Chapter 51 Taken Care of by My Brother's Friend

Anna's POV

"Yeah, Nick pulled a fast one to get me here. He said I had to follow him first, then he'd take his punishment," Zora said, turning her head. Her long, straight dark brown hair was stunning, making her face even more striking.

I was taken aback for a moment when I heard that.

But she quickly added, "But after hearing about your situation, I wanted to come on my own."

I lowered my head and said softly, "I'm sorry, I always seem to cause trouble for others."

Zora suddenly gave my shoulder a firm pat. "Look, the law values the fairness of the process as much as the result, but some people always try to skip the fairness to get what they want. You stood up for procedural justice so bravely, how could you be causing trouble? You did great!"

Hearing Zora's words, I felt a lump in my throat. It was the first time someone had praised me like this, and I couldn't help but think I didn't do as well as Zora said.

Zora flipped through the folder and said, "If you're okay with it, I want to show this to the disciplinary committee. They always think some of the rules I set are too complicated, but I've done my research, and each one can protect some students."

"Of course!" I nodded earnestly.

"Thank you, Anna, you've been a huge help!" Zora's smile was radiant.

I was stunned, not expecting that I could be of such a help to others. Usually, even if I helped others, they would think I was easy to push around and like me even less.

For a moment, I felt that lump in my throat again.

After Zora left, Susan showed me her phone screen and said, "Jane and her competition teammates went out of town to buy electronic materials. They'll be back tomorrow, and her teammate invited us to a party at a club tomorrow night!"

I looked at Susan's eager face and hesitated, "But I'm a bit tired."

Susan quickly showed me photos of the club's interior, with lots of expensive sports cars. "It looks so cool. We could really unwind there. Just come with me; it'd be so awkward if I had to stick with those two alone."

Seeing Susan so excited, and since it had been a while since I last hung out with Jane, I nodded. "Okay, let's go together."

After dropping Susan off at the dorm, I walked alone on the school road.

Maybe because of the recent stress and barely eating anything today, my stomach started to cramp painfully.

At that moment, someone supported me from the side.

"Thank you..." I gasped, struggling to thank the person.

When I looked up, I saw a boy with red hair and amber eyes. The worry on his face seemed genuine.

"Are you okay? You're Leon's sister, right?" the boy asked me.

"What did you say?" I was stunned.

Having an illegitimate child was usually a scandal and kept secret, so very few people should know about it.

The boy seemed to see my panic and lowered his head to comfort me, "Don't be afraid, I'm Leon's best friend, Edward Smith. He mentioned it once, and I've always kept it a secret for him."

I didn't know what to say, hesitantly looking at him.

Seeing my cautious expression, Edward smiled with clear eyes. "Leon is upstairs doing an experiment, Isaac is there too. Come have a cup of tea."

His expression seemed sincere, and I was feeling really unwell, with a headache and sweating. So, after hesitating for a moment, I followed him upstairs.

After all the pain and standing for so long today, I slipped on the stairs, and Edward caught me. I was so weak that my vision was darkening. When I finally had something to lean on, I just collapsed into him.

"Anna, are you okay?" Edward called my name. I tightly grabbed his shoulder with one arm, slowly regaining my balance.

He let me put my hand on his shoulder and helped me into the lab.

When Edward opened the lab door, I saw Leon and Isaac inside, along with some other busy students.

Leon and Isaac were standing by a machine calculating data, with Tina beside them. Even in a lab coat, she looked tall and attractive, occasionally drawing glances.

I didn't expect Tina to accompany Isaac when he came to see his family.

Edward helped me to the lounge and poured me a drink. "Maybe hot cocoa will make you feel better."

"Thank you." I took it from his hand, the temperature just right, warm but not hot.

Just then, Leon walked in, also in a lab coat and a white mask, looking all clean and spotless. Isaac and Tina were right behind him.

Tina suddenly looked down at me and said, "Anna, we didn't know about your situation before, but it's all in the past. As long as you behave from now on, that's enough."

Even with half her face covered by a mask, her stunning beauty was still evident. Her moving eyes were like a living piece of art, making it hard to look away. Despite her arrogant warning about my place as an illegitimate child, she still looked pure and beautiful.

Isaac seemed to approve of everything Tina did, and he probably told her about my background to make her feel secure. He used to protect me, not caring about Judy's threats with her entire pack, but now...

Maybe Tina always looked innocent, even when she had those people hurt me.

Edward suddenly draped a lab coat hanging on the wall over me. "Anna is sick; let's discuss this later."

My stomach kept cramping, and with each twist, it felt like my chest was slowly bleeding. The pain was unbearable.

"Yes, Isaac, Tina, you should go back, since you are dating each other," I said with difficulty.

Hearing this, Tina's face, though trying to hide it, couldn't help but show a bit of shyness, looking at Isaac bashfully.

Isaac, however, looked straight at me, his blue-gray eyes showing emotions I couldn't understand, seemingly losing the calmness he had earlier.

Before I could react, I completely lost my balance and was picked up by him, the lab coat falling to the ground.

"It hurts..." I couldn't help but frown.

"Alright, I know." Isaac's magnetic voice sounded above my head, with a hint of hidden amusement despite his apparent impatience.

Though his face stayed cold, his grip on me loosened a bit. Then, unexpectedly, he tightened his hold again.