"You’re disowning your own father? Are you trying to ruin your reputation? Believe it or not, I’ll tell everyone what you just said and let all your admirers out there see what kind of person you really are!"

Leah Evans almost died laughing.

Sophia Shaw had never cared about her reputation, so why would she be afraid of it being ruined?

Sophia Shaw was even more blunt than Chad Jennings. "Go ahead. And while you’re at it, be sure to mention how you and this woman here had an affair while you were sucking my mother dry!"

Chad Jennings: "..."

Sophia Shaw’s influence was immense now. If this got out, he’d become world-famous too!

"What nonsense are you spouting? It was clearly your mother who..."

"Was it my mother who ruined your marriage prospects, or was it you and this woman who had an affair and bled my mother dry? Don’t you know the truth in your own heart?"

Sophia Shaw’s gaze was sharp as a sword and burned like a torch!

It made Chad Jennings’s heart skip a beat.

Somehow, that frail, gentle girl had grown up. She no longer took abuse lying down. She had grown claws and fangs, ready to sink them into her own father at any moment!

Unable to handle Sophia Shaw, Chad Jennings could only look to Joanna Sherman and Yvonne Sherman as if asking for their opinion.

"Dad, Mom, let’s go!"

Joanna Sherman was the first to walk out.

She was Joanna Sherman, the proud Joanna Sherman. She would never bow her head to anyone!

’Asking her to apologize to Sophia Shaw? In her dreams!’

Joanna Sherman’s high heels CLICK-CLACKED on the hospital floor, a staccato of desperate arrogance.

Halfway out, she turned and walked back to stand in front of Sophia Shaw.

"So what if you won? You’re probably too embarrassed to even hold a celebration, are you?"

"When it comes down to it, you’re nothing but a loser too!"

Joanna Sherman slowly lifted her chin, her gaze locking onto Sophia Shaw with arrogance and disdain. The corner of her lips curled up as if declaring some secret victory!

Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, she said, "That mentor of yours... such a pity!"

Her fists clenched, tight as a knot.

Sophia Shaw glared fiercely at her.

Finally satisfied, Joanna Sherman made her arrogant exit!

But Sophia Shaw caught her final glance. That look told her in no uncertain terms: she was the one behind her mentor’s injury!

Leah Evans, standing close by, overheard a little and asked sensitively, "What did she mean by that?"

Sophia Shaw’s fists were clenched so tightly she couldn’t seem to relax them.

Joanna Sherman was mocking her: even if Sophia knew she was the one who harmed her mentor, she would never find any proof!

A horrifying cycle.

It was as if Sophia Shaw had been thrown back several years into the past.

Bullied and hurt by different students every day, while the mastermind remained aloof, leaving no trace of evidence after their vicious attacks!

She had been endlessly abused in the Jennings Family, sick to the point of death, while the culprits, overflowing with evil, were praised by all as a good mother and a good sister, also leaving no trace of evidence!

And her mother...

She would not—could not—let Joanna Sherman continue to wantonly harm her and the people around her!

Sophia Shaw’s eyes snapped open.

Her mind, reeling from the intense confrontation, suddenly cleared. She recalled the conversation between the two police officers and pulled out her phone to call Jacobs. "What was the name of last night’s liaison?"

"Dennis Warren," Jacobs answered truthfully.

"Detain him immediately!"

Joanna Sherman had barely stepped out of the hospital when she was swarmed by a throng of reporters.

Countless microphones were thrust at her.

"Miss Sherman, can you tell us why you’re at the hospital?"

"Was it because you were traumatized by the failed satellite launch?"

"Before the launch, Miss Sherman, you swore to end the legend of ’certain people.’ Were you referring to Miss Shaw of Lead Aerospace? Miss Shaw created a miracle by launching five satellites in a row, yet your team couldn’t even get two into orbit. What are your thoughts on this, Miss Sherman?"

"It’s said that Miss Shaw applied to join your team nine times and was rejected by you every time. Was it because you were jealous of her, or did you simply not vet her properly and were completely unaware that her abilities surpassed your own?"

"Before Zenith’s satellite launch was even over, press releases announcing its success were already circulating everywhere. On what grounds did you believe you were guaranteed to succeed, Miss Sherman? Or was it just blind confidence, like the nonsense you were spouting at the launch tower?"

"We hear the launch failed because you intentionally concealed a parameter, Miss Sherman. Are you sure you’re professionally qualified? Why would you hide such a crucial parameter?"

"Miss Sherman, since you joined Zenith, the rocket development alone has cost tens of billions, hundreds of times more than what Lead Aerospace spent developing their first rocket. What are your thoughts on that?"

"Lead Aerospace was founded to reduce rocket development and launch costs for the benefit of Cathan and all of humanity. Why did you found Zenith, Miss Sherman?"

"You talk big, look down on everyone, have no basic safety awareness, and lack even a minimal ability to control costs. How did you get the position of Chief Engineer at Zenith, Miss Sherman? At your level, you probably wouldn’t even qualify to warm the bench abroad, so how did you get so hyped up back home? Sorry, I misspoke. You don’t even have the ability to be a janitor."

"..."

The reporters’ questions were like an unending barrage of cannon fire, bombarding Joanna Sherman one after another!

The questions grew sharper and the words harsher.

No one thought she was innocent.

A person who only knew how to use their arrogance to trample on others deserved no sympathy!

Joanna Sherman was violently thrown from heaven to hell, her face pale as she stood frozen.

Her humiliation now was as great as her grandstanding had been yesterday.

Chad Jennings and Yvonne Sherman were utterly humiliated as well.

They could only support her and retreat back into the hospital.

There were too many people. By the time they finally managed to get back inside, Chad Jennings’s collar was torn, one of his shoes was missing, and he had a large bump on his forehead from a reporter’s camera. It was an utterly pathetic sight.

Yvonne Sherman was in no better shape.

One of her high heels was broken, making her limp as she walked with uneven steps.

Her hair, usually styled meticulously, was knocked askew, with strands pulled out here and a chunk pulled out there. She looked like a madwoman!

Fortunately, the hospital, fearing an incident, blocked the reporters at the entrance.

The three of them hadn’t even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief before they turned and saw countless pairs of eyes in the lobby fixed on them.

"I know that aunty!" a three or four-year-old child, led by their mother, said while pointing at Joanna Sherman.

"The aunty is so cool! I like her."

Hearing the little girl say she liked Joanna Sherman, Chad Jennings finally managed a gratified smile.

But before the smile could fully form, he heard the little girl say, "Her fireworks are so interesting! The firework stick was as big as a rocket, it went WHOOSH way, way up into the sky, and then it blew up!"

Chad Jennings: "..."

Yvonne Sherman: "..."

The little girl looked at the three of them. "Are you here to put on a show today? Are you going to do the exploding fire thing from yesterday again?"

The words of a child are without malice, but they were all the more humiliating for it.

Joanna Sherman clenched her fists tightly, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Yvonne Sherman was furious and cursed, "You little brat, where are your manners! What’s wrong with your parents? Your child is so rude, you should teach them a lesson!"

The child’s mother had been about to correct her daughter, but seeing how nastily Yvonne Sherman was yelling, she became unhappy too.

"In a child’s eyes, the thing you launched was just a firework! What, you have no skill yourself, so now you won’t even let others talk about it?"

"You, you..." Yvonne Sherman was so angry she was about to argue with the parent.

Chad Jennings, thoroughly embarrassed, pulled her back. "Stop it, everyone is watching!"

As if sensing something, Joanna Sherman looked up.

Her gaze met a pair of eyes on the second floor.