Chapter 72 Essence of Loyalty
Upon hearing James's question, Ashley trembled, she opened her mouth but was unable to utter a word. She had no idea how to respond to James's query.
The classmates, hearing James's audacious request for Ashley to testify on his behalf, burst into mocking laughter with disdain on their faces. Nobody could believe James would act this foolishly. It seemed utterly absurd to ask Ashley to vouch for him considering his earlier slander about her.
It was like he had a death wish!
Feeling intense regret upon hearing James's request, Ashley pondered over why she had taunted James in the first place. If it were not for her ridicule, James wouldn't have revealed this matter. Had James kept quiet, Elbert and the others wouldn't have been so incensed and confrontational.
Now, James was asking her to admit in front of the entire class that she had willingly undressed herself and tried to sleep with him.
If she confessed to this, she’d never be able to show her face again.
As everyone’s eyes were fixed on her, waiting for her response, Ashley was torn, unsure whether to admit the truth.
Ashley remained seated, biting her lip and refusing to speak, much to the bewilderment of her classmates.
"Ashley, why are you hesitating? Just shake your head, and Michael and the others will surely make James apologize on his knees!" Seeing Ashley’s silence, Jennifer urged.
In truth, neither Jennifer nor Michael was trying to help Ashley—they were merely driven by a grudge from the incident at Moonlight Garden.
"I..." Ashley trailed off, about to speak after a moment of hesitation.
"Ashley, I advise you not to lie. Otherwise, I will bring Kevin and his friends to have a chat with you again. I can't guarantee what will happen then!" James suddenly said in a cold voice.
Ashley's face turned pale with terror. She turned to Elbert and the others, pleading, "Let James go; I don't need his apology."
Her hesitation was due to the same fear. If she lied and claimed that James was fabricating the story, James could easily bring Kevin to deal with her. The consequences could be unimaginable for Ashley if James brought Kevin into the equation.
The classroom was stunned into silence by Ashley's words. Their faces were filled with disbelief, not expecting this at all.
Everyone knew what her statement implied.
Although Ashley didn't outright admit it, her words were tantamount to a confession.
"Ashley, are you out of your mind? Do you really want James to leave?" Elbert's eyes widened as he trembled slightly in disbelief.
Michael and Jennifer shared the same incredulous look, unable to comprehend Ashley's response.
"Yes, let James go!" Tears streaming down her face, Ashley nodded firmly, her heart heavy with reluctance. But it was her only choice.
"No, you can't let him go. Why are you allowing him to leave after his insult? James must have threatened you, right? Is that why you're doing this?" Elbert, unable to believe the situation, hurried over to Ashley, his tone fraught with emotion.
"Yes, Ashley, did James threaten you? There’s no way you would have willingly slept with him! " Jennifer, unable to accept Ashley's response either, asked softly, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Can you all just stop asking! Let James go!" Faced with the intense scrutiny, Ashley just wanted it to be over and not further embarrass herself in front of the class.
With all eyes on her, the more she explained, the more embarrassed she felt.
"Ashley, tell me this isn't true! You couldn't possibly have willingly slept with someone like James!" Elbert, unable to accept the truth, shouted in frustration.
Upon hearing Elbert's words, Ashley's face turned icy. She slapped him hard and angrily said, "I never said I wanted to sleep with James. You watch your mouth."
Filled with anger, Ashley directed her pent-up frustration towards Elbert and slapped him. Although this whole mess started due to her relentless taunting of James, but Ashley held Elbert partly responsible for prolonging the confrontation and escalating the matter.
The classroom fell into a stunned silence again by Ashley’s slap. Nobody expected this turn of events. After all, it was Elbert who had been defending her honor, while James was the one who slandered her.
James found the situation somewhat amusing.
Just as everyone thought Elbert would be angry, he instead chuckled foolishly and turned to Ashley, asking, "Ashley, are you saying you never willingly slept with James? Nothing happened between you two, right? "
The crowd was left speechless by Elbert’s response. Elbert had taken his loyalty to the extreme, still concerned about whether Ashley slept with James under such circumstances.
James, uninterested in continuing the confrontation, simply walked out of the classroom. Donna, Paul, and Tyler followed him.
The students watched them leave with complex expressions.
As soon as he left the classroom, James's phone rang. Seeing it was Terry calling, he didn’t answer because Donna, Paul, and Tyler were still nearby.
Soon he got a text: "James, I have some news regarding the two individuals you asked me to investigate yesterday. I am waiting for you at the University of Lumina's entrance."
Seeing the message, James smiled. After all, he believed that revealing the identity of Rex was his top priority now.
