"What else could be done? My dad always believed that education shouldn’t be just about burying oneself in books. He was always afraid I’d be too narrow-minded, so from a young age, every vacation, he would find ways to take me out to see the world."
Sophia Fraser closed the menu and handed it to the waiter.
There was an inherent pride in her words.
Having grown up in a privileged environment and with broad horizons, she indeed had a certain sense of superiority.
The waiter took the menu and left.
In the private room, the atmosphere became subtly complex.
After a while, the waiter entered again, this time with wine.
The bottle was already opened, clearly decanted, and he poured it into each person’s glass one by one, then stuffed the cap back on and placed it aside before leaving the room.
Sophia Fraser was the first to pick up her wine glass and said to Chloe Grant, "Chloe, we’re genuinely apologizing for this dinner. I want to start by expressing my deep regret for the great harm caused to you by what happened with Lily Grant! We trusted her too much, which led to this situation. I know a few apologies mean nothing for the pain it caused you.
But... I still hope you understand, we sincerely don’t want to lose you as a friend!"
"Yes!" Zoe Graham also stood up, "I, Zoe Graham, declare today that in the future, you can ask anything of me, and I won’t utter a single complaint. I just hope you can let go... No, such harm can never be let go, but I hope... you can gradually forget. Whatever you want me to do, I will do it for you!"
Ava Woods held her wine glass, already in tears, "You all always said I was foolish, and I never admitted it, but now I really do feel utterly foolish! When I wanted to do that thing before, Sophia and Zoe kept telling me not to, but I insisted... Chloe, I’m truly sorry to you!"
She wept bitterly, left her seat, and began to bow to Chloe Grant, "I’m sorry, Chloe! I really didn’t mean to, I’ve been dreaming every night these past few days, I’m sorry... I’ll do anything you want, please forgive me... I’m sorry..."
Chloe Grant hurriedly stood up, wanting to help Ava Woods up, but she refused to rise.
"This is our fault!" Sophia Fraser said, "But an apology isn’t just a few words. I’ll drink this glass, and I, Sophia Fraser, promise here that if you, Chloe Grant, have any trouble in the future and I’m not the first to help you solve it, then may I die a terrible death!"
With that, Sophia Fraser downed her glass in one go!
"Me too!" Zoe Graham did the same.
At this moment, Ava Woods looked up, also tilted her head back, and drank the wine mixed with her tears, which choked her terribly.
Chloe Grant’s eyes were visibly red; she shook her head, holding back her tears.
"Actually, you don’t have to do this. The matter with Lily Grant... is a bitter fruit I sowed myself."
It was she who announced to the world that Lily Grant represented her, and everything Lily said about her must have been true.
Lily Grant was inseparable from her.
Moreover, the boundaries in their dormitory had always been broad. Sometimes Chloe Grant would also speak carelessly and often said things like: if you meet someone you like, just go for it, why wait—say you slept with them later!
So, now all of this was the bitter fruit she had reaped.
Chloe Grant wasn’t someone who blamed others for everything when something happened, pushing all responsibility onto others.
Of course, she used to be that kind of person.
Whenever something went wrong, she felt it was always someone else’s fault, but later on...