The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as Lady Sinclair’s shrill voice echoed, her words harsh and venomous. “It’s bad enough that you torment your sister at home, but now you dare to humiliate her in front of so many people at the university? You ungrateful brat! You’re a curse to the Sinclair Family! How did someone like you even end up in our household?” Liza remained calm, her eyes fixed on the old woman with an unwavering gaze that seemed to pierce through the storm of insults. She didn’t flinch, though the students around her looked utterly stunned. The onlookers exchanged uneasy glances. Was this old woman really Serena’s grandmother? Why did she sound so vulgar? Her scathing words painted her less like a dignified elder and more like a market brawler. Meanwhile, Serena sobbed softly, playing her part to perfection. “Grandma, please don’t be angry. This is all my fault,” she said between dramatic hiccups. “Sister made a bet with Ava, and since she won, she’s forcing Ava to kneel. But I thought it wouldn’t do Sister any good if things escalated, so I tried to persuade her to let it go. I only wanted her to be more forgiving, but… Sister got upset with me.” Lady Sinclair’s face turned a furious shade of red upon hearing Serena’s account. Her grip on her walking cane tightened as she banged it on the ground with a resounding thud. “Liza!” she roared, her voice trembling with anger. “How dare you behave like this! Your sister only ever thinks of your well-being, yet you repay her kindness with defiance and cruelty? You even made her cry! Come over here right now and apologize to Serena! If you refuse, don’t blame me for cutting all ties with you. I won’t acknowledge you as my granddaughter anymore!” The blatant unfairness in Lady Sinclair’s words was too much for some of the students to bear. One of them, unable to stay silent, cautiously spoke up. “Excuse me, Grandma, but I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Serena isn’t as innocent as she pretends to be. She’s trying to protect Ava from fulfilling the bet, and she’s doing it under the guise of caring for Liza. But everything she’s done so far has only made things harder for Liza.” Lady Sinclair’s face contorted with rage, her voice rising even louder. “What nonsense are you spouting?! How dare you slander my Serena? She’s the kindest, most considerate girl you’ll ever meet! Two-faced? Preposterous! All of this is Liza’s fault! It has nothing to do with Serena. And who do you think you are, daring to lecture me?!” Her sharp reprimand left the student speechless, but the growing discomfort in the room was palpable. Many of the onlookers exchanged disapproving glances, clearly beginning to question Lady Sinclair’s sense of fairness—or her lack thereof. Lady Sinclair’s crass demeanor wasn’t surprising to those who knew the Sinclair Family’s history. She and Mr Sinclair, Liza’s father, had come from a rural background. Mr Sinclair’s life had only improved after marrying Liza’s mother, who had been the true reason for the family’s rise in social standing. Yet despite years of comfort and privilege, Lady Sinclair had retained her crude habits. She frequently scolded others, often wielding her family name like a weapon to assert a false sense of superiority.But what truly set her off was anyone daring to criticize her precious Serena. The moment someone implied Serena was anything less than perfect, Lady Sinclair would erupt into a torrent of insults and accusations, as she was doing now. The student who had spoken up bore the brunt of her tirade, shrinking back under the verbal onslaught. Yet the other students were now seeing the truth for themselves. The more Lady Sinclair defended Serena, the clearer it became that her accusations against Liza were baseless and biased. The student’s face flushed with anger, but his respect for the elderly held him back from openly rebuking the old lady. Suppressing his frustration, he stated firmly, “Liza achieved excellent results. Instead of celebrating her success, Serena accused her of cheating. Is that what a good sister is supposed to do?” Hearing this, Lady Sinclair’s expression turned livid. Without waiting for any explanation, she launched into a tirade, her voice harsh and accusatory. “Cheating? You shameless girl! How dare you cheat! Why don’t you just leave?! I regret bringing you back from the countryside! If only I’d let you stay there, fending for yourself. Ever since you came back, you’ve done nothing but disgrace the Sinclair Family. And now you even have the audacity to cheat? You’re a complete embarrassment!” Serena’s eyes widened in alarm as she quickly stepped forward to intervene. “Grandma, please stop!” she exclaimed. Although Serena relied on her grandmother’s favoritism to shield her from trouble, this public outburst was far from what she had wanted. Scolding Liza so openly in front of so many students was bound to draw unwanted attention. Her grandmother’s lack of discernment was a liability, and Serena could already sense the consequences brewing. As expected, murmurs began rippling through the crowd. A student, visibly displeased, muttered, “What is this nonsense? Is this woman really part of a wealthy family? She doesn’t even bother to listen to the whole story before hurling insults. And those insults—so crude and demeaning. If I had a grandmother like that, I’d lose my mind.” Another student chimed in, shaking their head. “She’s so blatantly biased. Can you imagine what Liza’s life in the Sinclair Family must be like? Serena acts all sweet and caring on the surface, but behind the scenes, she encourages the family to humiliate Liza. Just listen to the way they talk about her—calling her a jinx and worse. It’s appalling.” “It’s terrifying, honestly,” someone else added. “If this is what being rich means, I’m glad I’m poor. Living in a family like that would drive anyone into despair.” Despite the mounting criticism from the crowd, Lady Sinclair remained unaffected. Her years of wielding authority had left her indifferent to the opinions of “common” people. With an air of arrogance, she scoffed at the students’ remarks and turned to Serena with a smug expression. “Come on, Serena,” she said dismissively. “Don’t waste your time on that useless girl. She’s nothing but trouble!” Turning her attention back to Liza, her eyes narrowed with disdain. “And you,” she sneered, her tone sharp and threatening, “stay out of Serena’s way at university. If I hear of you causing even the slightest bit of trouble, I’ll cut off your allowance and make sure your life is worse than that of a stray dog!” With that, Lady Sinclair stormed off, dragging Serena along with her. The crowd stood in stunned silence, their gazes filled with pity and disbelief as they watched Liza, who remained composed despite the humiliating scene.