"It was my mistake, Dr. Wynter. Please forgive me."

Seraphina Sutton bit down hard, forcing out a couple of tears as an unconcealable hatred flashed in her eyes.

"Still trying to slander our teacher and our junior sister? When our junior sister was taking the lead on surgeries, you were probably off somewhere picking daisies!"

Leif Shaw made a face at Seraphina Sutton, looking as proud as a peacock. He had none of the composure of a mature man.

"You!"

Seraphina Sutton felt a lump of anger stuck in her chest, unable to escape.

In the end, the farce concluded with Seraphina Sutton’s humiliation. Even Nathaniel Quinn was starting to feel some resentment toward her.

If she hadn’t deliberately led everyone to believe Wren Wynter and Elder Hawthorne were in an improper relationship, he might have still been able to put in a good word with Elder Hawthorne.

But now...

He pinned all his hopes on the project proposal in his hands, wishing it was true what that person had said—that it was a guaranteed win.

"Cole, why don’t you go talk to Wren Wynter? Ask her to give the project to me. She loves you so much, she’ll definitely listen to you," Nathaniel Quinn said, walking up to Kaden Xavier.

Kaden Xavier was still lost in thought about what had just happened.

Ever since divorcing Wren Wynter, he felt he couldn’t focus, spending his days in a daze.

It always felt as if his heart had been hollowed out.

Kaden Xavier gave a bitter smile. "She doesn’t love me anymore."

Kaden Xavier had come to a profound realization.

Wren Wynter no longer loved him.

"What do we do now? If my project doesn’t get approved, my family will go bankrupt!"

Nathaniel Quinn was getting anxious.

He was terrified Wren Wynter would sabotage him from behind the scenes.

Seraphina Sutton was in no mood to coddle him. She had just been humiliated, and no one had even tried to comfort her.

"It won’t fail. Didn’t you say this proposal was written by one of Elder Hawthorne’s students? With his student as a guarantor, there’s no way it won’t be approved," Seraphina Sutton said perfunctorily.

Nathaniel Quinn thought it over and felt a little relieved.

Finally, it was time to announce the partner company. Nathaniel Quinn clutched his proposal nervously.

"After careful consideration, our teacher has decided that this year’s partner will be the Yates Family!"

The moment Nathaniel Quinn heard the result, the look on his face shattered. He shot to his feet, pointed furiously at Leo Crowe on the stage, and roared.

"Impossible! You’re lying!"

Hearing someone contradict him, Leo Crowe frowned. "Why would I lie to you? Do you think your proposal is better than the Yates Family’s, or do you think you’re a match for the Yates Family?"

That sentence instantly shut Nathaniel Quinn up.

He gripped the proposal tightly, then threw it down in front of Leo Crowe. "Is this how Elder Hawthorne’s students deceive people? You promised it would be chosen! Why did you lie to me?"

His words caused an uproar.

Julian Hawthorne’s expression turned terrifyingly dark.

Wren Wynter also sensed something was wrong.

’When did we ever promise he’d be chosen?’

A cold glint flashed in Leo Crowe’s eyes. In a low voice, he said, "Sir, you must be mistaken. When did we ever make such a promise?"

"It was one of Elder Hawthorne’s students! I gave him a million, and he put this proposal together for me."

"What? One of Elder Hawthorne’s students? That’s impossible, right?"

"Yeah, Elder Hawthorne’s students aren’t short on cash. Why would any of them agree to such a shameless request? Could this be some kind of misunderstanding?"

Everyone present chose to trust in Julian Hawthorne’s character.

But Nathaniel Quinn was like a lit fuse, completely deaf to the murmurs around him. He pointed at Leo Crowe. "Get all of your fellow disciples out here! I want to see for myself whether you’re all deceiving me, or if one of your own is just unprofessional!"

Julian Hawthorne rose from his seat. Wren Wynter quickly went to his side, helping him slowly onto the stage.

"Are you saying that one of my students wrote this proposal for you?"

"Elder Hawthorne, that’s not what I meant. It’s just... the person who contacted me really did claim to be your student, which is why I believed him."

Nathaniel Quinn forced a placating smile, his tone sheepish, as he wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his brow.

Julian Hawthorne had Leo Crowe call Ho-ran Park and the others to the front.

"I only have these five students. Do you see the person you mentioned among them?"

Nathaniel Quinn scanned the group and saw that the person he had dealt with wasn’t there.

His heart went cold and his face turned ashen. He realized he had been scammed.

Seeing this, Seraphina Sutton rushed forward to support Nathaniel Quinn.

’This is a perfect chance to frame Wren Wynter!’

She gave Nathaniel Quinn a subtle push, trying to get him to point the finger at Wren Wynter.

But Wren Wynter saw her little maneuver and sneered inwardly.

"Miss Sutton, is your hand cramping up?"

Wren Wynter showed no mercy. Utterly humiliated, Seraphina could only resentfully withdraw her hand.

Nathaniel Quinn came back to his senses and shook his head, his expression dejected.

Julian Hawthorne’s face was extremely stern.

’If it wasn’t one of them, then someone is out there using my students’ names to commit fraud.’

He glanced sideways at Leo Crowe.

Leo Crowe understood immediately and stepped down from the stage.

"The partner has been decided. For now, I hope everyone enjoys the food and drinks," Julian Hawthorne said simply. With Wren Wynter’s support, he left the stage and returned to his seat.

"Teacher, would you like to go home?" Wren Wynter asked with concern, noticing the fatigue in Julian Hawthorne’s eyes.

Julian Hawthorne thought for a moment, then nodded.

She didn’t have her car, so she had to ask Ho-ran Park to take Julian Hawthorne back to Moonwater Villa first.

When Wren Wynter returned to the banquet hall, she came face-to-face with a familiar person.

"Mr. Yates."

Isaac Yates looked at Wren Wynter with a smile, speaking gently. "Miss Wynter, you’re too kind. I never expected you and Shaun to be fellow students. If you don’t mind, you can just call me Uncle Yates."

"Uncle Yates."

Wren Wynter felt a little bashful as she said the name shyly.

"I heard all about what happened at the mall last time. I’m so sorry you had to witness some of our family’s unpleasant affairs."

"Not at all. I should be the one who’s embarrassed. My second senior brother was there to accompany Elder Yates shopping, but I ended up dragging him away."

Isaac Yates waved his hand dismissively and was about to say something more when a tall figure stepped between them, completely shielding Wren Wynter.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Shaun Quinn stared warily at Isaac Yates.

Isaac Yates sighed. "Shaun, I know Miss Wynter. Can’t we even exchange a few words?"

"What good could possibly come from someone like you?" Shaun Quinn sneered, grabbing Wren Wynter’s arm and turning to leave.

Wren Wynter was utterly confused, clearly still trying to process everything.

She shot Isaac Yates an apologetic look before letting Shaun Quinn lead her away.

"Second Senior Brother, you can let go."