On the ne, I was restless.


    After an hour, the ne finallynded. I immediately called Pete the moment I could turn my phone on. No matter what the situation was, if we wanted to get Yasmine bailed out quickly, with my current abilities... Things would be a lot easier if Pete were around. I had never felt like I needed him more than at this moment.


    For the past three days, he''d been acting all mysterious. I didn''t know what he was nning against Marcus, but he kept telling me not to worry and to wait for him at home. But now, I couldn''t reach him.


    It wasn''t until the cab pulled up at the hotel where Yasmine''s parents were staying that I finally gave up trying to contact Pete.


    Mrs. Warren pulled me inside, and the woman who had always treated me like her own daughter bowed deeply to me. The worry etched on her face momentarily lifted when she saw me as if she had found a pir of support. "Ari, I know your family is different from ours, but I''m shamelessly asking you for a favor. Could you try reaching out to your husband?"


    I took a deep breath, hiding my hands behind my back where my nails dug into my palms. It seemed that they didn''t know about my divorce yet.


    I forced a smile. "Nichs has been pretty busytely. I can reach out to some friends instead, which should work just as well. But first, you need to tell me exactly what happened."


    At the mention of the situation, Mr. Warren, who had been trying to maintain a serious demeanor, was suddenly overtaken by his emotions. His anger surged like a pot boiling over, spilling everywhere.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Ten thousand dors! Ten thousand dors!"


    "What did you mean?" I forced myself to stay calm and listen carefully.


    "Someone used us of epting ten thousand dors in exchange for guaranteeing a student''s admission to our graduate program! Ariana, you know us well enough.


    "No matter what, we would never do something so hical, not for ten thousand, and certainly not for any amount! This is a deliberate attempt to nder us!"


    "What happened next? Yasmine wouldn''t have attacked someone just because of that!"


    "The student didn''t get into the program. So, he confronted us in front of everyone, demanding to know why we took the money and didn''t keep our promise. Everything got chaotic in seconds.


    "That student was agitated, and he rushed onto the stage with a knife. Yasmine was trying to protect me and ended up struggling with him. She managed to get the knife away."


    I asked anxiously, "So, she identally hurt the student with the knife?"


    I exhaled lightly. This didn''t seem like such a big deal. After hours of worry, I finally felt a bit of relief. However, Mrs. Warren''s next words sent my heart plummeting again. "No. It wasn''t the student she hurt. A woman rushed up out of nowhere, and Yasmine ended up injuring her!"


    "Is that woman the one pressing charges against Yasmine?"


    Yasmine''s parents nodded emphatically. "We offered topensate her, but she refused anything we proposed. She insists Yasmine must pay for what she did."


    "Alright. I''ll go see Yasmine first and then try to talk to this woman. Give me her ward number."


    Mrs. Warren grabbed a pen and paper, jotting down both Yasmine''s and the woman''s room numbers. In situations like these, private settlements were possible. If negotiations failed, it could only


    mean the price hadn''t been right.


    When I reached the detention center,


    I thought my status as awyer


    ?????


    would allow me to see Yasmine without much hassle. However, was turned away at the door. Yasmine had insisted she hadn''t


    hired awyer.


    I was so frustrated I wanted to scream at her, but there was nothing I could do without seeing her. I decided to head to the hospital to try and gauge the other party''s stance. Following the address, I arrived at a private hospital. It seemed the other party was well-off, which exined why they weren''t swayed by money.


    At the reception desk, I inquired about the room number Yasmine''s parents had given me. The patient''s name appeared to be an abbreviation-J.C.


    It seemed the person''s identity wasn''t something they wanted to make public. But no matter who they were, I was determined to meet them today!