<h4>Chapter 205: Provocation</h4>


    On the other end of the line, the head agent’s voice was icy. "Miss Bet, I’m sorry, but we willpensate you for this. You’re a rising star with a solid reputation, and you have the potential to be a major figure in Country H or even Country S. If you want to make this public, feel free to do so."


    With that, he hung up.


    Jessica’s eyes shed with anger, and her assistant, Dn Long, quickly spoke up. "Don’t make a scene just yet. Let me figure out what’s going on, and then we can n our next steps."


    Jessica took a deep breath. "I just called Mr. Nelson... A woman answered the phone and imed to be his wife... and I insulted her!"


    Dn’s eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Nelson has considerable influence. If you’ve offended him, let’s hope he doesn’t hold a grudge. Otherwise, you might find it difficult to seed in Country S."


    "Is he really that powerful?"


    "What do you think? He’s in his twenties, and in just two years, he’s be the CEO of Nelson Group!" Dn replied softly. Without some serious skills, Eric wouldn’t have been able to reach such a position.


    "From now on, listen to me. We can sign with anotherpany for now. Plenty of bigpanies are eager to have you. Once you’ve made a name for yourself and established a strong backing in Country S, you can get your revenge however you want. But now is not the time, understand?"


    Jessica, though reluctant, trusted Dn, the agent who had helped make her famous. She wasn’t foolish—being a "princess" in the entertainment industry wasn’t easy, and making it to the top required careful strategy.


    Meanwhile, in the car, E sat gazing out the window, watching the scenery drift by, a faint smile ying on her lips. The warmth of Eric’s recent kiss still lingered.


    "What are you thinking about?" Eric asked suddenly, smiling.


    E shot him a yful look. "Just focus on driving!"


    Eric’s smile deepened, his eyes filled with affection. Being with her made him feel invincible, with every moment spent together filling him with endless joy.


    The sun was bright and warm, the trees lush with green, and the winding, open road ahead seemed to lead toward an unknown future.


    On the first day of sses, E nearly arrivedte. Just before she got out of the car, Eric had insisted on a lengthy goodbye kiss, leaving her with a flushed face that drew curious nces. She had to rush to the bathroom to wash her face and cool down.


    When she finally made it to ss, she was thest to arrive.


    Chloe hadn’t made it into Egerton University, but Lauren had, and she ended up being E’s seatmate.


    Rachel, fortunately, wasn’t in the same ss, which was a huge relief for E. She wouldn’t have to deal with Rachel’s unpleasant presence every day.


    However, E’s relief was short-lived. After sses ended in the afternoon, E and Lauren were walking together along the school’s corridor. Nearby was the sports field, where two teams were practicing, one of them a girls’ team.


    Lauren pointed at one of the girls in the team. "Hey, isn’t that Rachel? I can’t believe she got into Egerton University. Ugh... so annoying!"


    E smiled faintly, and Lauren tugged her, suggesting they take a different path to avoid Rachel.


    Avoiding unpleasant people was Lauren’s usual approach, but things didn’t go as nned. Suddenly, a ball flew toward them and struck E in the back with a loud thud before bouncing onto the greenwn.


    E frowned, turning to see a group of girls standing still, watching her.


    Who had thrown that ball?


    "Hey, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and toss the ball back to us!" A girl shouted with a tone that was anything but friendly.


    Rachel was watching E too, secretly pleased with herself. The girl who had spoken was Olivia Walker, the daughter of the Walker family. Although Walker Group had been acquired by Eric, the Walker family still had some private holdings and were quite well-off.


    Rachel had filled Olivia in on who E was, knowing that Olivia held a grudge against Eric for taking over her family’spany. Naturally, this led Olivia to dislike E as well. As soon as E appeared, Olivia had deliberately aimed the ball at her.


    "Hey, didn’t you hear me? Could you please throw the ball back?" Olivia’s voice was nowced with irritation as E remained unmoved.


    Lauren’s face turned red with anger, and she scoffed, "Who do you think you are? Why should my friend E pick up the ball for you?"


    The audacity of this girl! She hit someone with the ball and instead of apologizing, she was ordering E around?


    "Lauren, don’t get worked up. Let them pick it up themselves. Let’s go." E didn’t want to waste time on arrogant people, so she tugged on Lauren’s arm and began walking toward another path.


    But Olivia quickly ran over, blocking their way. "Stop right there!"


    A group of girls, some eager to see what would happen and others genuinely concerned about a possible conflict, followed behind her. After all, it was clear that Olivia was in the wrong from the start.


    E raised an eyebrow, inwardly smirking. This was exactly the reaction she had expected. Olivia’s behavior would only make her look worse in the eyes of others.


    E knew that the ball had been intentionally aimed at her. Being with Rachel, Olivia had clearly been influenced by her, and there was another obvious reason—E was known to be Eric’s girlfriend, even if it hadn’t been officially announced yet.


    Eric was the heartthrob of the nation, often dubbed the "dream husband" by countless women over the past several months.


    At Egerton University, there were plenty of admirers, and even though it was only the first day of sses, many people were already keeping an eye on E. Now, even the boys ying on the field were gathering around, eager to see themotion.


    "Is it really that hard for you to pick up a ball? And you call yourself Mr. Nelson’s girlfriend? Pathetic! There are girls like you everywhere, and it won’t be long before Mr. Nelson dumps you!" Olivia taunted, her voice dripping with contempt.


    E let out augh, her eyes cold as she stared Olivia down. "Are you trying to tell me the funniest joke I’ve ever heard?"


    "What did you say? Don’t think just because you’re Mr. Nelson’s girlfriend that I’m afraid of you!" Olivia shouted, her anger ring.


    The male students around them watched with keen interest. Eric was their idol, and they were curious to see what his girlfriend was really like.


    Lauren scoffed. "How ridiculous. You think just because you’re some rich girl that E should be afraid of you?"


    Rachel hurried over, grabbing Olivia’s arm. "Olivia, don’t get worked up. This is just a small matter, no need to make a big deal out of it."


    Other girls chimed in, trying to defuse the situation. "Yeah, Olivia, let’s just get back to practice..."


    "Come on, Olivia, we’re all waiting for you!" another girl urged.