Scan it, I'll send the photos."

Alice scanned her Facebook, and Sunny quickly edited the picture, covering her face with a little bunny sticker before sending it to Alice.

"Thanks," Alice said, standing up to leave.

Her legs were sore from sitting for so long.

Just as she was about to leave the Sweet Water Shop, Sunny called out to her.

"Wait!"

Alice turned around. Sunny hesitated before asking, "You didn't watch the video, did you?"

Alice shrugged nonchalantly and said, "No."

...

The moment Alice received the evidence, she went straight to the Academic Affairs Office and handed over the backup of the selfie to the department head.

The photo was very clear-Georgia, a random passerby, had picked up the "Starry Tears" bracelet and was inspecting it. The time watermark at the bottom-right corner coincided with the period when Elizabeth had lost the bracelet.

The evidence was undeniable, leaving no room for doubt.

The department head looked at Alice in surprise, unable to believe that she had coincidentally found such irrefutable proof.

"Anything done will leave traces," Alice calmly replied.

After thinking for a moment, the department head said, "We still need professional personnel to authenticate the authenticity of the photo."

"It's fine," Alice said confidently, "I also have a witness."

Most likely, Sunny wouldn't risk offending the daughter of The Thomas family to clear Alice's name.

Their "deal" had already ended.

But Alice intentionally said this so that, even if the department head wanted to cover up for Georgia, he wouldn't dare to falsify the authenticity of the photo.

She waited for two hours outside the office, and after the photo was authenticated by a teacher from the Media Department, the department head invited Alice back into his office.

His expression was much kinder now. He poured her a glass of water and informed her that the school had rescinded her expulsion, and he personally apologized for the earlier unjust suspicion of her.

However, the school hoped Alice would not hold a grudge and, most importantly, refrain from contacting the police to avoid any tension among the students.

Alice knew very well they wouldn't make Georgia the scapegoat for falsely accusing others.

"Although you have issues with Georgia, you have to consider that you live with The Thomas family, and they pay for your tuition and living expenses. It wouldn't be wise to burn bridges with them," the department head said earnestly.

Alice understood this very well.

The moment she saw the photo, she knew that if she didn't seek real justice, she wouldn't see the "real culprit" face any consequences.

Her goal was simply self-preservation.

She told the department head, "I want the school to contact Henry and let him know this was all a misunderstanding. I also want the school to publicly announce this and restore my reputation."

"And Georgia..."

"How you word it is up to you."

The department head sighed in relief, praised Alice for her understanding, and mentioned that she could even apply for the Scholarship at the end of the year.

After leaving the Academic Affairs Office, Alice spotted Georgia from a distance.

Georgia glared at her with burning hatred in her eyes.

Clearly, the school had already talked to her.

As Alice passed by her, she casually said, "Your brother will be back soon. You'd better lay low for now."

"Don't think you can act arrogant just because of my brother! Who do you think you are? You're just a dog raised by my brother!" Georgia shouted angrily. "I'm telling you, you're lucky this time, but next time you won't have such luck!"

Alice ignored her, letting her scream insults behind her.

After all these years, she had gotten used to it.

This wasn't anything to worry about-deal with it as it comes.

At least Charles would be back soon.

...

Alice watched the two-minute video again and again.

She had lied to Sunny.

Stuart had deleted the video, but she hadn't deleted it from her phone.

Two weeks ago, there had been a bullying incident at the school. A girl had reported to the Academic Affairs Office that she had been bullied.

But because there was no direct evidence to show who was involved, even though the girl had pointed out some people, they all denied it. The school couldn't act hastily.

The girls involved were all from wealthy families, and the school had to consider their backgrounds.

Sunny's family was slightly weaker, and she wasn't the main bully, just someone used by the wealthy girls to carry out the bullying.

Afterward, the issue seemed to die down, and the bullied girl didn't speak out again.

That video could become the missing key evidence.

But the question was, what did this have to do with Alice?

She had proven her innocence and resolved the theft issue. Everything should have ended there.

On the rooftop, the wind howled, carrying a salty scent from the bay.

The girl in the video was surrounded by a group of people who poured paint and urine on her, stripped her, and humiliated her...

Alice opened the video again, hearing the girl's desperate cries, drifting in the wind.

No one heard them. No one cared.

Her finger hovered over the delete button but remained frozen.

Alice told herself she wasn't Robin Hood or Wonder Woman. She didn't have superpowers, and she didn't want to be a hero...

She just wanted to protect herself.

Damn it... delete it!

She paced back and forth on the rooftop for a long time, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to press that simple delete button.

In fact, the moment she deceived Sunny, she already had a plan.

After much thought, she decided to stick to her previous decision.

Stuart wanted to see her choose between "personal gain" and "justice."

Whatever choice adults made, Alice was willing to take them all.

She contacted the bullied girl, Andy, and met her on the rooftop.

The girl's name was Andy, a poor student who had gotten into Huiton Academy with high scores but had extraordinary painting talent. Despite not having professional training, her natural ability surpassed most of the academy's wealthy students who had personal teachers from childhood.

Talent was the most envy-inducing thing.

And so, she became the target of bullying.

Alice sent her the video. The girl looked at it in shock and fear.

"I thought... no one saw it," she said.

"Anything done will leave traces," Alice replied.

Just like with Georgia.

Anyway, the video was sent to her. What she did with it was her business now, no longer Alice's concern.

Alice turned to leave, not wanting to get further involved.

She was so tired; she just wanted to go home and sleep until morning.

Behind her, Andy began to sob.

"It's no use. Even if we have the evidence, it won't matter. The school won't punish them. I've already applied for a leave of absence."

Alice's insides twisted, as though something was gnawing at her.

It didn't hurt, but it felt wrong.

Whatever, she thought. The weak are beyond saving.

However, after walking about ten meters, Alice couldn't swallow this frustration and turned back, unable to resist saying to Andy,

"When I was little, I lived in a place with a lot of bad people-worse than the girls in the video, a hundred times worse, a thousand times worse."

Andy looked at her in curiosity.

"They'd rob me of the money people gave me. When I finally caught a sandworm that could be sold, they'd steal it from me... and later, besides stealing things, they'd touch my face, my hands, my..."

The girl's face turned pale with fear.

Alice gritted her teeth, her voice dark and sharp, her gaze like a blade,

"Then, one day, I found a pair of dull scissors in an abandoned fishing net, and when they came again, I used all my strength to drive those dull scissors into the nearest person's stomach."

Andy clutched her mouth in horror.

"The scissors were too dull to kill him, but he bled a lot, and they had to rush him to the hospital."

"People who bully the weak will always choose victims that are easy to attack, and they won't fight someone with sharp claws," Alice said coldly. "This is an animal world, and to survive, you have to make your armor sharp!"

Andy stopped crying and started thinking carefully about Alice's words.

When she looked up to say something, Alice's figure had already disappeared into the door.

...

Alice was exhausted and went home to sleep deeply, not wanting to wake up, even if the world was ending.

Until her phone rang.

Groggily, Alice picked up her phone and cursed under her breath, almost throwing it away...

But then she saw the name flashing on the screen-

Charles.

She immediately woke up, answered the phone, and deliberately said with a drowsy voice, "Brother."

Hearing her slightly muffled voice, the man on the other end of the line chuckled.

"Did you already fall asleep so early?"

Looking at the time, it was only 8 PM!

She had already been asleep for hours.

"I'm exhausted. These past couple of days have worn me out. Now you decide to call?" Alice said irritably. "You almost missed me."

"Without me, you'd still do just fine." Charles' voice was soothing.

"I just landed. I'll reward you when I get back."