Taking down someone like Henry, who was all bark and no bite, was easy. A single throw had left him sprawled on the ground, struggling to get up. His lackeys panicked, rushing to help him up, their voices full of alarm. "Henry, are you okay!" "Henry, hang in there!" With their support, Henry finally managed to straighten up, but the moment he did— "Hiss—!" He sucked in a sharp breath, his face contorting in pain. "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" His back had given out. He couldn’t even stand straight, forced to hunch over in agony. Henry’s fury exploded. He pointed a shaking finger at Ashley, his voice shrill with disbelief and rage. "You—you—you—You! Do you have a death wish! You actually dared to lay a hand on me at Governance University!" Ashley remained utterly unfazed by his outburst. "I was defending myself. What, was I supposed to just stand there and let you hit me?" The sudden shift in the situation left the entire cafeteria in stunned silence. No one had expected Henry to actually try hitting a girl—especially one as beautiful as Ashley. Even more shocking was that Ashley, who looked so delicate, had effortlessly thrown Henry, a grown man, to the ground. And honestly? It felt damn good to watch. By now, the crowd had picked up on the fact that Ashley was different from other girls. Any other girl in her position would’ve apologized the second Henry threw around his title as Mr. Tremo’s assistant. But Ashley? Not only did she refuse to back down—she outright humiliated him. When he tried to attack her, she slammed him to the ground so hard he couldn’t even get up properly.This was not the reaction they were used to seeing from girls at Governance University. And that clean, decisive takedown? It left them stunned. Some of the bolder students even started clapping. Henry, hearing the applause, felt his anger surge even higher. His bloodshot eyes swept over the crowd, and he growled, "What the hell do you all think you’re doing! Do you want to go against Mr. Tremo!" The clapping immediately died down. The moment he pulled Finley’s name into the mix, hesitation flickered across the students’ faces. Seeing this, Henry regained some of his confidence. He glared at Ashley and spat, "You’re finished! You dared to lay a hand on me! I didn’t even touch you, and you attacked me first—how is that self-defense?!" Ashley almost laughed out loud. Instead, she scoffed and retorted, "Are you sure you’re a student at Governance University? So, according to you, as long as an attacker misses, the victim isn’t allowed to fight back? Does that mean if someone pulls a knife to stab someone but doesn’t land the hit, they’re not breaking the law?" The entire room fell silent. Once again, Henry had managed to say something so stupid that even his own supporters looked embarrassed. Did he ever even attend a single class here? Actually, scratch that—this wasn’t even something that required formal education. Anyone with common sense would know the answer. Attempted harm, followed by justified self-defense. How was that hard to grasp? This was Governance University, one of the top schools in the country. And yet, here was Henry, proving himself to be its biggest disgrace. Henry’s face turned beet red as he noticed the way people were looking at him. He had been so blinded by anger that he’d blurted out something idiotic without thinking. Just as he was desperately trying to come up with a way to salvage his dignity—A commotion erupted at the cafeteria entrance. One of Henry’s lackeys had gone to inform Finley. Initially, Finley hadn’t wanted to come. But the moment he heard that someone had not only insulted Henry but had also physically attacked him—even after knowing who he worked for—he couldn’t just ignore it. What pissed him off even more? The fact that none of the students had stepped in to help Henry. Ever since the fiasco at the welcome gala, people had started acting like he was easy to mess with. But enough was enough. Even a dog deserved respect when it had a powerful owner. And if he let this slide, his status at Governance University would be completely destroyed. The cafeteria was already packed with spectators, the incident having drawn almost half the student body. When Finley arrived, the crowd instinctively parted to let him through. His expression was dark as he strode forward, radiating authority. But then— He lifted his head and caught sight of Ashley’s face. For a brief moment, his cold, calculating eyes flickered with genuine surprise. His scowl eased, his expression softening slightly. Because Ashley was even more beautiful than he had imagined. And at the same time, Ashley’s gaze locked onto him. She had already pieced things together from the whispers around her. The man standing before her— Was the very same person who had tried to frame Arthur, failed, and then resorted to kidnapping him.