Chapter 176 Hero Saves the Day
Quentin popped up out of nowhere, and Audrey's face went white. She clung to Kevin 's arm, shaking. First fear, then pure disgust. The memory of Quentin assaulting her while she was drunk at home still haunted her. She thought after his scandal with those explicit photos, he'd lay low for a while. But here he was.
Quentin saw Audrey's reaction and turned to Kevin with a sneer. "Kevin , bringing your cousin to school so early? Looks like you two had a sleepover. How cozy."
His voice was loud enough to catch the attention of nearby teachers. Kevin knew Quentin was trying to smear their names. Audrey's face was pale with anger, tears welling up. Kevin shot back, "Mr. Rodriguez, Audrey's my cousin. Even if she stayed over, it's no big deal. Our family business isn't your concern. But I heard someone was streaking the other night. That's pretty twisted. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Mr. Rodriguez?"
"What crap are you talking about?" Quentin's face went from red to white. He remembered that humiliating night—knocked out, waking up naked at an intersection, tied to a lamppost, surrounded by early morning joggers gossiping about him. An old man finally took pity and untied him.
Quentin had to run home naked, humiliated, seen by countless onlookers. Luckily, he lived alone in a relative's house, so his parents didn't find out. But he caught a nasty cold from sleeping outside and got seriously sick. Then he found out his explicit photos were all over the internet. He took sick leave, trying to figure out who had ruined his plans that night. He couldn't think of anyone—Audrey's husband was away, and she was alone, which made him bold enough to attack her. But someone had stepped in, clearly holding a grudge.
Quentin planned to return to school once the scandal died down. But yesterday, he heard Principal Jones decided not to let him serve as head of the English Department for now. That freaked him out; he had worked hard to get that position through his uncle's influence. Now, he had no face left in the department. Rushing to school to confront Oliver, he saw Audrey and Kevin walking together, laughing. Suspecting Kevin might have been the one to sabotage him, he couldn't resist honking and confronting them, only to get sharply rebuked by Kevin . Seeing the mocking looks from the surrounding teachers, Quentin glared at Kevin before driving into the school.
"Ms. Johnson, you okay?" Kevin asked, worried. Audrey still looked pale. "Did you twist your ankle? Need to see the nurse?"
"No, I'm fine," Audrey shook her head, trying to stand tall but clearly uneasy. Since that night, she didn't know how to face Quentin. She despised him and didn't want to see him for even a second. His recent absence had been a relief, and she hoped the scandal would keep him away for good. Seeing him now, she feared everything would go back to the way it was. Trying not to worry Kevin , she forced a smile, "Go to your classroom. I'll be fine."
Seeing Audrey's determined look, Kevin let go of her arm, but he couldn't help glancing back as he walked to class. Quentin's return troubled him. He thought the previous lesson would scare Quentin off, but the guy seemed resilient, back to torment them. Kevin regretted not being harsher that night, wishing he had put Quentin in the hospital for a few months.
They should've called the cops that night. Quentin could've been charged with attempted rape. But Kevin knew it wasn't that simple. Audrey might not want to escalate things, fearing her reputation would take a hit even if Quentin got jailed. That's why she endured his harassment silently. Plus, in a small town with tangled relationships, Quentin's connections might lead the police to brush it off as a Youth disturbance.
Now that Quentin was back and still fixated on Audrey, Kevin needed a plan to keep him away. But he couldn't just beat him up again; that might land Kevin in trouble.
Lost in thought, Kevin was suddenly interrupted by a waft of perfume and a sultry figure blocking his path. He looked up to see Vanessa Wood smiling at him.
"Ms. Wood, what are you doing here?" Kevin asked, surprised.
Vanessa was dressed provocatively in a white spaghetti strap top that highlighted her cleavage and a denim skirt that barely covered her round, firm buttocks, her legs bare and inviting. The sight made Kevin 's heart race, and he felt a stirring in his pants.
Vanessa glanced at his crotch and smirked. "Waiting for you, of course. Kevin , you seem pretty close with your cousin. She seems to care about you a lot. Could it be she has feelings for you? Her husband's not home, and she must get lonely at night."
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