The number of bribes Henry had received from girls hoping to get close to Mr. Tremo was beyond counting. Every single one of them had the same request—to have him put in a good word for them, to make Mr. Tremo notice them. They all dreamed of climbing the social ladder, marrying into wealth, and skipping the years of hard work that most people had to endure to reach the top. Henry had seen too many girls like that. It was only human nature. Hell, even he sometimes wished he could find a rich woman to rely on and fast-track his way to a life of luxury. Most people grind their way through school and jobs, unsure of how many years it’ll take to reach financial freedom. But snagging the right person? That was a shortcut straight to the top. Who wouldn’t be tempted? What he hadn’t expected, though, was that a girl as stunning as Ashley would have the same mindset. To be honest, Henry felt a little disappointed. Humans were hypocrites like that—doing the very things they despised, all while looking down on others who did the same. As soon as Henry finished speaking, his lackeys immediately started jeering. "Yeah! Apologize!" "Henry isn’t someone you can offend that easily!" "We’ll let it slide this time since you didn’t know who you were messing with. Just say sorry, and we’ll forgive you. But next time, watch yourself!" "Exactly! If you apologize now, our Henry might even put in a good word for you with Mr. Tremo. Who knows? You might actually get to meet him!" … Their voices were loud and practiced—clearly, this wasn’t the first time they’d pulled something like this. Meanwhile, the crowd watching from a distance had already lost interest in helping Ashley.The moment they saw that she wanted to meet Mr. Tremo, they immediately assumed she was just another gold-digger. Governance University had plenty of girls like that. No one wanted to be a simp anymore. More importantly, none of them were dumb enough to offend Henry, Mr. Tremo’s right-hand man, over a girl like that. So the crowd just watched, but no one stepped in. Ashley was stunned. Her cold, piercing gaze swept over them. "You guys blocked my way for no reason, obviously trying to pick a fight. I told you to move, and now you want me to apologize?" The sheer absurdity of their logic almost made her laugh. This level of stupidity was on par with what she had seen at Skyward Academy. She had always thought petty drama was exclusive to girls who fought over attention. Apparently, the guys at Governance University weren’t any better. Henry, too, was surprised. Did she not understand the situation? Did she not realize who she was dealing with? He was Henry—Mr. Tremo’s most trusted assistant! He was only asking for a simple apology, and instead of eagerly complying, she had the nerve to talk back? This was beyond his expectations. It took him a few seconds to process what had just happened. Then, eyes wide, he repeated, "Hey! I’m Henry! Mr. Tremo’s top assistant! Did you not hear me the first time?" Ashley let out a cold laugh. The look of disdain in her eyes hit Henry like a slap to the face. "Top assistant?" Ashley echoed mockingly. "You mean his most enthusiastic lapdog? Did you give yourself that title?" Sure, she wanted to find an opportunity to get closer to Finley.But who the hell was Henry supposed to be? The way he strutted around, drunk on his own power, was downright annoying. If she didn’t put him in his place, she’d probably choke on her own frustration. Henry was utterly dumbfounded. And he wasn’t the only one—his lackeys, the entire cafeteria, even the lunch lady behind the counter, all stared at Ashley in shock. Was this girl crazy? Did she not just say she wanted to meet Mr. Tremo? Yet even after knowing who Henry was, she still dared to insult him to his face? Was she not worried that Henry would ruin her chances with Mr. Tremo? Was she fearless, or just completely delusional—thinking she could get by on looks alone and charm Mr. Tremo directly? But regardless of the reasoning, there was no denying one thing—watching her shut Henry down like that was satisfying as hell. Henry had been throwing his weight around ever since he latched onto Finley. Ever since Kent got expelled, he had only gotten bolder, acting as if he ran the place. Plenty of people had suffered because of him. So seeing him get put in his place—even if just for a moment—felt damn good. Henry, on the other hand, was livid. His lackeys were so shocked that they didn’t even know how to react.