Chapter 16 Who Has Time to Knock?
The classroom air seemed to freeze for a moment as everyone turned toward the voice. There stood a defiant-looking young man in the doorway.
He had one hand casually shoved in his pocket, the other carrying an elegant pastry box, his face radiating undisguised fury.
Bruce Matthews strode in with purpose, his black Doc Martens hitting the floor with heavy thuds.
His gaze swept over Luna and Lucy like a blade, the disgust in his eyes as if he were looking at something filthy.
Then he slammed the pastry box onto Sophia's desk. The motion seemed rough, yet he was careful not to damage the delicate packaging.
"Pray to God to save your pathetic brains! If you love being someone's lapdog so much, why don't you go pick cotton!"
When his gaze shifted to Emily, his expression grew even more disgusted, his brow furrowing so deeply it could crush a fly, "Back off and stop spewing your garbage around Sophia!"
Emily's eyes widened in shock at the sudden verbal assault, her face flushing crimson.
She'd heard plenty of insults before, but this level of vicious sarcasm was a first.
Sophia lowered her gaze with a soft laugh, leisurely untying the silk ribbon on the pastry box. She picked up a macaron and took a delicate bite, the sweetness melting on her tongue.
"Excellent flavor." She looked up at Bruce, her eyes sparkling with knowing amusement. "From Sugar Blossom, right?"
When Bruce turned toward Sophia, his anger vanished instantly, his expression switching to one seeking praise as he raised his eyebrows triumphantly, "Of course! Flew it over a thousand miles just for you, pretty devoted, right?"
Sophia nodded approvingly, lifting the box to share Bruce's specially delivered Silverlight City delicacies with her nearby friends.
Bruce turned back to glare menacingly at the others, though his words were directed at Sophia, "Mr. Green's almost here. I'm heading to the principal's office with him for coffee, to have a nice little chat about the highlights of this place!"
Emily finally snapped out of her shock, slamming her hand on her desk, "Who the hell are you? When did anyone ask for your opinion?"
Amelia crossed her arms with a cold laugh, her voice low but loud enough for the entire class to hear, "Genius designer Bruce Matthews, Silver Fir Academy Class of 2019 distinguished graduate, core alumni association member."
Emily snorted dismissively: "The alumni association is just a bunch of old graduates. What's the big deal!"
Luna's face turned ashen. She suddenly remembered that even if Sophia was no longer the Smith family heiress, the friends around her were far from ordinary!
Years ago, there were rumors in elite circles about some heir who'd spoken disrespectfully to Sophia—the next day, his family's company lost over a billion in market value and was kicked out of high society entirely.
"Sir, I know I was wrong!" Luna frantically apologized, reaching out to grab Bruce's sleeve.
Bruce stepped back half a pace in disgust, as if she carried a contagious disease, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, but here's some advice—stay away from that one."
With that, he left the classroom without a backward glance, his arrogant exit making everyone's teeth itch with irritation.
Downstairs, he ran into Michael, who'd arrived in a hurry. After a brief explanation, the two headed toward the administration building with a shared purpose.
In the principal's office, the fifty-something principal was leisurely enjoying his coffee when the door was suddenly slammed open, making him jolt and spill coffee all over the documents in front of him.
"Could you two knock before entering?" He hurriedly set down his coffee cup, wiping the coffee stains from the papers.
Looking up to see two faces grim with anger, his heart immediately sank.
Bruce plopped down directly in front of the principal's desk, stretching out his long legs, "Knock? What's to knock about? Sophia's being bullied at school—who has time to knock?"
Before the principal could respond, Michael, leaning casually against the doorframe while playing with his car keys, said coolly, "The school prohibits cliques and harassment. Sophia's being targeted, and if the school doesn't handle this, I'll have someone remove your door entirely."
Cold sweat immediately beaded on the principal's forehead. A world-renowned genius designer, plus the current head of Green Group, under this double pressure, how could he dare not handle it?
The connections were terrifyingly extensive, and she had two protective older brothers who were completely unhinged.
If anything happened to her, Silver Fir Academy would be in serious trouble!
The principal slammed his hand on the desk and shot to his feet, putting on an expression of righteous indignation, "Such appalling behavior exists! Wait here, I'll absolutely discipline those students engaging in harassment and give you a satisfactory resolution!"
Meanwhile, back in the classroom, Emily was still baffled, "Just some graduate—what's so scary about that?"
She turned to look at the silent Luna, frowning with displeasure, "Why are you still so frightened?"
Unable to order Sophia around, she decided to flex her authority over others.
She glanced at Lucy cowering nearby and commanded, "Go to the campus store and buy me a carton of strawberry milk—heated, and I want it now!"
Lucy pressed her pale lips together, lowering her head as she hurried out of the classroom.
Before the next class period even began, the school's PA system broadcast disciplinary announcements for Emily, Lucy, and Luna, repeatedly emphasizing that the school prohibited cliques, exclusion, and student harassment.
Hearing the disciplinary announcement, Emily was stunned. A punishment on her very first day of school? Just for breaking Sophia's water bottle?
Were all the people at this damn school complete idiots?