“What are you standing around for? Grab her and make her delete that video!”
Maria hadn’t noticed Julian until Harold stepped in her way.
“Ms. Scott, you’re going to frighten Julian.”
Maria paused when she saw Harold, only then spotting Julian next to Penelope.
“Mr. Julian Stapleton, you… you know her?”
Julian glanced away. “None of your business.”
Maria’s face darkened. “I have something to discuss with her, if you don’t mind…”
“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”
“But it’s a serious matter…”
“What’s it to me!”
Maria was getting angry. “Children shouldn’t meddle in grown-up affairs.”
“I’m meddling. What are you going to do about it?”
“You…”
“Anyway, who are you?”
Maria was huffing with rage, while Penelope suppressed a laugh.
This boy was an expert at getting under people’s skin, just like her.
Perhaps drawn by the commotion, Hamilton emerged from inside. He, too, was surprised to see Penelope.
“Hamilton, that’s the woman I told you about! She asked me a lot of strange questions and filmed me. Quick, grab her phone and delete the videos!” Maria immediately felt emboldened by his presence.
Hamilton glanced from Penelope to Julian.
“Julian, what’s going on?”
Julian greeted Hamilton politely.
“Forcibly taking someone’s phone, even ordering your bodyguards to do it—setting aside the moral issues, that’s illegal.”
Hamilton chuckled at Julian’s serious face. “We just want her to delete a video.”
“If she doesn’t want to, you can’t force her.”
“But she filmed me! I have a right to my own image. It’s perfectly legal and reasonable to ask her to delete it!” Maria argued.
Hearing it was online, Maria grew even more frantic.
“Hamilton, make her take it down! That video absolutely cannot be allowed to circulate online!”
Hamilton’s head began to ache. “Ms. Laurier, you’ve gone too far.”
“But I really didn’t mean to.”
“You…”
“Why are you wasting words on her? Just have your men grab her and take her phone!” Maria urged.
Seeing Penelope’s defiant ‘what are you going to do about it’ expression, Hamilton felt his hands were tied.
“Ms. Laurier, we’ll meet again.”
Penelope pursed her lips. “Let’s hope not!”
With that, she took Julian’s hand and walked away. Without an order from Hamilton, the bodyguards stood by and did not stop them.
Maria was beside herself, demanding to know why Hamilton hadn’t done anything.
“She’s not someone you can afford to cross!”

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