Chapter 100: Not Legally Ashbourne

The tension inside the Headmaster’s office mounted as Dominic’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, whether from fury or humiliation.

At the very least, Dominic managed to restrain himself from exploding this time. He answered Shani’s question through gritted teeth.

"We only filed the application today. The official certificate won’t be issued until next Monday at the latest. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that Shani is a Night Panther."

Dominic placed heavy emphasis on the words a Night Panther to imply that, sooner or later, the certificate would inevitably be issued.

Yet that was hardly the "proof" Shani had demanded. She sat with a serene expression, offering no reply.

She was content to let the Headmaster render his own judgment. And sure enough, the Headmaster was equally unimpressed with Dominic’s answer.

"Family Head Ashbourne, you assured me that Shani was already an official member of House Ashbourne, which is why I agreed to facilitate this meeting. Surely you aren’t attempting to deceive Grand Academy?"

The Headmaster, usually known for his mild temperament, released a wave of oppressive beast pressure that left everyone in the room struggling to breathe.

Dominic fought with everything he had to appear unaffected, even as the veins at his temples bulged from the strain.

"Headmaster, I would never dare commit such insolence," Dominic replied.

"You know as well as I do that, by law, a beastman is automatically registered under the house sharing their beast gene. There are no loopholes."

Dominic finished his statement with a sharp side-eye toward Shani, simmering with irritation that she had forced him into this predicament.

Why was she resisting so stubbornly when, in the end, she couldn’t possibly escape House Ashbourne anyway?

The Headmaster reined in his beast pressure. Though displeased with Dominic’s deceptive approach, he could not overrule the law.

At the very least, he would ensure Shani wouldn’t have to deal with that family any more than necessary.

Just as Dominic and the Headmaster thought the discussion had drawn to a close, Shani offered a faint, playful smile.

"Family Head Ashbourne... are you so certain there are no loopholes?"

Dominic’s brow furrowed. "Your mother’s side of the family won’t be able to help you. They have no standing in this matter."

Shani raised an eyebrow. ’So he thinks my defiance stems from having my mother’s family backing me? He must assume they’re after my inheritance, too.’

The sheer absurdity of his assumption made her want to laugh.

"They may have no authority, but I do. And I choose to refuse," Shani stated calmly.

"Shani, I know you grew up in a backwater border town, but you should at least possess basic common knowledge. The Night Panther is the beast gene of the Ashbournes, so—"

"My lawyer has arrived," Shani interrupted, completely brushing his lecture aside.

"You actually called a lawyer?" Dominic muttered, having assumed Shani was merely bluffing.

His eyes narrowed at the opening door, though his expression quickly dissolved back into a smug grin. No matter how brilliant a lawyer was, nobody could override explicit law.

Logan Rivers took a seat beside Shani after being gestured to do so.

Though only in his mid-thirties, he was one of the ace attorneys at the prestigious Rosenbaum Law Firm and had argued countless high-profile cases in court.

The lawyer beside Dominic recognized Logan immediately and leaned in to whisper a warning. A flicker of anxiety crossed Dominic’s face, yet he remained confident in his position.

"Miss Shani Rowan possesses the legal right to decline joining House Ashbourne," Logan stated, wasting no time on pleasantries.

Before Dominic could cut in, Logan smoothly continued,

"This rejection has already been officially approved by the relevant government department. In fact, House Ashbourne’s legal team has already been formally notified."

"Rejected? What is the meaning of this, Family Head Ashbourne?" The Headmaster, already irritated by Dominic’s dishonesty, flared up, realizing he had been completely lied to.

Dominic snapped his gaze toward his lawyer, who immediately stepped in to defend them. "The rejection was merely due to a missing document. Once all paperwork is fully resubmitted—"

"Would you care to display the official rejection notice?" Logan interrupted in a composed, level-headed tone. "Doesn’t it explicitly state that the application was denied because House Ashbourne was deemed unfit?"

"There must be some misunderstanding, Attorney Rivers. Our team is currently looking into the details behind the denial," House Ashbourne’s lawyer attempted to salvage the situation.

"There’s no need to investigate," Shani chimed in, her gaze turning bored as if Dominic and his lawyer were nothing more than clowns in a circus act. "Mr. Rivers, please explain to them why House Ashbourne is considered unfit."

Logan nodded smoothly. "The Ashbournes have committed criminal acts against Miss Rowan. Naturally, a victim cannot be forced into the custody of her perpetrators."

Dominic recalled Vivienne mentioning that someone had fabricated fake evidence implicating her in Nora’s scheme.

It seemed whoever created that forum post had hired a shadow guild, which was why his legal team hadn’t been able to trace the true mastermind.

"Those are all false accusations. The police have already confirmed it. Vivienne wasn’t involved at all," Dominic defended once more.

Logan nodded calmly. "The chat screenshots circulating online are indeed fabricated. However, the evidence we obtained comes directly from the dashcam recording of the taxi where Nora Clay and Mrs. Rourken met."

Logan then activated his device and played the audio file.

"Are you really from House Ashbourne, that prestigious family?" Mrs. Rourken’s hesitant voice echoed through the room.

"Of course. You know the future head of the Ashbourne family, Vivienne Ashbourne? She’s the one who instructed me," Nora replied with complete confidence.

"Talk is cheap. Anyone can claim to have ties to a prestigious family. The problem is, you’re asking me to frame a Grand Academy’s student. I’ll be in massive trouble if I get caught," Mrs. Rourken pushed back, still reluctant.

"Don’t worry about it. House Ashbourne has plenty of connections at the police department. You won’t face any consequences."

A brief silence followed before Nora spoke up again with a touch of impatience. "Fine, I’ll call her directly."

Before long, a slightly muffled female voice rang out, her tone dripping with arrogance. Nora apologized repeatedly before stating her business.

"Miss Vivi, I’ve found someone who can teach Shani a lesson. She’s just worried about getting into trouble with the police. You’ll cover for her if anything happens, right?"

"That border town orphan? Just give her a lesson. Dealing with the police is a trivial matter," Vivienne replied, her voice laced with heavy disdain.

The recording cut off.

All three pairs of eyes in the room widened in utter disbelief. None of them had anticipated such air-tight, damning evidence to surface.

Even Shani hadn’t considered it initially. Only after discussing the matter with Logan did the ace attorney dig into every minute detail.

Even when early inquiries yielded nothing, he had persisted until he eventually managed to retrieve the dashcam audio.

Dominic’s face turned deathly pale, completely stripped of words.

Meanwhile, the Headmaster was utterly livid.

BAM! He slammed his heavy palm onto the desk.

"Dominic Ashbourne! An Ashbourne intentionally targeted and harassed a student of Grand Academy, and you have the audacity to come here declaring she has joined your family?! Does House Ashbourne hold Grand Academy in such low regard?!"

Dominic stood frozen, unable to utter a single word. Offering any excuse now would only inflame the Headmaster’s rage further.

"I... apologize, Headmaster. I will personally question Vivienne about the details of this incident."

Dominic and his lawyer retreated from the office in a frantic rush.

The Headmaster turned to look at Shani, who sat with a tranquil, unbothered composure.

An ache filled his heart for the young girl. Just how much hardship had she endured over her eighteen years of life to face a situation like this with such chilling calmness?

The Headmaster wished to speak with Shani further, but after offering their gratitude, Shani and Logan respectfully took their leave.

...

Vivienne ran into Shani while leaving her elective class. Shani’s posture remained entirely indifferent, just as it always was, which left Vivienne feeling a subtle tinge of unease.

"Did something happen at the meeting?" she muttered to herself.

She checked her smartwatch. During class, her device had buzzed several times with incoming chat notifications, but since there were no incoming calls, she had assumed it wasn’t urgent.

Only now did she get a chance to read the flood of spam-like messages from her mother. Every single one demanding that she return home immediately.

"Mom, I’m bringing Shani along. What time is the driver coming?" Vivienne asked, calling her mother back.

"Forget about Shani! Come home right this second, your driver is already waiting!" Emilia urged, her voice sounding frantic.

A bad feeling immediately settled in Vivienne’s gut. "Mom, what happened?" she asked cautiously.

"Just come home first and I’ll explain everything. If you see your father... keep your head down."

Emilia’s final warning made Vivienne’s heart leap into her throat.

...