"Better than you?"


    Jean raised her brow andughed out loud. "You''re really funny, Mr. Lawrence-you''re even more of a gaslighter than those business owners. You make it sound nice, but how many people are there in this world who are really better than you?"


    "Ahem. I''d say... there are way too many." Frank rubbed his nose. "You really know how to tter a man, Jean, but I''m just a man who married into his wife''s family and was then chased away."


    "Fine, no more joking around." Jean''s expression turned solemn as she stared fixedly at him. "I''ve probed Winter enough to see that she''s serious about you. But if you care about Winter, you shouldn''t have shown up today or unted yourself so much. Now that you''ve done it, you have to take responsibility-do you understand that, Mr. Lawrence?"


    Frank was left embarrassed, however.


    Winter was so much younger, and his mentor entrusted her to his care.


    If he got any funny ideas, his mentor would definitely give him a thorough beating when it was his time.


    Shaking his head, he said, "You''re not making sense. Winter is no ignorant child-she knows what''s right and what isn''t. How am I supposed to face her mother and my mentor if our rtionship goes further?" That was when Frank scowled, as he remembered that Carol Zims was clearly supportive of him having a rtionship with Winter after learning that they were not biologically rted.


    "Ahhh !!!"


    A scream suddenly echoed from the hall-it was Winter!


    Frank leapt to his feet and charged inside.


    Jean watched as he left, shaking her head and smiling, "It''s exactly because Winter knows that you shouldn''t make her sad. You should''ve been ready for that when you sought her out." Sighing, she pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "That''s all I can help you with, Winter. The rest is up to you."


    Bang!


    Frank kicked open the doors of the hall to find Bill standing in the ground, grabbing Winter by the hair as he forced her to drink a ss of wine.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Winter struggled, sshing the wine all over herself.


    The other students were kept at bay


    by the thugs Bill brought. Those men carried machetes, all of them obviously hired muscle who had


    spilled blood.


    Mere students like them would certainly never be brave enough to stand against them, and hence, they stood in silence. "Stop!"


    Frank bellowed as he strode into the hall just then, Jean''s words ringing in his head again when he saw Bill holding Winter, who struggled miserably.


    "If you cared about Winter, you shouldn''t have shown up today or unted yourself so much."


    Frank med himself even as the thought crossed his mind-Jean had warned him, but he behaved carelessly anyway.


    He thought that Bill would need time


    to cross into the hall from the rear entrance, and he would not be brave enough to attack Winter while in public.


    But as it turned out, Bill was simply desperate enough.


    Striding one step forward, Frank''s expression contorted in fury. "Bill Jackson! Let go of Winter right now!"