Chapter 25

Feeling all kinds of awkward under her classmates' curious stares, Victoria shuffled over to Samuel and asked, "Professor Brown, did you need something from me?"

Samuel gave her a warm smile and asked, "So, how'd you feel about today's class?"

Victoria bit her lip, trying to steady her nerves. She looked up at Samuel and said earnestly, "I thought today's class was super helpful. I really got a better grasp on expressiveness and picked up a lot of practical skills."

"That's great," Samuel nodded, clearly pleased. "I've got another class at the same time next Sunday morning. Will you be there?"

Victoria's face lit up. "Yes, absolutely, I'll be there."

Samuel smiled back. "Alright then. See you next week."

"Thank you, Professor Brown," Victoria said gratefully before turning to leave.

As Samuel watched her go, a faint smile played on his lips, and there was a glint of amusement in his eyes.

Meanwhile, over at the swanky Garcia Villa, things were looking pretty grim.

Zachary Garcia, the head honcho of the Garcia family, was in his study dealing with business when his phone rang urgently. He frowned and answered the call. By the time it ended, his face was ashen.

He slammed the phone down on his desk, cursing, "Idiot!"

He got up and started pacing, his anger bubbling up. He couldn't believe Ella had done something so dumb. Sure, he knew she wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but this was a new low.

Trying to keep his cool, Zachary called for the butler to bring Ella to the study.

Ella walked in, not even having a chance to ask what was up before Zachary slapped her hard, yelling, "You foolish girl!"

Ella's cheek burned, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She clutched her stinging cheek, tears streaming down her face. "Dad, why did you hit me?" she asked.

Zachary roared, "How dare you question me? You useless waste! Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"

"What did I do wrong?" Ella shot back, wiping her tears and glaring at Zachary.

Zachary snapped, "Playing dumb? The four guys you sent to mess with William's secretary got caught by the cops! They've already spilled the beans, and you still deny it?"

"That bitch actually called the cops?" Ella was stunned for a second, then scoffed, "So what if they got caught? William won't back her up. With the Garcia family's power, what do we have to fear from her?"

Zachary was livid. "The secretary isn't the issue. The female cop on her case, Luna, is from the Bailey family! The Baileys are a military family, and no matter how rich we are, we can't go up against them! She's not letting this go, and you're going to end up in jail!"

Hearing this, Ella shuddered. She suddenly realized how serious things were and ran to Zachary, crying and pleading, "Dad, I don't want to go to jail! Please help me!"

At that moment, Ella's mom, Willow Reed, rushed in, trying to calm Zachary down. "Zachary, Ella's young and didn't fully understand what she was doing. Please don't be too hard on her. We need to find a way to fix this!"

Seeing Willow plead for Ella only made Zachary angrier. "How dare you plead for her! If you hadn't spoiled her rotten, we wouldn't be in this mess! I should've let my mother raise her. Look at Alice, she is so sensible and accomplished from a young age. If it weren't for..."

He trailed off, remembering something, and after a sigh, continued, "If it weren't for that incident, how could I have let you replace Alice to marry William? You're the rightful future Mrs. Scott of the Scott family. Why even bother competing with a secretary? You've done it now, and you've been caught. That was incredibly foolish!"

Hearing Zachary mention Alice and constantly compare her, Ella felt deeply wronged and cried out, "Alice, it's always Alice. You've always thought I'm not as good as her. No matter what I do, you're never satisfied. She deserved..."

Before she could finish, Zachary raised his hand to strike her again.

Willow quickly stepped in to stop him. "Zachary, Ella is still young. Don't blame her. Let's talk this through calmly!"

Zachary, veins bulging on his forehead in anger, pointed at Ella and Willow with a trembling hand, shouting in disappointment, "How could I have such a foolish daughter! You two figure it out yourselves. If you can't get Victoria to settle, then get out of the Garcia family. I don't have a daughter like you!"

With that, he shook off Willow's grip and stormed out, leaving Ella trembling with anger.

Ella glared at his departing figure, seething with hatred.

Willow hurriedly checked Ella's face, tenderly applying medicine to her injury while scolding, "He hit you too hard. Look, your face is swollen."

Ella pouted and cried in Willow's arms. "He only favors Alice. He doesn't care about me at all. In his eyes, I'm just dirt under Alice's feet, not worth anything. When I get into trouble, he only blames me for disgracing the Garcia family and doesn't care whether I live or die!"

Hearing this, Willow patted Ella's shoulder, comforting her. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. As for Victoria, she's just a powerless woman who got ahead by selling herself. I'll make her pay for it."

Ella's eyes lit up at Willow's words, and she smiled through her tears. "Mom, what should we do?" she asked.

Willow smirked coldly and replied, "Get her to meet us. I'll make sure she signs the settlement agreement and teach her a lesson."

Ella was initially delighted but then shook her head. "That bitch is very cunning. She won't come out easily."

Willow smiled slyly and said, "Didn't you give her mom two hundred thousand dollars? Have her mom trick her into coming out."

Hearing Willow's idea, Ella clapped her hands in approval.