Daxton's dad seized his son by the ear and pulled him toward Seraphina. He stated sharply, "My son's behavior was out of line. I take full responsibility." Without hesitation, he gave Daxton a swift kick in the leg and ordered, "Apologize." Daxton scowled, his jaw tightening. He clearly didn't want to, but he had no choice with his dad's glare boring into him. "I apologize," he grumbled, his teeth clenched and his face filled with bitterness. Turning to Juliette, Adelyn snapped, "You too—apologize." Juliette's anger flared. "Are you serious? You're my mom! I get struck, and you expect me to apologize to the person who hit her?" Her words reflected precisely how every other student who'd been forced to apologize felt—frustrated, humiliated, and cornered. Adelyn's expression darkened. "You think you're innocent? If you hadn't started this, none would've happened." Tears welled up in Juliette's eyes, but she held her ground and turned to Seraphina with a glare. She apologized bitterly, "I'm sorry." Turning back to Adelyn, she yelled, "Are you happy now?!" as she stormed out of the room. Startled, Adelyn hurried after her. Alina's mom shot her daughter a pointed look. Alina hesitantly moved forward, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she whispered, "I'm sorry." The other students' parents pushed them to apologize one by one. Each reluctantly spat out their apologies, their discomfort written all over their faces. Oberon's stern expression eased as the apologies continued. He smiled and addressed the parents, "Thank you for understanding. Kids will be kids, after all. To be fair, Seraphina also played her part in this." Trying to show goodwill, he turned to Seraphina and stated, "Seraphina, you should apologize to them too." Seraphina's response was immediate—a cold scoff. Without a word, she turned on her heel and walked out. Apologize? To them? Not a chance. Oberon's smile briefly faltered before he quickly recovered. Forcing a polite tone, he told the parents, "I'm sorry about that. Seraphina is still upset with us and hasn't forgiven us yet." The parents nodded uncomfortably, whispering, "We get it." Within an hour, the entire school was gossiping about the incident. Most students had expected Seraphina to face punishment, and many were waiting to see her downfall. However, the actual outcome left everyone speechless. Not only did Seraphina walk away without a scratch, but the students who fought her had been forced to apologize. "This is ridiculous," one girl complained, clearly annoyed. Another replied, "Guess who I saw today—Linara's dad." "Seriously? Isn't he always too busy to show up? I thought only her mom ever came to school events," another remarked in disbelief. One agreed, "Yeah! He's never made an appearance before. But now, he's personally stepping in for Seraphina. It raises the question... perhaps it's about being his true daughter versus not that makes the difference." "I even saw him drive off with Seraphina. And guess what? Linara wasn't with them," someone added. Linara overheard the whispers, her heart sinking. Her face flushed as the words cut deep. "Hey! What are you saying?" Kelly snapped, stepping forward to confront the gossiping girls. The group stood still, visibly awkward to have been caught. Abigail pointed at them sharply, warning, "If I catch you discussing Linara behind her back again, you'll regret it. Got it?" Trying to stay composed, Linara uttered softly, "Let it go." Yet, Abigail was still fuming. "No, they need to learn to keep their mouths shut." Once the girls had left, Linara couldn't hold back any longer. Her voice wavered as she muttered, "It's only natural that Dad likes her more. She's his real daughter. I'm just... not."