After her rebirth
Chapter 49

Ruby, with her face all puffed up, tried hard not to scream at Katniss. She frowned and grumbled, "What rope?"

"The rope holding the banner got untied by someone, making it fall and almost hit Juniper," Katniss said, way too chill for Ruby's liking.

Katniss's calmness just made Ruby even madder. She snapped, "Why the heck would I untie the rope? That banner could've killed someone! I might not like Juniper, but I ain't that crazy!" Katniss just nodded and stopped grilling her, then went back to Maximilian and said, "Maximilian, I'm done asking. No need to drag Clara into this."

Elodie let out a sigh of relief, thinking Katniss still had some decency. If Katniss had pulled Clara into this mess, Elodie would've lost it!

Eli finally got the gist of what was going on. He still didn't know who Maximilian was, but he was cursing Ruby in his head for her reckless, despicable act of drugging someone.

Seeing that Maximilian hadn't said a word, Eli finally spoke up, all weak-like, "Mr. Hamilton, I'm Eli, the vice principal. I'm really sorry about today. We'll make sure Ruby gets the punishment she deserves." Maximilian stayed silent, not even glancing at him, which made Eli feel like he was about to break out in a cold sweat.

He wanted to say more, but Felix cut him off sternly, "Sir, the resolution of this matter depends on the victim."

Katniss felt a warm rush in her heart. So, Maximilian hadn't spoken because he wanted her to decide. He was giving her the power to handle this.

Felix was looking out for her too!

Eli didn't think a young girl could handle this right, but he forced a smile and said, "You're right. Katniss, how do you want to resolve this?"

Katniss felt more confident, her eyes lighting up. She turned to Eli and said, "Sir, this matter shouldn't be handled by you. I don't trust you."

Eli felt everyone's eyes on him. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word. He really wanted to kick himself. How could he have agreed to let Ruby hit back earlier? That was so unprofessional and unfair to the students. No wonder Katniss didn't trust him.

Katniss continued, "No need to call the cops; it's a school matter."

As soon as she said that, Eli and Calvin both visibly relaxed, while Ruby looked like she expected it.

Too soon to relax.

Katniss smirked, "Then let's expel her. Let Ruby start over."

"What!" Ruby screamed, "You want me to drop out? Katniss, how dare you?"

"It's not dropping out; it's expulsion," Katniss explained, almost sweetly.

"Katniss, you really are as your family says-vicious and selfish!" Ruby, fuming, started cursing uncontrollably. Calvin turned pale, quickly covering her mouth and saying, "Mr. Hamilton, my daughter is immature. We'll discuss her expulsion with the school right away."

Maximilian finally lifted his somber eyes and asked, "How many words did she just curse?"

"Two," Calvin answered, trying to remember Ruby's nasty words. Then, like a light bulb went off, he said, "Mr. Hamilton, I'll back out of the bidding for those two city center plots this time?"

Maximilian nodded, his face still stone-cold, but Calvin looked like he was about to cry.

Finally, a flicker of fear crossed Ruby's face.

She usually didn't care about her dad's business, but she knew from his rants and phone calls that those plots were a big deal. He'd been working on it for almost two months, yelling at his staff non-stop.

The next second, Calvin turned to Ruby, anger flashing in his eyes, but he held it back. After a quick goodbye to Maximilian, he dragged Ruby out of there.

Eli, on the other hand, felt totally helpless. How did he end up in this mess? But when he looked at Elodie and Simon, he couldn't help but grumble to himself.

Maximilian didn't seem to have any real connection to Katniss, yet he was all about protecting her. Those two were her actual family, but they treated her like dirt. If they hadn't been so indifferent and complicit earlier, he wouldn't have backed off when Katniss was getting hit.

Elodie looked a bit embarrassed. She hadn't expected this whole thing to not be Katniss's fault. But she couldn't bring herself to apologize. Plus, she was still grossed out by the idea that Katniss had tried to drag Clara into it earlier. Simon's face was even more complicated.

Why was Maximilian so protective of Katniss?

With him around, would Katniss even need to go back to the Manners family?

Who knew?

Finally, Elodie spoke up, but her tone was all high and mighty, "Katniss, I misunderstood earlier, you..."

"Maximilian, I'm good now. Let's bounce," Katniss said, like she hadn't even heard Elodie, smiling sweetly and taking over the wheelchair herself. Maximilian said, "Alright."

Katniss pushed the wheelchair and winked at Juniper behind her, saying, "Let's roll, Juniper."

Juniper immediately followed.

Her mind was buzzing with questions. Who was this guy treating Katniss so well? Katniss wouldn't have to worry about the Manners family anymore!

In a flash, the once-busy office turned cold and awkward.

Eli looked at Elodie and Simon with some resentment, saying, "Ma'am, if I may, Katniss is also your kid. How could you side with outsiders and let someone hit her?"

"You don't get it. Katniss has always been a handful. If I'm not strict, how can I control her?" Elodie answered, full of grievances. Could she be blamed? It was Katniss who was disobedient.

Eli shook his head, saying, "Even so, kids have their dignity. While discipline is necessary, home should be a safe haven. If a child is bullied outside and their family doesn't offer support, it's like tearing down the very foundation of their security. How can they feel loved or respected if their own family doesn't protect them?"

Elodie was stunned, wanting to retort but not knowing where to start.