Chapter 486 - 482: How Can There Be Such a Self-Righteous Person

After things had escalated to this point, it was obvious that Cindy Underwood couldn’t stay any longer.

Some people exchanged glances, silently shaking their heads, as if lamenting how Reggie Hale had ended up with a girl like that.

Others cast sympathetic glances at Cecilia Sterling. She had been the target of the attack from start to finish, but fortunately, she had defended herself well. In the end, her opponent had only managed to shoot herself in the foot.

Reggie Hale quickly packed up their things while Cindy Underwood, with a defiant expression, glared daggers at Cecilia Sterling.

Cecilia Sterling wasn’t surprised that Cindy Underwood was resentful. Their grudge ran deep, and now her little scheme had completely backfired.

But Cecilia felt nothing but contempt. Someone as simply malicious and stupid as Cindy Underwood was utterly beyond redemption. She had no illusions that Cindy would ever reflect on her mistakes, nor did she need an apology from her.

Finally, Reggie Hale wordlessly dragged Cindy Underwood away, and only then did the chatter slowly resume.

Thalassa Bowman had been quietly observing Cecilia Sterling’s reaction, worried she might be upset. But as it turned out, Cecilia was completely unfazed; her calm expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.

Thalassa couldn’t help but admire her. For a young woman to remain so calm and composed under those circumstances showed incredible self-possession.

Compared to Cindy Underwood, who had been throwing a hysterical fit, the contrast couldn’t have been more striking.

"Are you okay?" Wyatt Sherman asked, anxious and heartbroken. He was wracked with guilt. He looked at Cecilia Sterling, his eyes full of self-reproach. "I had no idea any of this would happen today. Otherwise, I never would have invited you."

Cecilia Sterling gave a nonchalant smile. "It’s fine. I figured Cindy Underwood would try to stir up some drama, but I didn’t expect her to go all out and put on such an ugly spectacle."

"I’m fine. I have a clear conscience, so I’m not afraid of these kinds of nasty tricks. Besides, the issue between her and me has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to blame yourself."

"But..."

"No buts," Cecilia Sterling cut him off. "We’re here to have fun, aren’t we?"

Just then, Thalassa Bowman opportunely handed them two cans of ice-cold beer. "Cecilia, do you and your friend drink?"

"I drove, Thalassa," Cecilia replied instinctively.

Thalassa smiled. "Don’t worry, there are guys here who aren’t drinking; one of them can drive you back. Besides, we aren’t heading back to the city until evening. The alcohol will probably have worn off by then."

Jane Sterling snatched both cans. "We’re drinking. It would be boring not to with so many people here."

Cecilia Sterling nodded and said to Thalassa, "Thanks, Thalassa."

A smile on her face, Thalassa took the opportunity to shake her head at Wyatt Sherman, signaling him to drop the subject. What just happened was in the past.

Wyatt Sherman understood and nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on Cecilia, completely captivated.

Cecilia grabbed Jane Sterling’s hand, concerned. "You hit her pretty hard just now. Does your hand hurt?"

She hadn’t expected Jane Sterling to actually rush forward and slap Cindy Underwood.

"It’s fine. That bitch needed to feel some pain to learn her lesson," Jane Sterling said. "She should thank her lucky stars it was me with you today and not Blair. Blair would’ve landed a flying kick and beaten her to a pulp, making her piss herself every time she sees you from now on."

Cecilia felt incredibly blessed to have friends who would stand up for her without a second thought.

"Thanks."

"Tsk!" Jane Sterling shot her a look. "Don’t get all sappy on me. You want to thank me? Let’s chug these."

"Alright." Cecilia raised her beer, tilted her head back, and started chugging it down. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG.

Seeing this, Jane Sterling did the same without another word. The rest of the group erupted into whoops and cheers, and no one brought up the earlier unpleasantness again.

As the two of them each downed a 500ml can of ice-cold beer, the picnic’s festive atmosphere returned. Many people began coming over to drink with Cecilia, which prompted a panicked Wyatt Sherman to jump in and run interference, terrified she would drink too much.

*

Meanwhile, at eight o’clock in the morning, Seraphina, having gotten ready for the day, went to the bus stop by the school gate to wait for the bus.

The bus hadn’t arrived, but a convertible Ferrari sports car slowly pulled up to the curb.

Owen Griffin sat in the driver’s seat, looking every bit the debonair playboy with his hand casually draped over the back of the passenger seat. Wearing sunglasses, he looked at Seraphina. "Where are you headed? I’ll give you a ride!"

Seraphina’s gaze landed on Owen Griffin’s car before slowly returning to his face. She shook her head, her expression one of displeasure. "No, thank you. The bus goes directly there."

Even though it was the weekend, plenty of Lorcain U students were still coming and going through the school gate. Owen Griffin, accustomed to being flashy, thought nothing of it, but Seraphina felt extremely uncomfortable, especially with the scene he was creating.

She urged him, "You should go. You’re blocking the bus lane."

Hearing this, Owen Griffin just smiled and glanced behind him. There wasn’t so much as a shadow of a bus in sight.

"Let me give you a ride. The breeze feels great. If you keep standing foolishly in this heat, your makeup is going to melt off."

"The bus has air conditioning. And classmate, can you please stop pestering me?" Seraphina was getting annoyed and had lost all patience with Owen Griffin.

It wasn’t that she had anything against him personally. He was just a typical rich kid from Lorcain U—spoiled, self-centered, and coddled by his family since birth. Someone from his world and someone like her, who grew up in an ordinary family and got into Lorcain U on her own merit, were simply not compatible.

There was an insurmountable gulf between them in every respect, and Seraphina certainly didn’t think she should get too involved with a person like him.

’Dating him was even more out of the question!’

Behind his sunglasses, Owen Griffin’s expression darkened. He’d lost count of how many times Seraphina had rejected him, and always in a way that offered zero leeway.

But he didn’t get angry. Instead, the corner of his mouth quirked up as he looked at Seraphina. "A gift for you. Catch!"

Before Seraphina could react or refuse, Owen Griffin tossed a small blue bag at her. She reached out instinctively, not wanting to let it fall on the ground.

A closer look revealed it was from Tiffany & Co!

The engine roared to life. Seraphina looked up just in time to see Owen Griffin’s car speeding away, leaving a trail of exhaust in its wake.

"Owen Griffin! Owen Griffin!"

Seraphina shouted desperately, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of the sports car’s engine.

Owen Griffin didn’t even look back, disappearing from Seraphina’s view with an air of effortless cool.

’So she doesn’t like the simple and direct approach?’

’He’d said it before—he had even cruder ways!’

Seraphina clutched the blue bag, fuming. ’How can anyone be so conceited?’

When she looked up again, the bus heading toward the aquarium was slowly approaching. Seraphina could only stuff the small Tiffany & Co. bag into her own purse, figuring she would find an opportunity to return it to Owen Griffin later.

She had just boarded the bus and sat down when a message from Ethan Sterling arrived: "I’m already here. The aquarium isn’t open yet, but there’s a coffee shop next door. I’ll wait for you here. What would you like to drink?"

"Something sweet. How about a cappuccino!"