Chapter 1657:
Celine was caught off guard by Harleeâs directness in exposing her tactics. Quickly regaining her composure, Celine adopted a humble tone.
âHarlee, I truly wish to apologize. If you doubt my sincerity, Iâm willing to keep kneeling until you forgive me.â
Despite her words, Celine was already itching to get up. The discomfort from kneeling was more than enough.
Harleeâs dark eyes narrowed, her expression enigmatic, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Her voice was lazy and nonchalant.
âOh, then keep on kneeling,â she said, her smile sharp as her gaze turned piercing.
âJust a friendly reminder, I wonât let the court of public opinion sway my decisions.â
Back then, after being ousted by the Gill family, any remnants of conventional morality had dissolved within Harlee. The Gillsâ disgraceful and failed attempts to profit from claiming they had raised herâleading to their being driven from Baythornâwas a testament to her resolve.
Morally blackmailing her? Heh, wishful thinking!
Celine seemed to finally realize something. Her fists tightened as she glared at Harlee, her eyes brimming with hatred.
At that moment, Elva pushed her way through the bustling crowd, attracting loud curses and unfair accusations. The scene grew more chaotic.
Joy flickered in Celineâs eyes momentarily. Though moral blackmail couldnât sway Harlee, perhaps the pressure of public sentiment could.
The crowdâs attention shifted to Elva, and a barrage of insults rained down on her. The crowd had absorbed the fabricated tales about her, accepting them as truth.
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The rumors about Elva had escalated. She was allegedly involved not only with the president, petty criminals, wealthy youths, and classmates but was now also accused of enticing a seventy-two-year-old professor who had recently been reinstated. The crowd discussed these accusations with elaborate detail, treating them as if they were factual.
Elva, disregarding the harsh stares and slanderous comments, approached Harlee and noticed Celine kneeling. Surprised, she asked, âHarlee, whatâs gotten into Celine?â
With a nonchalant lift of her eyelids, Harlee observed that Elva remained unfazed by the public scorn. Admiring Elvaâs resilience, she answered gravely, âCeline came up with this poor scheme after the Duke of Mylo coerced her into apologizing to me.â
Upon hearing the Duke of Mylo had compelled Celine to seek Harleeâs forgiveness, Elva was astounded.
âWait, really? Was Harlee truly that powerful? The Duke of Mylo had actually demanded his favored daughter apologize to Harleeâ¦â
It felt surreal to Elva.
Celine, overhearing Harleeâs explanation, stared in shock, her face a picture of despair. It wasnât until now that she understood how foolish she had been. She had believed her plan was flawless, but to Harlee, she was nothing more than a joke. Harlee was fully aware! Harlee knew not only that she planned to manipulate public opinion to secure forgiveness, but also that the Duke of Mylo had pressured her into apologizingâ¦
With this realization, a cold dread swept over Celine, causing her to collapse to the ground, her body shaking violently. How foolish she had been. Instead of genuinelyâ¦
Seeking Harleeâs forgiveness, Celine had tried to leverage public sentiment against her.
Celine was overcome with regret, realizing there was no chance for redemption as Harlee was unlikely to forgive her.
The bystanders began murmuring that the Duke of Mylo had instructed his favored daughter, Celine, to plead for Harleeâs forgiveness. This revelation silenced any harsh words for a brief moment. The Duke of Myloâs deference to Harlee highlighted her significant standing. Ordinary people like them wouldnât dare cross someone of her influence.
The onlookers refrained from speaking ill of Elva. The fear that their slurs might be unfounded, coupled with the potential retribution from Harlee, made them wary. They hadnât forgotten how effortlessly Harlee had wreaked havoc on their university forum. Celine quietly exhaled in relief, grateful she hadnât gotten the chance to involve Elva in her schemes against Harlee.
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