Elia Spencer watched Henry Reid stand up for Maya Spencer, and her eyes turned red in an instant, wishing she could tear Maya to pieces.
Next, everyone saw Henry Reid walk to the podium, take Maya's hand, and try to lead her out of the classroom.
When Henry grabbed Maya's hand, she glanced at Elia from the corner of her eye. Seeing Elia's eyes red, Maya's lips curled into a cold, contemptuous smile, as if telling Elia that she didn't need to do anything, and Elia would still lose to her.
"Young Master Reid, this is a school matter. What you're doing isn't reasonable," Elijah Reed said, quickly stepping forward to stop Henry from taking Maya away.
Liam Spencer had instructed him that as long as the students didn't fight, he didn't need to interfere. He should not get involved in student matters. Now that Henry was an outsider trying to meddle in school affairs, Elijah naturally opposed it.
"Elijah, Maya didn't steal anything at all. Why should she give a speech to apologize? Is this how Liam runs a school?"
"Young Master Reid, Miss Maya hasn't said anything herself. It's not appropriate for you to get involved."
"Fine! I'll go speak to Liam to reason it out," Henry said, angrily letting go of Maya and turning to walk out of the classroom.
He couldn't take out his frustration on Maya just because she resembled someone else. That wouldn't be fair. Even without considering Maya as his sister, he couldn't treat her this way as a stranger.
"Young Master Reid, I advise you to calm down. Don't escalate this to our boss, involving Master Ni. That might only lead to a loss for everyone. These are student quarrels. Why bother so much? If you truly care for Miss Maya, you might want to start from other aspects."
Elijah's words made Henry stop. Indeed, as an adult in society, getting involved in conflicts of 18-19-year-olds wasn't suitable. Besides, Elijah made sense. If he wanted to care for Maya, he should approach it differently.
But when will Maya accept his goodwill? When will she be willing to leave the Reid Family?
Outside the window, Henry and Elijah stood side by side, watching Maya calmly reading her speech, feeling incredibly uneasy inside.
"Young Master Reid, Miss Maya has a stubborn temper. She's not easy to manage, and you'll have to put in extra effort."
"Why does Liam target Maya?"
"The boss has no intention to target Miss Maya; it's just that she's provoked him. When two icebergs collide, one has to submit, right? This is what the Spencer bloodline brings."
Elijah's words were so official that Henry felt as if he was meddling in affairs that didn't concern him. This was the Spencer Family's issue. And what was he to Maya? What right did he have to interfere? Thinking about Maya's cold demeanor made Henry's heart ache.
Two days later, Maya finally finished her touring report. Apart from a minor mishap in her class, other classes went well. No one mocked her or excluded her. Some even offered her water and snacks.
Maya's successful tour left Liam in a sour mood. Even though Maya's tour was over, he found no comfort, feeling increasingly uneasy.
He truly detested Maya's high-and-mighty attitude, as if she looked down on everyone and cared about nothing. It was infuriating.
Their first direct confrontation seemed like his victory, but in reality, he lost because he still didn't feel any relief inside.
Now, he found himself a bit curious about Maya. He wanted to know what she was thinking beneath that icy facade?
In the afternoon, Maya had just finished her second period nap when she received a call from Hannah.
She initially intended not to answer, but Hannah had redirected her call to Elia's phone, prompting her to answer.
"Is there something you need?" Maya answered the call, her tone unfriendly.
"Maya, this is Aunt Hannah. Did you forget your phone? Why didn't you answer my calls today?" Hannah's tone was unusually pleasant.
"Is there something you need?" Maya's attitude remained icy.
"I heard you were sick at school, so I reserved dinner at Culinary Square for tonight. After class, come over directly and have something good to replenish yourself. Don't always say Aunt Hannah doesn't care about you."
"No need!"
"Maya, I'm kindly inviting you to dinner. How can you be so ungrateful? There's only over a month left this semester. If you want to continue your studies next semester, it's best not to disrespect Aunt Hannah's goodwill. Plus, I'm doing this for your own good, inviting you to dinner for some nourishment."
"I'll come."
Maya couldn't afford to refuse, as Hannah used her schooling as leverage. Even though her grades weren't great, she knew what she should be doing at her age. She didn't want to end up being expelled from school by Hannah and sent back to the Spencer Family to be a babysitter.
"I'll give you a ride after school," Elia offered, handing the phone back to Maya, unusually kind for once, and willing to give her a lift.
Maya knew perfectly well that this dinner was a trap, but after school, she still went with Elia.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Hannah was already waiting in the lobby. Seeing Maya and Elia enter, she quickly approached with a welcoming smile and went straight to Maya, taking her hand and speaking ingratiatingly.
"Maya, are you still angry with Aunt Hannah? Are you upset that I hit you that morning? Sigh! It's hard for Aunt Hannah too! If you like something, just tell Aunt Hannah. Why steal? And what if someone sees? How could I manage the situation if I didn't punish you? Don't you think? Aunt Hannah truly sees you as a daughter, just like my Elia. You should stop seeing Aunt Hannah as your enemy. As the saying goes, 'spare the rod, spoil the child.' I'm doing this for your own good."
Hannah led Maya and Elia to a private booth separated by a screen in a well-decorated restaurant. The mother and daughter sat on a couch while Maya sat alone on another couch.
Then, Hannah took a gift box out of her bag and handed it to Maya, saying, "Maya, didn't you like necklaces? Aunt Hannah bought you a new one. In the future, whatever you like, just tell Aunt Hannah, and she'll buy it for you."
Across the table, Maya took a deep breath. Her face showed no change in emotion, appearing calm as she looked at Hannah, knowing that the difficult matters were surely coming.
"Maya, why are you staring at me? Put it away! Order whatever you like; the food at this restaurant is delicious. I had to pull some strings to reserve such a nice booth. Originally, I wanted a private room, but there were none available."
Just as Hannah finished speaking, Maya saw a man walk towards their booth, cheerfully greeting Hannah, "Good evening, Madam Spencer."
"President Bailey, you're here! Please, take a seat, take a seat. I'm truly sorry, the restaurant's seating was hard to book, so I have to ask you to sit in a booth."
"No worries! It's all the same, and this spot is perfect for enjoying the beautiful view of S City."
Hearing the exchange, Maya glanced over at the man, appearing to be in his forties, wearing glasses, exuding a scholarly yet slightly sleazy aura.
```