The Return of Special Forces Queen novel Chapter 9

"Stop making a scene. They were just running their mouths, they didn't mean any harm!" Carter reprimanded her.

A flash of pure disappointment crossed Jocelyn's eyes. Even when she was being ruthlessly dragged through the mud, her own husband refused to defend her.

"What exactly counts as 'harm' to you? Should I drop to my knees and slap my own face for daring to marry you?" Jocelyn mocked coldly. "Don't forget—you were the one who begged me to marry you!"

Carter's friends exchanged awkward glances, and even Yolande's face tightened in displeasure.

Carter's eyes darkened. He grabbed Jocelyn's wrist. "Whatever you have to say, we can say it at home!"

"No, I'd rather say it right here." She ripped her arm out of his grip. "Honestly, you and Yolande are a match made in heaven. A cheater and a homewrecker. I wish you both a lifetime of misery."

Carter's face went rigid, and all the color drained from Yolande's cheeks.

Lyle Lockwood finally spoke up. "Jocelyn, who gave you the right to talk to Yolande like that? What do you have that she doesn't? If Carter doesn't love her, is he supposed to love a community college dropout orphan like you?"

"Bullshit!" Lana screamed, storming out from behind the screen. "Community college? Jocelyn graduated from the National Defense University!"

"Hahaha!" The entire table erupted in mocking laughter. "She's actually trying to claim she went to the most elite military academy in the country? Jocelyn, you and your friend really are cut from the same delusional cloth!"

Yolande's confidence returned. She stood up, a condescending smirk on her lips. "If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. Faking your credentials just makes you look like a pathetic clown!"

Lana was shaking with rage. "Who's faking anything? Look it up on the National Student Clearinghouse!"

Jocelyn pulled her friend back and leveled a freezing glare at Yolande. "My academic record is none of your concern."

Yolande frowned. Any normal person caught in a desperate lie would look panicked or embarrassed, but Jocelyn was completely unfazed. Her unshakable composure was deeply unsettling.

Just then, Yolande noticed a small group of people walking toward their table, and she immediately recognized a familiar face.

"Professor Gable!" Yolande called out, instantly flashing a radiant, practiced smile. "It's been so long! What a coincidence seeing you here."

"It has. How have you been holding up?" Jocelyn replied softly.

"Good! I heard about your parents... My deepest condolences," Professor Gable said, his voice dropping into a solemn, respectful tone.

"Thank you," Jocelyn nodded.

The arrogant smirks on the faces of Carter's friends shattered into absolute shock.

Yolande's eyes widened in horror. "Professor Gable, you... you actually know her?"

"Of course I do. She was my student! How could I forget her?" Professor Gable laughed warmly. "She was the State Science Scholar! When she enrolled, the whole campus couldn't stop talking about her."

The expressions of the people hoping to watch Jocelyn burn could no longer be described as just 'shocked'—they looked thoroughly devastated.