“It’s nothing!” Leia snapped, quickly turning away and hiding her face with her hair, reluctant to let


    others see her vulnerability.


    “Nothing? Your face is already swollen!” Xavier eximed as he gently lifted her chin and brushed her


    hair off, studying her face with a pained look.


    Who could have imagined that in just a matter of days, the woman who strutted like she owned the


    ce would end up looking so pitiful?


    “Who did this to you?” He demanded, his brow tightly furrowed as if his favorite toy was broken, and he


    looked bent on cutting the culprit into pieces.


    “No one. I fell,” Leia said, moving away from his touch and turning her back on him.


    She was just like Renee—she held herself with great pride and would act nonchnt even if she was


    bruised and battered.


    Xavier was not easily fooled, however, and took her hand as he growled. “We’re going back.”


    “Back? Back where?”


    Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    “The detention center.”


    “No! It took me so much to get out—I’m not going back! That ce is hell. It’s not for humans!”


    Leia struggled violently, her obstinate carapace peeling off and revealing her fear.


    She had not been in the detention center for that long, but she was tormented by her cellmates


    everyday—having her hair pulled, being spat in the face and pped.


    She tried to fight back, but that would only get her a worse beating—just like today, where she was


    given the worst beating that left her face bruised!


    There was no way she would return to that nightmarish ce!


    “No, you must go back!” Xavier grabbed Leia’s shoulders and said somberly, “Pull yourself together!


    Just tell me who hit you, and I will return the favor—what are you worried about? I have your back.”


    “What…”


    Leia’s eyes were welling with tears as she stared at him in surprise.


    “What do you mean, ‘what’?” Xavier eximed angrily. “Am I wrong? You’re the heiress of the Osborne


    family. Who do they think they are, doing you dirty like this?!”


    To him, Leia was no different from his daughter. He was allowed to ‘bully’ her asionally for her


    mischief, but he would never allow anyone else to even touch a strand of her hair!


    Leia, in turn, gained confidence from that serious look in Xavier’s eyes and clenched her knuckles.


    “You’re right. I shouldn’t let myself be bullied.”


    They returned to the detention center, with Xavier pulling some strings with a warden, who brought him


    to Leia’s cell.


    “You may go in. By the way, the cameras are out—I would need around half an hour to fix it,” the


    warden told Xavier and Leia.


    “Thanks, beautiful,” Xavier shed his trademark smile at her, even making a heart gesture with his


    fingers.


    “Y-You’re wee…” The warden blushed, lowered her head, and turned to leave.


    “You’re a real embarrassment everywhere you go,” Leia snorted, rolling her eyes at him.


    Xavier ignored her and quietly entered the cell while Leia followed him closely.


    “Who is that?!”


    Leia’s five sleeping cellmates were immediately alerted when they heard the door open.


    However, the lights were off, and they could only make out their silhouettes.


    Leia folded her arms and sneered as she strode towards them, “Hello, cellmates. Did you sleep well?”