Chapter 62 Demanding an Explanation
"She's even prettier than the prom queen. If she ran for prom queen, she'd totally win!" someone teased.
The crowd around them burst into laughter, nodding in agreement.
Just then, a mocking voice cut through the chatter.
"I saw Sophia having lunch with Dr. Hernandez and Dr. Rivera before! Their relationship must be sketchy! No wonder Sophia acts so brazenly at school."
This comment hit like a lightning bolt, igniting a wave of gossip.
Sophia sneered coldly and let go of the woman on the ground.
She stepped forward to greet Elijah politely. "Dr. Martinez, you're here."
Elijah smiled and nodded at Sophia, then pointed at the woman and asked, "Sophia, what's going on here?"
Looking at the woman's sorry state on the ground, Elijah couldn't help but rub his forehead.
Sophia, who seemed so gentle and fragile, had such a fierce side to her. Truly, looks could be deceiving!
Sophia shot the woman a cold glance and explained the situation.
She slowly raised her scalded arm, her voice icy, "Elijah, the students at Stellar University need to work on their behavior. Now it's hot water on me, but what if a teacher accidentally offends her next time..."
Sophia didn't finish her sentence, but Elijah got the message loud and clear.
His face darkened, and he looked icily at the woman.
The woman noticed Elijah's gaze and trembled inside.
"Dr. Martinez, I didn't mean it, you have to believe me!" she whispered defensively.
"There are cameras all over the school. We'll know if it was intentional soon enough," Sophia said, her eyes filled with coldness.
The woman immediately shut her mouth, feeling guilty.
Seeing her reaction, Elijah understood everything.
He looked guiltily at Sophia's arm and said quietly, "Sophia, it looks like you're seriously hurt. You should go to the medical office right away."
Everyone followed Elijah's gaze.
They were stunned.
Sophia's delicate arm was red and covered in several blisters.
The woman's cup had contained boiling water.
If Sophia hadn't dodged in time, that water would have splashed on her face.
It wouldn't just be a few blisters then—it would be disfigurement!
Seeing the shocking wounds on Sophia's arm, the surrounding students gasped.
Then they fell into a long silence.
Many had arrived late and only saw Sophia attacking the woman, not knowing she had been splashed with hot water.
After a while, someone finally spoke up, angrily, "If that boiling water had hit her face, Sophia would be disfigured. If it were me, I'd skin her alive. Sophia just stepped on her back a few times—she got off easy!"
"Exactly! A woman's face is so important. This woman had bad intentions from the start. You can't blame Sophia entirely."
"How much hatred must there be? That's just cruel!"
After Sophia revealed her injury, the crowd's attitude shifted instantly.
Everyone felt sorry for Sophia being splashed with hot water, and the woman who had just been sympathized with became the target of their anger.
Chase stared at Sophia's injured arm, his eyelid twitching.
This was bad!
If Benjamin found out Sophia was hurt and bullied, he'd be furious!
Chase quickly approached Elijah, adopting his usual cold, assertive demeanor.
"Dr. Martinez, Mrs. White may not be a student at Stellar University, but she was bullied here. Your school needs to give us an explanation."
Elijah looked at Sophia with some difficulty and said quietly to Chase, "Don't worry, our school will handle this matter seriously. We won't let Sophia be wronged."
When Chase was stern, he bore a striking resemblance to Benjamin.
Elijah's temple throbbed, and he quickly made a promise.
Chase snorted coldly, "It better be. Mrs. White is delicate, and Mr. White usually doesn't even raise his voice at her. If you can't give me a satisfactory answer, Mr. White will come to talk to you himself."
Elijah quickly waved his hand, "Rest assured, our school will handle this properly."
If the issue of a student splashing hot water wasn't handled well, it could easily create negative public opinion about the school.
If word got out, neither Elijah nor the school could bear the responsibility.
And Sophia's identity was extraordinary.
She was part of the White Family and Benjamin's wife.
Hearing Elijah's words, the woman's heart sank.
She climbed up from the ground, looking for a chance to escape.
But she hadn't taken two steps when Elijah's cold voice stopped her.
"This incident has caused a very negative impact. Go call your parents and wait for the school's punishment!"
The woman panicked upon hearing this.
She hurried to Elijah, half-kneeling and pleading, "Dr. Martinez, please don't call my parents! I know I was wrong. I won't do it again!"
Elijah sighed helplessly.
What could he do?
She was indeed in the wrong.
The woman continued, "Elijah, I just wanted to teach Sophia a lesson. She's only slightly injured; there's no need to call my parents."
The woman didn't realize the severity of her actions and spoke with confidence.
Elijah shook his head in disappointment. "Just some water? You clearly don't understand the seriousness of this."
"Do you know who Sophia is? I was planning to officially hire her as a medical professor after my business trip. Now..."
Elijah looked at Sophia, silently praying she wouldn't hold this against Stellar University.
Elijah's words were like a thunderclap, shocking everyone present.
Even Sophia was taken aback.
She didn't expect Elijah to value her so much and want her to teach at Stellar University.
But now, she had no time to think about that.
Because Chase had already called Benjamin.
Benjamin was on his way.
Thinking about Benjamin seeing her fierce side, Sophia's face couldn't help but turn red.
Meanwhile, Benjamin was in the middle of an intense meeting.
The atmosphere in the conference room was heavy and oppressive.
Everyone held their breath, occasionally glancing at Benjamin, who sat at the head of the table with a grim expression.
The project manager standing by the projector hung his head, bracing for Benjamin's harsh criticism.
But the expected storm never came.