?Chapter 1657:
Celine was caught off guard by Harlee’s directness in exposing her tactics. Quickly regaining herposure, Celine adopted a humble tone.
“Harlee, I truly wish to apologize. If you doubt my sincerity, I’m willing to keep kneeling until you forgive me.”
Despite her words, Celine was already itching to get up. The difort from kneeling was more than enough.
Harlee’s dark eyes narrowed, her expression enigmatic, a slight smile ying at the corners of her mouth. Her voice waszy and nonchnt.
“Oh, then keep on kneeling,” she said, her smile sharp as her gaze turned piercing.
“Just a friendly reminder, I won’t let the court of public opinion sway my decisions.”
Back then, after being ousted by the Gill family, any remnants of conventional morality had dissolved within Harlee. The Gills’ disgraceful and failed attempts to profit from iming they had raised her—leading to their being driven from Baythorn—was a testament to her resolve.
Morally ckmailing her? Heh, wishful thinking!
Celine seemed to finally realize something. Her fists tightened as she red at Harlee, her eyes brimming with hatred.
At that moment, Elva pushed her way through the bustling crowd, attracting loud curses and unfair usations. The scene grew more chaotic.
Joy flickered in Celine’s eyes momentarily. Though moral ckmail couldn’t sway Harlee, perhaps the pressure of public sentiment could.
The crowd’s attention shifted to Elva, and a barrage of insults rained down on her. The crowd had absorbed the fabricated tales about her, epting them as truth.
I??è$? ￠??t?€я? 1n ??lπoνεl?.c??
The rumors about Elva had escted. She was allegedly involved not only with the president, petty criminals, wealthy youths, and ssmates but was now also used of enticing a seventy-two-year-old professor who had recently been reinstated. The crowd discussed these usations with borate detail, treating them as if they were factual.
Elva, disregarding the harsh stares and nderousments, approached Harlee and noticed Celine kneeling. Surprised, she asked, “Harlee, what’s gotten into Celine?”
With a nonchnt lift of her eyelids, Harlee observed that Elva remained unfazed by the public scorn. Admiring Elva’s resilience, she answered gravely, “Celine came up with this poor scheme after the Duke of Mylo coerced her into apologizing to me.”
Upon hearing the Duke of Mylo hadpelled Celine to seek Harlee’s forgiveness, Elva was astounded.
“Wait, really? Was Harlee truly that powerful? The Duke of Mylo had actually demanded his favored daughter apologize to Harlee…”
It felt surreal to Elva.
Celine, overhearing Harlee’s exnation, stared in shock, her face a picture of despair. It wasn’t until now that she understood how foolish she had been. She had believed her n was wless, but to Harlee, she was nothing more than a joke. Harlee was fully aware! Harlee knew not only that she nned to manipte public opinion to secure forgiveness, but also that the Duke of Mylo had pressured her into apologizing…
With this realization, a cold dread swept over Celine, causing her to copse to the ground, her body shaking violently. How foolish she had been. Instead of genuinely…
Seeking Harlee’s forgiveness, Celine had tried to leverage public sentiment against her.
Celine was ovee with regret, realizing there was no chance for redemption as Harlee was unlikely to forgive her.
The bystanders began murmuring that the Duke of Mylo had instructed his favored daughter, Celine, to plead for Harlee’s forgiveness. This revtion silenced any harsh words for a brief moment. The Duke of Mylo’s deference to Harlee highlighted her significant standing. Ordinary people like them wouldn’t dare cross someone of her influence.
The onlookers refrained from speaking ill of Elva. The fear that their slurs might be unfounded, coupled with the potential retribution from Harlee, made them wary. They hadn’t forgotten how effortlessly Harlee had wreaked havoc on their university forum. Celine quietly exhaled in relief, grateful she hadn’t gotten the chance to involve Elva in her schemes against Harlee.
.
.
.