Chapter 275: Mia - Men Are a Dime a Dozen!
"This is it."
Howard Jr. said to Chuck, pointing to a dormitory room.
"Knock."
Chuck reminded him.
Howard Jr. went to knock.
After a while, the door opened, revealing Elliott's mocking face: "You're here. Perfect timing, we're watching a video. Want to join us?"
Howard Jr.'s expression changed drastically as he looked at Chuck.
"Let's watch together."
Chuck pushed the door open completely and went inside.
Howard Jr. followed, peeking around, searching for his own image.
"Elliott, you've gone too far!"
Mia couldn't help but accuse him: "How could you do something like that!"
"What did I do?"
Elliott denied it outright, shrugging and laughing: "Can't I even watch a movie?"
Mia looked closely and realized that the screen wasn't showing Howard Jr.'s humiliating video, but just a new movie.
"Hand over Howard's video."
Chuck said, looking at him.
"What video?"
Elliott scoffed. "Don't think you can frame me just because you're some kind of detective!"
"It's the video of you secretly filming me!"
Howard finally dared to speak.
"Shouting so loudly, trying to scare me?"
Elliott squinted at Howard. "What evidence do you have that I secretly filmed you?"
"If you don't cooperate, I'll have your room searched!"
Mia said angrily.
"You don't have that right!"
Elliott said disdainfully. "You're not the headmaster! And I heard the headmaster isn't here right now."
"Chuck!"
Howard cried urgently.
Chuck raised an eyebrow and gestured to Howard.
Howard immediately understood, ran to the bedside, and pulled a hard drive from under the bed.
"You're asking for it!"
Elliott roared, charging at Howard, swinging his fist to hit him, but his hand was grabbed mid-swing.
"Hitting people is wrong."
Chuck said expressionlessly.
"Let me go! He's stealing my stuff!"
Elliott struggled a few times, but found he couldn't break free. He immediately yelled, "Help! The detective's assaulting someone!"
Other boys had already gathered in layers outside the door to watch.
At Chuck's signal, Howard threw the hard drive on the ground and stomped on it repeatedly, trying to physically erase his shameful past.
"You think that's enough?"
Seeing that Chuck ignored his yelling and Howard was still destroying his collection, Elliott threatened viciously, "I've already uploaded those videos online. You'll be surrounded by people watching them!"
"You know it's illegal, right?"
Chuck released his hand when Elliott stopped struggling.
"I'm a minor. What can you do about it?"
Elliott became even more arrogant after revealing his hand.
"So you knew it was illegal, but you still did it because you thought you could manipulate the judge and jury in court?"
Chuck stated calmly.
"Of course not."
Elliott changed his demeanor, becoming soft, weak, and pitiful. "Judges and juries are the kindest and most impartial people. I always believe in any verdict they make!"
Though he said this, his eyes clearly said, "I'm a minor. If I go to court and act a little pitiful, the judge and jury certainly won't give me a harsh sentence! I'm not afraid!"
"What are you doing here?"
Just then, a man's voice rang out.
The students who had been watching immediately fell silent and made way.
Mia trembled, clutching her chest as a well-dressed man walked in. He wasn't tall, but his stern face was quite intimidating.
Even the arrogant Elliott subconsciously toned down his arrogance, stood up straight, and greeted him, "Headmaster Baran!"
That's right!
The man was Mia's husband, Headmaster Guy Baran, the one who should have died in the murder meticulously planned by Mia and Nicole!
"Disperse!"
Guy scanned the dormitory, glancing at his trembling wife with a half-smile before fixing his gaze on Chuck.
"Guy Baran, the headmaster of this school. May I ask who you are?"
"Chuck Wolfe."
Chuck replied. "I was hired by Mia to investigate your disappearance."
"Disappeared?"
Guy muttered with a half-smile, then chuckled, "I haven't disappeared. I've just been busy these past few days, out on business, and my phone broke, so I couldn't get in touch. I'm fine now. Can you tell me what happened here?"
"Headmaster..."
Seeing that the onlookers had left and Mia wasn't speaking up, Howard couldn't help but blurt out the story.
"Is that so?"
Guy's face darkened as he looked at Elliott.
Elliott was silent for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment.
"Solitary confinement, now!"
Guy said coldly.
Elliott glanced at him, then lowered his head and obediently left.
"I'll correct his behavior afterwards, double the punishment!"
Guy smiled at Chuck. "Any other questions?"
This startled Mia, who was still trembling with fear at the thought of her supposedly dead husband actually coming back to life.
Even Howard, who should have been happy about the school bully being punished, shuddered, his eyes pleading as he looked at Chuck.
He couldn't stand this place any longer.
"Yes."
Chuck nodded. "I'm taking him with me."
"Why?"
Headmaster Guy chuckled. "I've already said I'll correct Elliott's behavior; it's our school's responsibility.
Howard won't have to go through this again, I guarantee it!
Until his behavior is corrected, I can't let him go with you unless his mother comes in person."
"I've already contacted her. She's on her way."
Chuck said, glancing at Mia. "Besides asking me to investigate your disappearance, Mia also commissioned me to investigate the school's finances. That's what I'll be busy with next."
"I'm afraid I can't agree!"
Headmaster Guy's smile vanished: "I am the headmaster!"
"The school was originally inherited by Mia. She has the right to inquire about the accounts."
Chuck said calmly.
"Mia, are you sure?"
Headmaster Guy bypassed Chuck and stared at Mia.
"I..."
Mia trembled, glancing at her husband. She opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to deny it, but meeting Chuck's calm gaze, the words caught in her throat. She clutched her chest for a moment before struggling to speak: "Guy, if you give up the school, I won't investigate..."
"Your heart is much stronger than the doctor said."
Headmaster Guy said sarcastically. "And your courage too! I believe time will change your mind."
He then looked at Chuck: "If you want to investigate the accounts, follow the proper procedures!"
Mia watched her husband leave, her body going limp, almost unable to stand, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.
This simple exchange was no less traumatic than the previous time her husband and mistress had teamed up to frighten her.
"Go back and pack your things. You and your mother are leaving here soon!"
Chuck said to Howard Jr.
"Okay!"
Howard Jr., seeing that he had not only solved the biggest problem but could also leave immediately, became ecstatic and ran back to his dorm.
"He's really alive..."
Mia looked at Chuck with a sorrowful expression.
"Surprised?"
Chuck said calmly. "If you thought more about the oddities here, you wouldn't feel that way."
Mia followed Chuck out of the dorm and saw her husband, Guy, and his lover, Nicole, talking at the other end of the corridor. Noticing their gazes, they both looked over.
Nicole's expression was complicated, with a hint of apology.
Guy's face was gloomy, his eyes cold.
"What should I do?"
Mia avoided their gazes and looked at Chuck.
"Just like I said before, investigate him."
Chuck looked at her. "As long as you're determined, it's not difficult. He's not as powerful as you think."
"What about Nicole?"
Mia asked again.
"It's up to you!"
Chuck said. "Once you get control of the school back, you can do whatever you want with her. My advice is to fire her and stay far away from her. You're no match for her!"
"I can't stay here anymore."
Mia said, clutching her chest as she glanced at the adulterous couple at the end of the corridor.
"When Mrs. Wolowitz comes to take Howard away, we'll leave together."
Chuck looked at her. "If you don't have the courage to face them, I can find you a lawyer. You can entrust these matters to him and find a safe place to stay for now."
"Where is safe? What if Guy comes looking for me?"
Mia reached out and grabbed Chuck's arm.
At the end of the corridor, Guy and his mistress Nicole discussed their failed plan.
Guy had heard from the doctor that his wife Mia had a weak heart and was at risk of dying from a sudden heart attack. He then hatched the plan, and persuaded Nicole, Mia's close friend, to conspire with him to stage this twisted fake murder.
Unfortunately, Mia's heart was much stronger than anyone imagined.
The repeated shocks only caused her to faint, not actually stop beating.
For the past two days, he had been hiding in the castle, ready to scare his wife at any moment.
But when Chuck accompanied his wife back... He distanced himself from Nicole again, and after hearing Nicole mention the possibility of exposure, he simply came out.
After all, he had suffered quite a bit himself trying to scare Mia.
Just being submerged in water and breathing through a tube was enough to make him suffer, even catching a cold.
Seeing that the doctor's words were complete nonsense and wouldn't scare his wife with a heart condition to death, and considering other unforeseen circumstances, he couldn't be bothered to continue his once brilliant but now utterly foolish plan.
Then he saw Mia grabbing Chuck's arm, the distance and posture so similar to his current one with his lover Nicole, and he immediately couldn't hold back, walking over.
"Bitch!"
Guy expertly raised his hand to slap her.
Chuck immediately stopped him.
Guy tried to break free, finding he couldn't, and could only stare coldly at Mia, saying, "Come back now, and we can still talk things over properly. Otherwise, you'll regret it..."
At this point, as usual, he softened his tone, not being overly forceful: "You know you can't live without me. You enjoy my company, don't you?"
"No!"
Mia initially kept her head down, not daring to look at Guy, but hearing Guy say this at a time like this, she glanced up at Chuck and couldn't hold back any longer, loudly retorting, "I don't enjoy it at all!"
Who wants to be choked and experience near-suffocation during intimate moments?
Even if you tremble, it's not this kind of trembling!
"No! You're lying!"
Guy said confidently. "I know you enjoy it very much! You can't go without me for a whole night!"
"No, she's not lying."
Chuck blocked his view: "You're the one lying. You know in your heart that you're not some irresistibly charming person.
The sadistic methods you inflict only satisfy your own perverted desires. Saying these things is just self-deception.
You don't really think she's on your side, do you?
Just because you hit her every now and then, she's completely devoted to you and willing to commit serious crimes with you?
If not, then why is she cooperating with you so much?
Have you thought about that?
And if so, then you should think even more about whether someone with such a twisted mentality would submit to your fists.
What happens when one day you can't throw a punch anymore? What will happen to you then?"
Guy paused, instinctively turning to look at Nicole at the end of the corridor, who seemed to feel guilty and unable to face Mia, and thus didn't come over. Then, realizing he couldn't show weakness, he forcibly suppressed his surprise and sneered, "You don't need to try and provoke me. It's useless."
As he spoke, he looked at Mia: "It's the same thing I said at the hotel the other day: if you give up the school, I'll let you go and divorce you.
Otherwise, let's just keep going like this. I can only tell you, your heart might be able to withstand a moment's shock, but it absolutely cannot withstand endless shocks!
If this is the so-called enjoyment you're trying to give me, then I'll really enjoy it this time."
Mia glanced at Nicole at the end of the corridor, grabbed Chuck's arm, mustered her courage, and looked Guy straight in the eye: "I don't want to stop all night! And there's no need to stop!"
"You bitch!"
Guy understood the implication in Mia's words—'Men are a dime a dozen'—and flew into another rage. Unfortunately, this rage had no effect on Chuck.
If Dr. House were there, he would surely have said, 'You're lucky. Real men are hard to find, but you've caught one!'
Mia hid behind Chuck, not feeling the usual storm of anger. Her violent heartbeat gradually calmed. She gripped Chuck's arm with one hand and clutched the cross to her chest with the other, silently praying.
The tall Chuck completely blocked her short, tyrannical husband from view.
"God, you must have heard my prayers and sent me an angel..."
At that moment, a conversation incongruous with the atmosphere drifted over from afar.
"Say it again, why did you get kicked out?"
"I already told you, let Chuck tell you!"
"I know without him saying it. You must have done something shameful again, something even the reform school can't fix."
"Jesus, because I love you, I always tell others that your father left because of me, but we both know it wasn't just because of me, was it?"
"It's all because of me, are you satisfied now?!!!"
"Why are you yelling at me? I was just saying... not all of it, at most five percent. I'm five percent too, the other ninety percent is all your heartless father's fault! But now I think we can revise it to seventy-three percent, what do you think?"
"..."
(End of Chapter)
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