"Enough, look at how shabby her clothes are. Isn't it because of you all pushing her? Maya, stand up, and go to school." In the Spencer Family, Jane Spencer's words held much more weight than Mrs. Hannah.
So, Maya Spencer placed her hands on the ground and slowly stood up.
In that instant when she stood up, she subconsciously looked at Jane Spencer, who had saved her, but her gaze landed on the man beside her.
For a moment, she felt a bit embarrassed. This new spectator was quite handsome, yet she left such a difficult first impression on him.
"Maya, this is Liam Spencer, you can just call him Third Brother."
"Liam, this is our little sister, Maya."
In Jane's introduction, Liam glanced at Maya with a cold, indifferent look, just a glance, without any unnecessary gestures.
"Third Young Master." Without his approval, Maya dared not call him Third Brother, so she addressed him as Third Young Master.
"Don't just stand there foolishly, go to school!" Finally, with Jane's rescue, Maya was freed.
She squatted down, packing her school bag while taking deep breaths because her butt hurt.
She thought the matter had ended here, that the whipping she took this morning had blown the theft incident away, but just as she struggled to stand up from the ground, Aunt Parker threw a suitcase at her and said,
"Miss Maya, Madam said that a family thief is hard to guard against and she can't trust you to stay in the guest house, lest you steal everything. So you'll stay at school. Inside is your luggage. Be good to yourself and make sure not to steal from your classmates at school; that's not something a whipping can solve, it could lead to imprisonment."
Looking at the small suitcase thrown at her feet, Maya chuckled helplessly and thought, Aunt Hannah must have been planning this play for a long time!
She was unwilling to be driven out of the Spencer Family just like that, but she also knew that speaking more was useless at the moment, and everything would have to wait until Dad came back. Although he didn't like her, he wasn't annoyed enough to drive her out of the Spencer Family, or else he wouldn't have taken her back in the first place.
So, she temporarily compromised, dragging the luggage that had nothing in it, limping to catch the bus.
She wouldn't leave the Spencer Family; she hadn't finished reading her mom's diary, and she hadn't found out the cause of her mom's death yet, so how could she bear to leave!
Meanwhile, inside Jane's Bentley, the siblings sat side by side in the back seat. She patted Liam's leg and smiled, "Our Liam is becoming more accomplished, not only reviving the Owen Clan, but thriving, now even Grandpa needs to rely on you, so impressive!"
"Just consider it experiencing campus life again." Acting as the temporary university dean was a first for Liam.
Along the way, the siblings chatted about their childhood until Jane dropped Liam off at school and instructed the driver to return to the Spencer Clan Group headquarters.
"Xavier Graham, the old man is trying to trick me with the 'lure the tiger out of the mountain' tactic, keep a close eye on the project in the south."
"Don't worry! Your grandpa is no match for me."
As soon as Jane left, Liam called his most trusted brother, reminding him to stay vigilant. The old man appointing him as acting dean had ulterior motives, which Liam could clearly see through.
Did that old guy think he could do whatever he wanted by sending him away? Too naive.
The Owen Clan's domain was conquered by him; how could he step aside for the Spencer Family?
For Liam, he leaned towards his mother's Owen Clan, especially since it was the Owen Clan's world that he had recaptured, so of course, he would protect it.
When Maya limped her way into the classroom, a group of classmates was pointing and whispering around her seat. Maya walked over to her seat with her luggage, proudly maintaining her composure.
Seeing Maya arrive, the group dispersed with giggles, covering their faces.
Looking at the words "Thief Spencer" on the desk, Maya indifferently rolled her eyes and sat down as if nothing had happened.
Having suffered a whipping that morning, sitting down made her butt hurt so much that she clenched her teeth, pretending not to be in pain, lightly squatting to relieve some pressure.
Unexpectedly, her actions brought another wave of laughter from everyone.
She opened her textbook, taking a deep breath, ignoring everything around her.
She knew, today at home, Elia must have broadcasted her disgraceful scene far and wide, creating a commotion throughout the school.
Since entering university a year ago, she had always been the talk of everyone's jokes, and she had grown accustomed to it.
"Maya Spencer, do you have fleas, can't sit still? If you think my class is boring, you don't have to attend. Your 8 points will only drag down the average score, you might as well not participate in the exams."
Her poor grades made her disliked by the teacher, who would seize every opportunity to criticize her, which also became a source of amusement for her classmates.
Hearing this snide comment, Maya remained expressionless, simply removing the chair and using her school bag to kneel on the ground.
With her left hand supporting her face, looking out the window, she saw Liam and the vice principal passing by, with Liam's gaze landing right on her.
Maya was embarrassed; the first day meeting Third Brother, all he saw were jokes.
But the humiliation was not yet over. In the third period, her butt hurt so much she couldn't kneel anymore, deciding to stand. Unexpectedly, the teacher made her run laps outside for the reason, "Maya Spencer, if you want to lecture, come to the podium. Otherwise, sit down or go run on the field." Maya chose to run on the field.
Running outside actually relieved some tension; at least she could slack off a bit.
However, this was exactly what Aunt Hannah wanted. She wished Maya were a fool, incapable of anything. Even scoring 8 points was too much in her eyes; she wished Maya could score zero, making Elia appear more outstanding in comparison.
On the field, Maya lay on a cool grassy patch, finally finding some comfort for her butt.
Her heart was troubled about where to stay that night; before Dad returned, she couldn't go back to the guest house, yet she had no dormitory at school.
Though Jane sometimes helped her avoid punishments at home, it merely reduced the number of beatings; it didn't solve the root problem.
"Bang" As Maya worried, a box of ointment was suddenly thrown in front of her, and a silhouette appeared outside the shaded grassy area.
She looked up quickly at the person who had tossed the ointment, only to see Liam standing in front of her.
She hurriedly got up from the ground, brushed the grass from her clothes, and nervously and frantically called out, "Third Young Master!"
Hearing the title "Third Young Master," Liam understood her status in the family, not even as good as a servant.
He ignored Maya, turned, and walked away, little knowing he was the first Spencer to make Maya panic.
As Liam turned, with hands in his pockets, Maya noticed a bite mark on his right arm, and her heart suddenly tightened, realizing the man who attacked her in Dad's study last night was him.
Maya took a deep breath and hurried after him, grabbing Liam's wrist, lifting her head to stare into his eyes, questioning,
"The person who attacked me in Dad's study last night was you."
Recalling the humiliation he inflicted on her last night, Maya's face flushed red with anger, gripping his hand so tight, it trembled.