Chapter 86

Dylan just smirked and kept quiet. He knew exactly what was running through Simon's mind. Without Alice, Simon wouldn't even bother with this nonsense! Every time they ended up at the police station, it was always because of Alice!

"Where's Alice?" David asked.

Simon pointed inside. "She's in there, getting questioned alone."

Inside the interrogation room, the officer questioning Alice was already pretty familiar with her. He tapped his pen on the table, looking exasperated. "Just tell me, hitting someone is one thing, hitting their face, I get it, but you hit their..." The officer hesitated, "Now they're in the hospital, saying it might have long-term effects, and they're planning to sue you!"

Alice leaned back in her chair, looking unfazed. "Isn't that a good thing? Now they can't hurt other girls. I'm basically a hero; you should be thanking me."

The officer chuckled, "Thank you? You know what? You were doing a good deed, and the police station was ready to commend you. But now, because of this mess, a good deed turned bad, and you might get sued. Should I still thank you?"

Alice was speechless.

"Alright." The officer closed his notebook and stood up. "I'll contact your guardian. You wait outside."

Alice quickly stood up. "I'm already 19; you don't need to call my guardian!"

"No way." The officer insisted, "You're still a student; we have to notify your guardian."

At that moment, the door of the interrogation room opened, and a female officer led a scared Ophelia out. Seeing Alice, Ophelia immediately ran over and grabbed her hand, tears she had been holding back started to flow again. Ophelia said, "Thank you."

Alice gently patted Ophelia's shoulder, and the two walked out together.

Dylan was chewing out Simon when he noticed Alice coming out. He shouted, "David, Alice is out. Come and get her."

Hearing this, both Alice and Ophelia were stunned. Alice glanced at her arm, goosebumps rising. Then, the sound of leather shoes hitting the floor approached, and she tensed up, looking up.

David walked in, his eyes locking onto Alice, narrowing slightly, "Come here."

Alice swallowed, glancing at Simon for help. Simon noticed her plea but was immediately silenced by Dylan, who pressed his head down and warned in a low voice, "Why are you so concerned about others people's matters? Behave yourself! I'm very angry right now; don't make me deal with you when we get back!"

Alice cursed Simon for being disloyal silently and was about to pull her hand away when Ophelia let go first and walked towards David.

"Hello!" Ophelia bowed deeply. "I'm Ophelia, Alice's classmate. Thanks to her, I'm fine today. Please don't blame her!"

David glanced at Ophelia and responded lightly, "Alright, I won't blame her."

With David's assurance, Alice mustered the courage to step forward.

David pulled her close, tidied her hair, and quickly scanned her for injuries. Fortunately, he found none. Should he feel relieved? His eyes sharpened, and he pinched the back of Alice's neck. She instinctively shrank back.

David asked, "Tell me, should I praise you for coming out unscathed this time?"

Alice pressed her lips together, staying silent.

David kept going, "The scar on your leg hasn't even healed, and you've already forgotten the lesson?" He was fuming. "Why do you always have to be so tough? Do I need to sign you up for some training classes to improve your skills?"

Alice pouted, her face turning red from being scolded in front of everyone. She shot back, "Didn't you just say you wouldn't be mad at me?"

David replied, "I'm not mad at you; I'm trying to help you. Do you think I'm mad at you?"

Alice didn't dare admit it and quickly shook her head, putting on a repentant look that showed she knew her mistake and would never repeat it.

David was all too familiar with this expression. Seeing Alice hesitate to speak, he already guessed what she wanted to say.

David said, "Alright, I'll deal with you at home. Go sit over there."

Alice sat down, and Ophelia, looking at David's back, took a long time to look away. She smiled at Alice. "I'm really envious of you."

Alice looked up, puzzled. "Envious of what?"

Ophelia looked at David again and said slowly, "Envious of having a family member who cares so much about you. He really treats you well."

Hearing this, Alice realized she had never seen Ophelia's family. Just as she was about to ask, Ophelia answered her unspoken question, "My parents dote on my brother. At first, they didn't even plan to let me go to college. It was only after I worked during the holidays to earn my tuition that they reluctantly agreed to let me go."

She sat beside Alice, clutching her pants, her head down, voice choked with tears, "After paying my tuition, I only had a few dozen dollars left. Because I had to work, I couldn't live on campus, and Clara kept bullying me. At that time, I really felt like I couldn't live a life anymore."

Ophelia turned to Alice, forcing a smile through her tears. "So, I'm really grateful you saved me back then."

Alice looked at Ophelia's tearful yet forced smile, and tears welled up in her own eyes. Ophelia quickly wiped them away and stood up. "I've already explained everything to the police. I'm really sorry for troubling you so often."

"It's okay." Alice said, waving her hand dismissively. Just then, David walked in, nodding slightly at Ophelia with a friendly expression. But when he turned to Alice, the last trace of a smile vanished. Alice inwardly smiled bitterly.

David said, "Let's go."

On the other side, Dylan had already taken Simon out of the police station. He pulled Simon's ear and scolded him, angrily warning that if it happened again, he would send him abroad with a plane ticket and not let him sneak back.

Simon hung his head, sincerely apologizing to Dylan and swearing not to repeat his mistakes. His eyes were teary and he was covering his burning ear, feeling utterly wronged.

David leaned against the car, his eyes fixed on Alice, not saying a word, just staring, making her feel a chill and immense pressure.

Alice, like a child who had done something wrong, stood in front of David, looking around but not daring to meet his gaze.

After a long standoff, David suddenly reached out and ruffled her hair, his voice low with a hint of pride. "Saving someone is a good thing; I won't blame you. But if Simon hadn't helped this time, you couldn't have handled three people alone. What if you were taken away too? Did you think about that?"