Rural Belle & Three Heirs
Chapter 40 Where is the Evidence?

Ford squinted through his glasses at Chloe's face after hearing what Lucy had said. Lucy had already spilled a lot. The Martin family was loaded, with two sons at Quest University. Lucy had her eyes on Liam and wanted to be his wife. She started showing interest in him as soon as she got to the university.

Liam, still clueless about women, unwittingly took advantage of Lucy's eagerness to please, leading her to believe they had a solid relationship.

Seeing an opportunity, Ford considered the benefits of Lucy marrying Liam as a significant step up for their family. So, when he heard about Chloe from Lucy, he got worried. What if Chloe wanted Liam too? What would happen to his daughter's plans then?

Ford had been scheming to get Chloe kicked out of Quest University to get in good with the Martin family. Now, with this chance at hand, as a leader, he couldn't solely rely on Lucy's account in front of the faculty and students.

So, he put on his stern leader face, coughed, and asked, "What's going on? The school has strict anti-bullying policies with legal consequences. Making Lucy kneel and degrade herself is a serious legal issue now. As the Academic Dean, I gotta stay neutral. So, can someone tell me what happened today? If anyone's caught bullying, I'll kick them out right away."

Ford's words buoyed Lucy; backed by her father, Chloe's expulsion would elevate Lucy as the class standout.

"Mr. Kim, it was Lucy who started the trouble with me. She insulted me first and even said she would get me expelled from the school, so I fought back," Chloe said, knowing that reasoning with Ford was pointless.

But she still had to say what needed to be said.

Ford twirled his finger in his ear and asked, "Chloe, you said Lucy insulted you first. Where's the evidence?"

"This..." Chloe was at a loss for words. It was just an argument with Lucy; she hadn't thought to record it.

Ford asked for evidence, but where could she replace it?

"Chloe, you can't just throw around accusations without proof. Lucy's my kid; I can't cover for her, but I won't stand by and let her get bullied. You say she insulted you, but where's the evidence? What do you gotta say to that?" Ford said. His attitude left Chloe speechless.

Philip and Rena, standing to the side, exchanged glances.

Philip, being a boy, stiffened his neck and said, "Do we need proof for a class argument? We all heard Lucy insult Chloe ourselves."

"Exactly, I heard it too." Rena, despite her poor family background, firmly stood by Chloe's side.

Because when she first enrolled, Lucy had bullied her as well.

"Did you really hear it?" Ford chuckled, showing doubt in the students' accounts.

Lucy quickly whipped out her phone and played a recording of Chloe's words, edited to remove the context. "You're a loser, and you have to shout 'My dad and I are losers' three times."

Everyone was stunned by Lucy's recording. When it came to scheming, Lucy was undoubtedly the best among the students.

Ford, upon hearing the recording, immediately slammed the table. "Chloe, you're way out of line. This is Quest University; how can you talk to your classmates like that? If you treat my daughter this way, how do you treat other students? People like you are the troublemakers here, and as the Academic Dean, I'll kick you out on the spot," Ford started shouting.

Philip and Rena, sensing trouble, grew nervous. As ordinary students, they knew the school could expel them without a second thought.

For Chloe, getting expelled from Quest University would be a major blemish on her record.

Rena grabbed Chloe's arm, repeatedly asking, "What do we do? What do we do?"

Philip was furious but helpless.

Compared to their tension, Chloe seemed much calmer. She quietly patted Rena's hand, signaling her not to worry.

Chloe calmly said, "Since Mr. Kim wants me gone, I'm out of Quest University. I'll pack up and leave. Just make sure to send the expulsion notice to the Martin Mansion. Getting kicked out by you is truly an honor." After saying this, Chloe casually packed her things and prepared to leave.

Rena was terrified, and Philip was also shocked.

"Chloe..."

They couldn't believe that Chloe was expelled by Ford just like that.

Lucy crossed her arms, looking smug, as if she could already see Liam praising her.

Just as Chloe was about to step out of the classroom, Liam rushed in. Seeing Chloe holding her books, he cursed, "Fuck."

"Chloe, where are you going?" Liam asked.

Chloe pouted, signaling Liam to look inside the classroom. Then she said, "I bullied a classmate and got expelled by Mr. Kim. Liam, I really don't like staying in Sovereign City. Since I've been expelled, I'll pack up and go back to my hometown. Staying at the Martin Family's place, let's forget about it."

Hearing this, Liam felt the urge to punch someone. Knowing Lucy had been trying to impress him, if Chloe's expulsion happened because of Lucy, people would surely blame him.

If Louis found out he used this method to drive Chloe out of Sovereign City, Louis would kill him.

He thought, 'Lucy, the fool.'