Chapter 603 A Frog in Boiling Water
Without a change in countenance, Elise sat back and silently texted Bloodthirsty Manor’s URL to Joseph, asking him to look into it.
After class ended, Elise caught up to Martin to ask him for a leave of absence. “Mr. Kamp, I’ve got something personal to deal with today, so I need to take a day off. Could you please write me a note of permission?”
Martin frowned impatiently. “Miss Sinclair, do you want to skip your lessons just days after joining the class? If you really have no intention of focusing on your studies, you should speak to the principal to withdraw from the Elite Class instead of dropping in and out of lessons in front of me!”
This lecturer must be bipolar or something. Never mind, I’m not gonna argue with a psychiatric patient, thought Elise. With this thought in mind, she tried her best to maintain her composure, saying, “You’ve got the wrong idea, Mr. Kamp. I really want to learn some stuff, but I had promised my friend a few months ago to be there today, and I think we should keep our promise. Don’t you think so, Mr. Kamp?”
“I don’t care whether you promised your friend a few months or a few years ago—whenever it was, it happened without my knowledge. I’m not your servant, and besides, what made you so certain so long ago that I’d definitely do as you say right now? What are you gonna do if I don’t allow you to have a leave of absence?” Martin looked as though he had nothing to lose and wasn’t afraid of the consequences.
“Well, in that case, I have no choice but to ask the principal for that.” After giving Martin a nod of acknowledgment, Elise turned around and headed toward the principal’s office.
Martin shouted at the top of his voice behind her, “Yeah, just go to the principal. You’re best at exercising your privilege, aren’t you?”
These words weren’t spoken with emphasis, but the sarcasm in them was so unmistakable that Martin might as well just say explicitly that Elise was nothing without the principal’s backing. Of course, by ‘privilege’, he wasn’t only referring to the principal but also to Kenneth.
Elise stopped in her tracks on the spot. She really had enough patience with Martin, but this man’s way of thinking was simply too much for anyone to put up with. He’s as small-minded as an ant despite him being an adult man. We aren’t enemies, but he keeps passing ill judgment on me. Does he really want that much to have a wicked person around him?
She took a deep breath and was just about to argue reasonably with Martin when someone spoke before she could. “Is that so? But I feel that the way you use your privilege puts everyone else to shame, Mr. Kamp.”
This voice… Could it be Alexander’s? Elise turned around, and sure enough, Alexander was walking up to them from the stairs nearby with his hands behind his back.
“Who are you?” Astounded, Martin staggered back half a step. “How did you get in here?!” I spoke to Mr. Haas last night to get the janitors to have an iron fence installed at the gate downstairs. Not only that, but they’re supposed to lock the gate and forbid anyone from going in and out of the building half an hour after class starts!
“Oh, you mean this?” Alexander pulled his hand out from behind his back to show the iron chain he was holding before throwing it at Martin’s feet. “I’ve cut it for you, though you don’t have to thank me for that.”
Martin was filled with rage when he looked down at the iron chain, which was broken into several pieces. Pointing at Alexander, he swore, “H-How dare you vandalize the school’s property! Stay where you are! I’m gonna call the security guards now!”
“Oh, don’t bother.” Alexander brushed the dust off his hands. Walking toward Elise, he said leisurely, “Just take a look downstairs. It was those security guards themselves who let me in.” Then, he took Elise’s hand and interlaced his fingers with hers right in front of Martin.
“You two…” Martin’s expression froze as he looked at the couple’s interlaced fingers. For a moment, he found himself at a loss for words.
“Is it illegal for us to hold hands, Mr. Kamp?” Alexander intentionally raised his and Elise’s clasped hands before them for display.
Martin let out a contemptuous sneer while looking at Elise with even greater disdain. I’ve really underestimated this girl. Not only does she make Kenneth fall head over heels in love with her, but she is also involved with another man, making the school a place for her to pick up men! As the anger went to his head, he finally came to his senses. Bending over the railing, he yelled at the security guards downstairs, “What are you guys waiting for? An outsider has broken into the Elite Class! Come over and chase him out of here!”
However, the head of security replied, “No, we can’t chase him away, Mr. Kamp! He’s the guardian of one of the students!”
“Her guardian?” Martin looked back at Alexander and Elise’s intimate interactions. In what way could he be considered a guardian? Obviously, they are a couple!
“Technically, I’m her legal guardian.” Alexander looked at Elise with tenderness and affection written all over his face. “I’m Elise’s husband, so I think I have the right to know how she’s doing at school.”
“You’re her husband?” Martin got even more confused. I’m not yet married, and yet my student is showing off her husband in front of me?
Alexander explained slowly, “Seems like you’re unclear about our country’s policies, Mr. Kamp. Undergraduates can register for marriage as long as they reach the legal age to marry, and they can get bonus credit for doing so. Well, it looks like you haven’t gotten the bonus credit awarded to my wife yet.”
“Whether your wife should get the bonus credit or not isn’t up to you.” As Martin found Elise an eyesore, he considered Alexander a pain in the *ss. “I’m only asking you why you forcibly broke in while I was giving lessons. Do you know you’d disrupt my teaching plan by doing so?”
“Broke in?” Alexander looked at him with a smirk. “Don’t you feel ashamed of using such words at school as a lecturer? Since when does a school building have to be chained up and armed like a prison? Are those inside the building your students or your prisoners, Mr. Kamp? Is it unreasonable of me to suspect that you’re not carrying out some teaching plan but are imprisoning the students to satisfy your desire for control?”
“That’s a trumped-up accusation!” Martin retorted. “The Elite Class is different from ordinary classes in the first place, and I have my own teaching methods. If you’re not satisfied with that, you can bring this up to the principal or talk to me, but you shouldn’t force your way in without permission like a thief!”
“Well, in that case, Mr. Kamp, I also have a question for you.” Alexander raised his voice all of a sudden. He said with a nonchalant air, “Did you get the students’ permission or ask for their parents’ opinion before sealing off the school building and having an additional iron gate installed without permission? Did all the students’ parents give you the right to treat their kids like prisoners?”
As Alexander spoke, he was gentle in tone and manner like a total gentleman, making it seem to an outsider that he and Martin were just having a normal conversation. However, only Martin knew how confrontational the man’s words were. He reduced Martin to silence in a tit-for-tat way akin to boiling a frog in hot water.
Amid the silence, the man wrapped his arm around Elise’s shoulders and continued coolly, “This will be your first and last time doing so, Mr. Kamp. I hope that if you come up with another brilliant ‘teaching plan’ in the future, you’ll learn to listen to other people’s opinions. Also, as Elise’s legal guardian, I’m aware and approve of all her plans for outings, so you don’t need to be sarcastic from now on.” With that, he pursed his lips politely and left with Elise without looking back.
