Chapter 7

Bella's POV

When one of Adeline's classmates called me, she sounded close to tears.

"Ms. Vale, you need to get here! Marielle set Adeline up outside the auditorium, and now Evander and the others are working with the school administration to punish her in front of the entire student body!"

My driver ran three red lights on the way there. By the time I reached the Grand Hall, the auditorium was packed. I headed for the rear entrance, only to find the corridor blocked by several guards wearing Vale Group security uniforms.

"Ms. Vale, Mr. Vale gave us strict instructions that no one is to interrupt today's proceedings." The head of security kept his eyes lowered respectfully. His arm, however, remained firmly across my path.

I almost laughed.

How impressive. They were using security guards paid by my company to keep me out of a building sponsored by my company.

I didn't bother forcing my way through. Instead, I turned around and headed upstairs to the control room. I shoved the door open and walked straight to the production console.

From behind the one-way glass, I had an unobstructed view of the entire auditorium. Adeline stood alone beneath the harsh glare of a spotlight.

Her hair was disheveled, and a fresh scrape stood out across the back of one hand. In the center of the front row sat my four adopted sons, lined up side by side.

Marielle was seated beside Evander. Her right leg was encased in an enormous cast, and faint tear tracks still marked her cheeks.

Evander held the microphone, his voice calm but carrying an authority that made it clear he expected to be obeyed. "Adeline, I'm going to ask you one last time. Did you push Marielle down those stairs?"

Adeline clenched her fists but kept her back perfectly straight. "No, I didn't. She saw me coming and threw herself down the steps!"

"You're lying!" Caspian slammed a hand against the table and shot to his feet. "When we got there, Marielle was in so much pain she could barely stay conscious, and you were just standing there watching her! Adeline, how can you be that cruel?"

Stellan adjusted his glasses, his voice as cold and clinical as if he were delivering a verdict. "The security camera just happened to malfunction, and you thought that meant no one could prove what you did?

"The four of us witnessed enough to know what happened. So today, in front of the entire school, you're going to get down on your knees and apologize to Marielle.

"Then, you'll read a formal statement admitting that you used your family's influence to secure your place in the competition."

Zet lounged back in his chair, a nasty smile spreading across his face. "And if you refuse? Vale Group withdraws every dollar of funding it provides to this school, effective tomorrow."

He turned toward the principal. "I'm sure you know how to deal with a student who behaves like this."

The principal, seated nearby, hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Adeline, perhaps you should just apologize. There's no need to make this any more difficult for the school than it already is."

Whispers began spreading through the auditorium. The students stared at Adeline with open contempt.

"Unbelievable! So having a rich family means she can treat people however she wants?"

"I heard she paid someone to write that business proposal for her too. Marielle's the one who actually has talent."

"Just apologize already! Why should the rest of the school suffer because of you?"

Hundreds of people had already decided she was guilty. And my four adopted sons had made sure every accusation, every rumor, and every scrap of blame landed squarely on Adeline.

She slowly looked across the auditorium at the hostile faces surrounding her. Finally, her gaze returned to the four men in the front row.

Evander had once lifted her onto his shoulders and promised that as long as he was around, no one would ever hurt her.

Zet had once crossed half the city because she'd mentioned wanting cotton candy.

Those same brothers were now publicly humiliating her, determined to force her to bow her head to a girl who had set her up.

"I won't kneel." Adeline didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to. "I didn't do it, and I'm not confessing to something I didn't do."

Evander's expression darkened. "So that's your answer."

He lifted one hand. Several security guards immediately climbed onto the stage and seized Adeline by the shoulders.