The patriarch's stance was the only key to solving the problem.
He had seen the gruesome crime scene Vivienne had orchestrated. This wasn't just a petty prank; she was out to systematically destroy Julianne.
From this, Cyril deduced that the dynamic between her and Julianne ran much deeper than mere bullying.
But whatever the truth was, he had no intention of digging into it. He had done his part, and the patriarch was highly satisfied with his work.
Lost in their own thoughts, the three boys simultaneously looked up at Vivienne.
Vivienne, meanwhile, was tangled in a web of conflicting emotions, all triggered by Caspian's simple, caring question.
Was she aggrieved?
She supposed she was. It wasn't just her first three years at Elite Prep; every single year after that had been a nightmare.
It all started with Julian's careless remark: "We aren't close, stay away from me." That single sentence had resulted in her being ostracized by the entire class. Desperate to fit in, she had trailed after Julianne like a loyal dog for six years.
During that time, Serena Lowe never once taught her what dignity meant. She bowed and scraped for those rich kids, even taking the fall when Julianne's reputation was on the line, yet they still treated her like garbage.
She used to think that even if they were toxic, she and Julianne were at least friends. But reality had dealt her a brutal slap to the face.
In her past life, Julianne had been hopelessly obsessed with Preston Everhart. She sabotaged countless rivals to secure a marriage alliance, but in a cruel twist of irony, Preston ended up setting his sights on Vivienne.
Unable to accept this, Julianne hired a group of thugs from outside the school to completely ruin Vivienne at their graduation party.
Vivienne's reputation had already been in tatters, yet Julianne refused to leave her even a shred of dignity, trying to push her straight into hell.
So, calling it a grievance was an understatement. It was pure, unadulterated hatred.
Because not everything could be forgiven. When she found herself walking down that dark path again, facing the same threat of being violated, no one could possibly fathom the murderous rage that consumed her.
God only knew how much strength it took for her to grip Julianne's hand and stop herself from plunging that blade straight into the girl's heart.
Vivienne didn't dare confess her true, venomous thoughts to Caspian. After a long pause, she simply shook her head.
Seeing Caspian remain silent, Bianca worried Vivienne was about to be punished. She shot her hand in the air. "Grandpa, me too! I knew about the plan the whole time. Vivi and I orchestrated the whole thing together."
"..."
Aurelia stared quietly at Caspian. She had suspected all along that Vivienne orchestrated the whole setup; otherwise, there was no way to explain why she had prepared so much fake blood in advance.
Now that the truth was out, surely Grandpa would punish her, right? This wasn't some harmless prank. Julianne could be traumatized for life. It was undeniable proof of just how vicious Vivienne truly was.
After a heavy silence, Caspian finally spoke, his tone casual. "Well done."
Then, he let out a booming laugh. "Good! Worthy of the Ravenshire bloodline. You have my ruthlessness."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the three boys synchronized their eye rolls. They knew this would be the outcome.
In the law of the jungle, you either become the apex predator or you get eaten.
...

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