Chapter 120: Filthy Worms!
The receptionist blinked in surprise.
She had expected him to ask something personal about Sophie.
Instead, he was asking whether she was being treated well.
After a brief pause, she smiled gently.
"Teacher Kennedy is doing very well."
"Honestly, she’s one of the most popular teachers in the entire academy. Both the students and their parents adore her."
"She might be one of the students’ favorite teachers," a sarcastic voice interrupted, "but among the faculty, she’s easily the one we look down on the most."
A male instructor happened to be walking past the reception desk, a thick textbook tucked under one arm and a glass teapot in the other. Without slowing down, he casually tossed the remark toward Luca.
Luca Hale’s eyes narrowed.
He drew a slow breath, forcing himself to remain calm.
"And why is that?" he asked quietly.
"The reason?" The instructor stopped, turned around, and let out a mocking laugh. "Judging by how protective you sound, you must be another one of her admirers."
Luca studied him for a moment before nodding.
"I love Sophie."
"Then you’ve got no chance."
The man shrugged theatrically.
"Teacher Kennedy has herself a rich sugar daddy now. How could she possibly be interested in ordinary guys like us?"
He sneered.
"We liked each other back in college. I never thought she’d throw everything away for fifty thousand dollars."
His eyes swept over Luca dismissively.
"And if I couldn’t compete, someone like you definitely can’t. Save yourself the embarrassment."
He deliberately stressed the words "sugar daddy," making sure everyone nearby heard them.
Luca let out a quiet, icy chuckle.
He knew exactly where Sophie’s family’s fifty thousand dollars had come from.
Him.
If Sophie had truly been the sort of woman this man described, she would never have waited faithfully for Luca all these years.
Back then, a man going by Harvey Marcel had openly offered her fifty thousand dollars in exchange for herself.
She had rejected him without hesitation.
That alone was enough to expose every word coming out of this man’s mouth as a lie.
Not just a lie.
Deliberate slander.
"You mean..." Luca asked slowly, "...you and Sophie were together before?"
He rose from the sofa.
His hands hung calmly at his sides, but the veins along the backs of them stood out sharply beneath his skin.
His eyes had gone completely cold.
"That’s right."
The instructor smirked proudly, completely oblivious to the danger.
"We dated all through college. Almost every weekend we’d book a hotel together..."
He never finished the sentence.
Smack!
Luca’s hand flashed through the air.
The slap echoed across the entire lobby.
Before the instructor could even react, Luca drove a vicious kick into his stomach.
The man flew backward and crashed heavily onto the tiled floor.
The glass teapot slipped from his grasp, spinning through the air before exploding against the wall in a shower of shattered glass.
He cried out in pain, scrambling backward in panic.
He barely moved a meter before Luca was already on him.
Luca dropped one knee squarely onto his chest, pinning him to the ground with crushing force.
Then his hand came down again.
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
The slaps landed one after another.
Within seconds, the instructor’s face had swollen beyond recognition. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he whimpered helplessly.
"Stop!"
"What are you all standing there for?"
"Help Teacher James!"
The commotion sent several teachers and administrators rushing out from the offices.
They hurried forward, trying to pull Luca away.
An older woman wearing glasses and a tailored business suit stepped in front of him.
It was Principal Monica.
Her face was pale with anger.
"Sir!" she shouted. "Who do you think you are? Starting a violent assault inside an educational institution?"
"This academy is a place for teaching and nurturing young minds!"
She was furious.
Teacher James was one of her faculty members.
If she couldn’t even protect her own staff inside her own academy, what authority would she have left?
"Principal Monica!"
Teacher James spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor.
The sight of his principal emboldened him immediately.
"Call the police!"
"Arrest this thug!"
He pointed a trembling finger at Luca.
"You’re finished! I’ll make sure you spend years behind bars!"
"A place for teaching and nurturing young minds?"
Bang!
Luca slammed his palm onto the reception desk.
The impact shook the entire counter.
Decorations, pens, and office supplies rattled violently.
"What an incredible example of education."
His voice thundered through the lobby.
"You employ instructors who spread disgusting lies and destroy the reputation of their own colleagues."
He jabbed a finger toward James.
"And you’re telling me this academy nurtures students?"
His eyes burned with fury.
"I’ll bring an entire team of corporate lawyers here today."
He took another step forward.
"So tell me."
He locked eyes with James.
"Look me straight in the eye and tell me you didn’t slander Sophie Kennedy."
"Go on."
"I dare you."
The terrifying protectiveness in Luca’s voice caused James’s confidence to crumble.
Every word he’d spoken had been fabricated.
In truth, Sophie had never dated him.
He had pursued her relentlessly throughout college and continued pestering her after they both started working.
Every confession had been politely rejected.
More than a month ago, Sophie finally told him she already had a boyfriend.
That rejection had shattered his pride.
Knowing Sophie’s family was struggling financially, he’d convinced himself she’d found a wealthy benefactor.
Out of spite, he began spreading rumors around the academy, claiming she’d betrayed him for money.
When he saw Luca today, he’d intended to intimidate him with those same lies.
What he hadn’t expected...
...was that Luca would respond with overwhelming force.
Or that he cared this fiercely about Sophie’s dignity.
"W-Who are you?" James stammered.
Despite trying to sound defiant, his entire body was trembling.
"What right do you have to interfere between Sophie and me?"
Luca almost laughed.
Could someone really repeat a lie so many times that he eventually believed it himself?
He had no interest in arguing.
His fist shot forward.
Bang!
The punch smashed directly into James’s jaw.
Fresh blood poured from his nose.
Luca leaned down, his voice so cold it sent chills through everyone in the room.
"Listen carefully."
"I am Sophie Kennedy’s man."
"My name is Luca Hale."
His gaze bored into James.
"So tell me..."
"What exactly gives you the confidence to think you can challenge me?"
Principal Monica’s expression stiffened.
Her voice had noticeably lost its earlier confidence.
"Mr. Hale..."
"If you attack him again inside this academy..."
"...we’ll have no choice but to take immediate security measures."
Luca laughed.
It wasn’t loud.
It was the kind of laugh that made the entire room fall silent.
"Very well."
"Let’s see how that works out."
Without another word, he pulled out his phone and dialed Mason Reid.
The call connected after a single ring.
"Mason."
At that moment, Mason was presiding over a senior management meeting at the Stone Free Grand Hotel.
The instant he heard Luca’s tone, he raised a hand.
The conference room fell silent.
"Boss," Mason answered respectfully. "I’m listening."
At work, he always addressed Luca formally.
"Freeze every ongoing operation that isn’t safety-critical," Luca ordered calmly.
"I want every lawyer from the hotel’s legal department..."
"...and every senior member of our security team..."
"...at Crystal Gems Educational Academy immediately."
There wasn’t a trace of emotion in his voice.
"Understood."
Mason was already signaling his security chief.
"What about our guests and active contracts?"
"If today’s deployment inconveniences any guest," Luca replied, "don’t waste time explaining."
"Compensate them immediately."
"Five times whatever they paid."
"Understood."
"We’ll be there within ten minutes."
The call ended.
Luca lowered his phone and looked first at Principal Monica, whose expression had completely frozen, then at the trembling James lying on the floor.
"We’re going to settle this today."
His voice was quiet.
Calm.
Terrifying.
"Every last detail."
He adjusted the cuff of his Armani sleeve before looking down at James once more.
"Otherwise..."
"...where exactly am I supposed to put the reputation of the owner of the Stone Free Grand Hotel?"
His eyes turned icy.
"You think I’ll stand by while a pathetic worm slanders my woman inside her own workplace?"