Kneel and Apologize
1349 Words
The students continued their collective lie.
Vice Principal Richard visibly relaxed, turning to berate Catherine harshly: "Catherine, not only did you assault and insult a board member and her son, but you're also trying to deceive us with lies. I'm expelling you now—any objections?"
"None whatsoever!" Zack was the first to chime in loudly.
Sandra stared at Catherine with a twisted expression, her voice vicious: "If you don't properly apologize to me and my son today, don't expect to leave Saint Crane Academy standing!"
Her malicious tone sent shivers through many in the crowd.
It was hard to describe their current feelings.
They knew Sandra and Zack were lying, knew the Class 3-2 students were conspiring together, and knew Vice Principal Richard was blatantly favoring the board member.
But they were powerless to intervene.
A heavy weight pressed against their chests.
For someone who was clearly the victim, yet painted as the aggressor through twisted lies;
For a student who was completely in the right, yet brazenly expelled by the vice principal;
For a girl who had done nothing wrong, yet was being forced to apologize by so-called "adults."
They felt as if thick, impenetrable storm clouds had gathered overhead, devouring the morality taught in textbooks and erasing the righteousness written on blackboards.
Only Sandra and Zack's savage crimson grins remained, along with Vice Principal Richard's face written with sycophantic servility.
—Was this reality?
Amid the oppressive atmosphere, Catherine suddenly let out a cold laugh.
That laugh was like the first ray of golden light piercing endless night at dawn—clear, icy, and carrying unquestionable sharpness.
She spoke calmly: "Sandra, I admire your confidence. But I suggest you return to your husband and discuss how to handle the investigation into your company's substandard materials and corner-cutting practices."
The malice instantly drained from Sandra's face, replaced by guilt and shock.
How could she possibly know? That matter hadn't been made public yet!
But she quickly forced composure, stubbornly retorting: "What business is that of yours? The Davis Group's affairs are ours to handle!"
"Indeed, it's none of my concern," Catherine replied indifferently, pulling out her phone. "However, I happened to start recording from the moment I entered Saint Crane Academy, and coincidentally... uploaded it to the nation's largest video platform. Just one click away from going public."
She opened the recorded video.
The image quality wasn't high—after all, she was using a cheap knockoff phone—but it clearly captured the entire conflict:
How Zack had humiliated Catherine and been beaten in return; how he'd summoned his mother; how mother and son had conspired to frame her.
Every lie crumbled instantly.
Zack and Sandra's faces turned ashen.
Vice Principal Richard's lips trembled.
The Class 3-2 students wished they could disappear into the ground.
No one had expected this supposedly stupid, poor transfer student to have prepared such a move from the very beginning.
"What do you think would happen if I published this video?" Catherine walked past the vice principal and Sandra, studying them like misbehaving children, her presence coldly oppressive:
"Regarding Saint Crane Academy—Grant City's most prestigious private elite school experiencing a scandal where an entire class collectively lied to bully a rural transfer student, while the vice principal blatantly protected a board member."
"Might that immediately make headline news?"
"Regarding the Davis Group—people would discover not only your substandard products but also see the group's matriarch joining her son in school bullying."
"Wouldn't your competitors have a field day with that?"
"Don't!" Sandra cracked first.
Her face had gone pale, her tone desperate, all previous arrogance vanished. The Davis Group was already in crisis due to competitor manipulation, with stock prices in continuous decline. If this video fell into enemy hands...
Under multi-front public pressure, even if Davis Group didn't go bankrupt, it would be severely damaged!
"Fine," Catherine said lightly, as if being reasonable. "Kneel and beg me."
"What?" Sandra stood frozen, thinking she'd misheard.
"Kneel. And beg me." Catherine raised her voice, drawing out the final words, murderous intent almost surging from her eyes.
"I... I'm a board member, a group matriarch, a Grant City socialite... How could I kneel to you..." Sandra shook her head frantically, utterly resistant.
"Then enjoy living on the streets." Catherine didn't spare her another glance, turning to leave.
She'd barely taken a step when a "thud" sounded behind her—
Sandra had dropped straight to her knees, pleading desperately:
"Catherine, please spare us! We were wrong! We were blind! Please don't stoop to our level!"
Compared to future wealth and status, what was a little dignity? She absolutely couldn't become a debt-ridden beggar!
"Mom! What are you doing?! Get up! Don't let her fool you!" Zack was both confused and furious, reaching to pull his mother up.
He had no idea what crisis the family faced, nor understood how devastating the video's release would be.
"You little bastard! Did you or did you not insult Miss Catherine first? Get down here and apologize!" Sandra grabbed her son and slapped him across the face—the precious child she normally couldn't bear to touch.
She forced a smile while kowtowing and apologizing, simultaneously pressing her son's head down to force his confession.
The pitiful sight of them groveling formed a cruel contrast with their earlier arrogance, leaving the crowd speechless for a long time.
Catherine... had completely crushed Sandra and Zack without relying on the Harrison family at all?
Was this really the same foolish, timid country girl?!
Everyone looked toward Catherine, expecting to see vengeful satisfaction or smugness on her face.
But there was nothing.
She simply gazed ahead with calm, cold indifference, not even lowering her eyes to acknowledge Sandra and her son kneeling at her feet.
Like an emperor who never deigns to notice ants.
—In truth, for someone who had once dominated the assassin world as Queen, Sandra's existence truly was no different from an ant's.
She had eliminated higher-ranking nobles and clashed with more powerful organizations.
Her knowledge of Davis Group's corner-cutting came from her past identity:
The specialized assassin job boards that gathered colleagues worldwide offered everything from presidential assassinations to corporate espionage.
She'd recently noticed a posting—gathering evidence of substandard materials from the Davis Group in Grant City, Elton.
The decision to record had been made upon arrival.
The original Catherine had suffered endless bullying at this school. She needed an opportunity to make an example of someone.
Sandra and her son had walked right into her trap.
Now that she'd dealt with this pair, it was Saint Crane Academy's turn.
Catherine approached the gray-haired Vice Principal Richard.
She didn't particularly need to stay at this school, but the current trial mission required her to win the upcoming monthly exams.
She couldn't afford expulsion.
But before she could speak, clear applause suddenly rang out from the courtyard's perimeter.
Everyone turned in unison—
A baby-faced youth approached from the left, appearing no more than ten years old, wearing an impeccably tailored black suit. His demeanor was adorably innocent yet somehow arrogantly aloof, the contradictory presence irresistibly magnetic.
"P-Principal!" a student cried out in shock.
This was Saint Crane Academy's principal, Liam Shangguan.
A legendary figure in education—cursed with an eternally youthful face due to dwarfism, yet renowned for his iron-fisted methods!
"The man behind the principal... isn't that Master Julian? Why is he here too?!" More stunned whispers rippled through the students.
Master Julian.
Sole grandson of a founding hero, heir to the century-old Winter family dynasty.
Nine years ago, the Winter family had faced complete ruin, their foundation nearly collapsed. When everyone else was helpless, eighteen-year-old Julian had stepped forward.
No one knew the details, but after he took control, the Winter family not only reversed their decline and reclaimed their position as Elton's premier dynasty—their enterprises had rapidly expanded globally!
Even Elton's President treated Julian with respectful courtesy, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
And more stunning than his power was his flawless appearance.
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