Chapter 79
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“Exactly! Mr. Holland , what kind of teaching are you doing? How do you manage to raise a student with no morals, shame, or sense of decency?”
“Everyone knows Irvin and Julianne have been childhood sweethearts since they were kids! If she hadn’t interfered, Julianne and Irvin would’ve been married ages ago!”
“And even now , with Irvin treating her so poorly, she still won’t let go! She’s clinging to him, ruining Julianne’s chances of happiness. She has absolutely no self–respect!”
“Mr. Holland, where did you graduate? To have raised such an outstanding student, we should definitely make you a banner and spread the word!”
The divorce between Irvin and me hadn’t been made public yet. At Grandma’s birthday banquet, Irvin had openly claimed that nothing was going on between him and Julianne–that they were just like siblings. But actions speak louder than words, and when Julianne and I both fell into the water that night, he saved her.
Since then, the news of how much Irvin pampered his “sweet little sister ” Julianne had spread like wildfire. Nobody believed his claims from the banquet anymore. To most people, Julianne was Irvin’s true love, and the only reason he hadn’t divorced me yet was to avoid splitting his assets.
Sure, some criticized Irvin for his hypocrisy , but far more people thought he was justified. With a net worth in the billions , who wouldn’t hesitate to lose half of it in a divorce?
Now, in their effort to humiliate me into leaving, they were dragging my Mr. Holland into it, insulting both of us.
Mr. Holland–my mentor–had dedicated his entire life to science. He was a titan in his field, respected wherever he went. And now, because of me, he was being mocked and ridiculed by a pack of entitled brats.
If I had a knife in my hand at that moment, I might not have been able to hold myself back.
“Julianne, you’d better tell these people to apologize to my Mr. Holland right now!” I snarled , my eyes flashing with anger.
Julianne met my glare with a smirk. There was no fear in her eyes only arrogance. She leaned in closer , her voice a mocking whisper. “Still haven’t noticed, have you, Emilia? That little video you’ve been holding onto? The one you thought was your safety net? It’s gone.”
Her words hit me like a slap.
Travis had hired a top–tier hacker who, through the photo link my brother sent me, not only hacked into my phone but also wiped out every backup of the video I had. Even the copies I’d uploaded to the cloud were gone.
Julianne’s newfound confidence made sense now.
“Millie,” she cooed, her tone dripping with mockery. “You’re so slow. Honestly, it’s embarrassing.” She stepped closer, her smile turning sharper. “ If I’m not mistaken, this is your beloved mentor, right? Mr. Holland, the one you respect so much?”
She tilted her head, pretending to be thoughtful. “I’ve heard he has an impeccable reputation, A lifetime of integrity, right? So tell me what do you think would happen if I had people show up at his university with banners, loudly praising him as the ‘Best Mr. Holland for Raising Mistresses‘? That’d make headlines, wouldn’t it?”
Her voice dropped lower, her tone icy. “Millie, just give up already. Step down, divorce Irvin, and stop being greedy for things that don’t belong to you.”
Old for 1.3 She straightened, her smirk returning. “Don’t worry, though. I’m not heartless. Remember that company your au.. million dollars? That was your investment, wasn’t it? I’ll double it for you–2.6 million dollars. Take the money , draw up a new divorce agreement, and have Irvin sign it. If you don’t, well…”
She glanced at Mr. Holland. “Your precious mentor might not have such a peaceful retirement.”
She paused, her voice turning saccharine. “And don’t think all I can do is make banners. I have plenty of other tricks up my
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sleeve. ”
Julianne wasn’t stupid. Deep down , she probably knew she’d never secure Irvin for herself. But if she couldn’t have him , she sure as hell wasn’t going to let me walk away with a chunk of his fortune .
She’d planned this entire confrontation, knowing I wanted to return to university for my graduate studies. She wanted to make me look bad and corner me.
My eyes narrowed , my anger sharp and cold. Julianne could insult the all she wanted. She could threaten me, humiliate me. But the moment she dragged Mr. Holland into it, she crossed a line I couldn’t forgive.
“Julianne,” I said , my voice deadly calm, “you’d better tell these people to apologize to my Mr. Holland. And you’d better stay
away from him–forever. Otherwise, the consequences will be more than you can handle.”
She thought that without the video, I was powerless. She had no idea who she was dealing with.
あな
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