The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1831

Outside the office. Andrew, Stella, Shirley, and Parrish crouched near the planters. "Charlotte." As she walked out, Shirley immediately ran over with a hot latte, looking thoroughly confused. "I saw Vinson, the dean of The Cabinda University medical school. Is he here to cause trouble?" During the last competition, Charlotte had completely humiliated those medical school snobs. They held a serious grudge. Why else would someone who despised traditional medicine come to Kingswood University? "Yeah," Stella chimed in. She wore a pristine white dress that covered her from neck to ankle, her soft voice laced with genuine concern. "Why would he seek you out so suddenly?" "Ah." Charlotte looked down, taking a sip of her hot drink, a careless smirk playing on her lips. "Just poking the bear." The group stared at her in blank realization. That bald jerk Vinson had looked absolutely furious earlier. It seemed their Charlotte hadn't taken any hits. "As long as you're okay." Stella breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Her gaze dropped to Charlotte's stomach, her eyes softening. "You've been on a plane all day. It's exhausting. Go home and get some rest." "Will do." Charlotte pursed her lips, unable to hide her fatigue as she stifled a yawn. "I'll have Hans drop off the gifts we brought back from the Isle of Veil later." Between the injections and being further along in her pregnancy, she had felt incredibly lethargic lately. "Thanks, Charlotte." The group echoed their thanks, watching as her car pulled away. "I've got class this afternoon, so I'm heading back," Stella said, withdrawing her gaze. A gentle smile touched her luminous skin. "You two have fun." "Me too, me too," Parrish agreed, waving his hand as he backed away toward the lecture halls. "I sneaked out to see Charlotte. If I get caught, I'm dead meat." The bustling crowd left only Andrew and Shirley behind. "You have class this afternoon too. I'll walk you back." Andrew stepped forward, gently lacing his fingers through hers. "Okay." Shirley glanced up, her eyes nervously scanning the surroundings before a shy smile broke across her face. She obediently let him hold her hand. They had only officially become boyfriend and girlfriend recently. The intimate gestures still felt a bit unnatural for the new couple. Hand in hand, they walked toward the campus gates. Andrew was a fairly famous figure at Kingswood University. As the crowd of students thickened, he was easily recognized. "Andrew..." Shirley leaned nervously into his side, her anxiety spiking. "I'm right here. It's fine." Andrew tightened his grip on her hand, quickening his pace to reassure her. "Look, that's Shirley." A group of girls huddled together, whispering as they stared at the couple's retreating backs. "She's just pretty, nothing stunning." The first girl furrowed her brows, her eyes brimming with disdain. "There are so many gorgeous girls on campus. Any one of them has a better family background than Shirley. I have no idea what Andrew sees in her." "Did you guys see the news that just dropped?" The second girl pulled out her phone, pulling up an article. "The internet is saying Andrew sent his own mother to prison all for Shirley's sake." "Seriously?" Hearing this, the third girl's self-righteousness flared up. "No matter what, a girlfriend shouldn't be more important than your own mother, right?" "If she can turn The Blair Family upside down like this, she's not just a gold digger, she's a curse." "Does she really think a piece of trash can become royalty just by climbing the social ladder?" The first girl scoffed, adding, "The news just broke. It's going to blow up everywhere soon. Just wait. Someone with such a rotten character won't have a happy ending."