With that glare...
The young girl finally noticed the tall, slender figure standing right beside Kiera and Holden.
The breathtakingly stunning face made the girl narrow her eyes instantly.
"Anna, what are you doing here?" A spark of joy finally returned to Isabella's eyes when she saw the newcomer.
This was Anna Vinton, the only daughter of the eldest Vinton son.
And she was also Isabella's most loyal, obedient sidekick.
Seeing Anna, the emotional breakdown Isabella had been teetering on finally subsided a little.
Anna linked their arms, acting incredibly affectionate. "The second I heard you were here, I rushed straight over from campus. I had to welcome the prettiest, sweetest girl in the world!"
Isabella was beautiful, and her personality—just like her image—was famously gentle. She always catered to Anna and kept her company.
Anna had always adored this older cousin she only got to see once every few years.
Now, seeing Isabella look at her like she was a literal savior filled Anna with a rush of heroic pride. She immediately narrowed her eyes and pulled Isabella protectively behind her.
"Don't worry, Isabella. As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone bully you!"
She said it as if she was warning their grandparents.
But her hostile glare was aimed directly at Serena.
She knew exactly who this woman was. It had to be that so-called biological daughter her aunt and uncle had recently found.
Serena Lancaster, or whatever her name was.
Anna had heard from Agnes, Isabella's childhood nanny, that before Serena was brought back to the Lancaster family, she had been living in some backwater town.
She supposedly knew nothing, yet fiercely competed with Isabella for everything.
And she was incredibly manipulative.
She was met with a barrage of baseless accusations.
The smile froze on her face.
Seeing this, Isabella quickly grabbed Anna's arm. "Anna, don't be like that. No one is bullying me. It's just my own clumsy words making my sister unhappy. It really is my fault..."
She made it sound like she was defending Serena, but her choked-up voice and red eyes painted a picture of someone suffering immense injustice.
This display of stoic suffering only fueled Anna's fury, stoking the fires of her self-righteous heroism.
She narrowed her eyes, raking a cold, judgmental look up and down Serena's body.
Seeing her unbranded, unrefined outfit, she immediately pegged her as a cheap country girl.
She looked utterly impoverished and tacky.
Anna let out a sharp scoff. "I know exactly who you are, Isabella. You're a certified genius who got into Marington College with top scores! You're even about to become the protégé of Mr. Harrison, a world-renowned icon! How could you possibly be clumsy with words? If you ask me, someone is just insanely jealous of your brilliance and twisting everything you say to make you look bad in front of our grandparents."

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