Chapter 89
"Caroline, why are you doing this?" Heidi sighed. "First you deliberately drop your own phone to hide who you're calling, and now you want to borrow someone else's? Are you planning to break their phone too?"
At her words, the person immediately refused, and no one else present was willing to lend Caroline their phone either.
Caroline pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze inadvertently meeting Arthur's. Those deep, cold eyes remained as indifferent as ever.
She laughed bitterly to herself. Arthur must be enjoying this spectacle.
After Heidi was embarrassed at Gabriel's house, Arthur was now eager to help her regain her reputation. He truly loved her, didn't he?
Caroline withdrew her hand, considering her options.
If she returned to the office for the invitation, Gabriel's lecture would have already begun. She didn't want to be late.
Was her only option to bow to Arthur? She struggled internally.
Just then, there was a stir in the crowd. Several men in suits entered through the main doors, heading straight for the entrance.
Clinton watched with amusement. "Look, Caroline, there's Mr. Barnes's assistant. If you really know Mr. Barnes, surely he'll let you in."
Caroline followed his gaze to see an unfamiliar man with gold-rimmed glasses.
Having been away from Gabriel for seven years, she wasn't familiar with his new staff.
She decided to wait for Alton, whose car she had noticed was not in the parking lot yet; he'd be arriving soon.
Before Caroline could speak, Heidi spoke for her. "Mr. Cook, this lady forgot her invitation, but she claims to know Mr. Barnes. Perhaps you could take her inside to verify?"
Gabriel's assistant, Jay Cook, paused, his gaze sweeping over Caroline before his expression turned cold.
"What are you doormen being paid for?" he scolded the attendent. "The whole point of invitations is to prevent people with dubious intentions from sneaking in. No invitation, no entry. Do I need to repeat myself?"
The attendant, thoroughly chastised, tried to usher Caroline away. "Please, ma'am, don't make this difficult for us."
Caroline turned to Jay. "You're making decisions on Mr. Barnes's behalf. Does he know about this?"
Jay let out a cold laugh. "I've seen plenty of girls like you. You're just trying to create a scene to force Mr. Barnes to come out, then you'll use emotional manipulation to make him let you in, even against his better judgment."
"Caroline, please don't make this harder for everyone," Heidi urged gently.
Caroline clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. She noticed Arthur's gaze again, his eyes filled with dark, unreadable emotions.
She must look like a pathetic joke right now.
Yet Arthur knew she was acquainted with Gabriel but was content to watch her be thrown out without saying a word in her defense.
But she absolutely refused to leave.
In the next moment, Caroline turned to Heidi with a cool expression. "Pay me."
Heidi was taken aback. "What?"
Caroline pointed at the broken phone on the ground. "You knocked my phone down. The security cameras caught everything. Are you denying it?"
Heidi bit her lip. "But it wasn't intentional. I just walked by and your phone fell. You're clearly trying to—"
She left the sentence unfinished, but everyone present could guess the rest, all believing Caroline had planned this.
Caroline persisted. "Paying your debts is basic decency. Compensating for damage you've caused is just as fundamental."
She turned her cold gaze to Arthur. "Mr. Windsor, is that an unreasonable request?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, considering for a moment. "No, it's not."
Heidi protested, "Arthur..." Even with money to spare, she despised giving Caroline anything.
Caroline smiled faintly. "So Ms. White, are you trying to evade payment? For the daughter of the White family, Mr. Windsor's companion... that hardly seems appropriate."
Heidi's smile stiffened as she pulled a check from her purse and handed it over. "Is this enough?"
Then she turned to Jay and the attendent. "Now that I've paid, shouldn't security remove unauthorized personnel? If something goes wrong at Mr. Barnes's lecture, who will take responsibility?"
She shot Caroline a venomous look. Today, she was determined to keep Caroline out.
Caroline accepted the check but showed no intention of leaving. The lecture was still half an hour away; Alton should arrive soon.
The attendant had lost patience. "Ma'am, if you don't leave, we'll have to escort you out forcibly."
As they moved to do so, a voice cut through. "What do you think you're doing?"
Alton strode in from outside, quickly positioning himself protectively in front of Caroline. "What's going on here?"
Jay's expression shifted. "This woman has suspicious motives and was trying to force her way in. I was having her removed."
Alton looked questioningly at Caroline, who explained apologetically that she'd left her invitation in the lab.
Taking her hand, Alton led her inside. "This is a misunderstanding. She's with me—that's all you need to know."
Given Alton's status, no one dared stop him.
Heidi bit her lip, projecting fragility mixed with determination. "Professor Brooks, everyone needs an invitation to enter. Making an exception for her seems against the rules."
Annoyance flashed in Alton's eyes. "She's not an outsider. She's my professor's—" He paused, noting Caroline's pleading look. "She's a staff member of my professor's team and has full access."
Jay's expression turned ugly. "Professor Brooks, you're abusing your authority. This is against protocol."
"Then go complain to my professor and see whose word he values more," Alton retorted.
The onlookers' expressions soured. Everyone in Sovereign City knew Gabriel favored Alton above all his students, and with Alton's family background, few dared to truly offend him.
Some people, however, lacked such awareness. Jay continued blocking Caroline's path. "Even staff members need prior registration. You can't just bring someone in like this."
Alton laughed incredulously—some people really were begging to be put in their place. He produced Caroline's staff ID card with a cold smile. "See this? It's her work credential."
Fortunately, anticipating difficulties, he had arranged for a staff pass for her. With proper credentials, the attendant had no choice but to let Caroline through.
But Alton had never been known for his patience. He turned to Jay, his smooth voice delivering a devastating blow, "You are fired."
A worthless assistant who couldn't even recognize his professor's protégée deserved no place here. The Celestial University lab still had Caroline's photo posted!
Jay's face turned ashen, as if struck by lightning.