Mayor Appeared

In the eyes of the ordinary, this was Tim. In reality, Tim was a man who trod the line between the righteous and the notorious, dealing with cases that many would shy away from, as no one else dared to take them. Even the mafia leaders in the underground world would respectfully greet him as Mr. Babbitt and send him gifts on special occasions. Moreover, people were wary of Tim, mainly because his personal background was a mysteriously powerful entity. Rumor had it that he was the heir to a powerful underworld figure, with his father being the boss of the largest mafia organization in Southeast Land. Of course, whether this was true or not was unknown to the public. There had been a murder case handled by Tim. The family of the victim wanted to dig into his background, but not only did they fail, they also ended up in trouble. "A Unknown friend?" Upon hearing this, Tim paused momentarily, raising his eyes. "Grey?" Friend of Grey? Why did the voice sound so young? Grey was not a real name. As nobody knew Grey's actual name and mentioning it was inconvenient due to his identity, over time, this moniker came to be commonly used. Addressing Grey's friend, Tim didn't dare to be negligent. "Where are you? Domestically or abroad? I will arrange for someone to be there immediately." Valentina said, "River District, Mapleville." "I happened to be here on business the day before yesterday and was about to leave. Tell me your exact location, and I will head to you immediately. Meanwhile, send me the relevant information, and I can get a grasp of the situation on the way." "Lakeside Elite. No information available." Valentina gave a quick glance at the school leaders present whose faces were full of worry and lightly said, "I am with the defendants." Lakeside Elite? A school? Defendants? "If you can't ensure your own physical safety, I can send additional people over," he offered. Being a professional, let alone the fact that the other person was Grey's friend, Tim couldn't imagine that his client was actually facing several school administrators who were completely non-aggressive and non-threatening. Valentina said, "No need." Tim said, "First, tell me the specifics." Valentina nonchalantly replied, "Defamation, slander, threats, harm to personal reputation. I'm the plaintiff, while the defendants are the school leaders of Lakeside Elite." Tim was stunned. This was the first time Tim had taken on such a case. These minor cases that wouldn't even reach his law firm, and Tim would never handle himself. Yet, the person on the other side was Grey's friend. "Alright, remember to ensure your own safety and avoid unnecessary disputes with them before I arrive. You have the right to remain silent." Tim glanced at his watch. "I will be there as quickly as possible, within forty-five minutes." He then urged his assistant to drive faster. "Valentina, have you gone mad yet? I think you've been watching too many underworld movies, and you've gone crazy!" The homeroom teacher looked at Valentina as if she were insane, thinking either she'd hit her head last time or she'd driven herself mad due to her melancholic demeanor, mimicking movie plotlines. "Bringing a mobile phone to school, you clearly disregard the school rules. This time, I must have a serious talk with your parents," the homeroom teacher advanced again trying to seize the phone. Without wasting energy, Valentina caught the incoming hand, twisting it. The sudden sharp pain elicited a cry from the teacher. Everyone present was taken aback. "What on earth are you doing, Valentina? Are you intending to hit your teacher? Release him immediately! You're just being downright lawless." The math teacher spoke up. With a shove, Valentina pushed him away. "From now on we are plaintiff and defendants. Drop your school leadership attitudes and calmly wait for the lawyer to arrive; then all will be peaceful." It seemed like a reminder, but was in fact a warning. The homeroom teacher stumbled back a few steps, turning around to look at Valentina, unable to contain his anger. "Valentina, I think you've gone mad." Everyone thought Valentina had gone crazy. "You have the choice to call the police, or I can do it for you." Saying this, Valentina directly dialed 911 in front of them. After the phone call just now, nobody believed the person on the line was really a lawyer, nor did they believe that Valentina could actually get someone to come. However, this call was very real. A police officer showing up at the school? That was no small matter. Hearing that the police were to be dispatched, the principal's face turned sour immediately. He stood up from his desk. "If you keep causing trouble, do you believe I will expel you?" He then ordered the homeroom teacher, "Mr. Motley, call her parents immediately." However, before the homeroom teacher could contact Valentina's parents, an unexpected guest arrived at the principal's office. The door to the principal's office was not closed and the man walked in as if he had wind under his feet. "So many people here? What kind of meeting is this?" When the principal looked up, his expression changed again. He scrambled from his desk, even more excited than if he were meeting his own father. "Oh, Mr. Howard, how come you are here?" He almost ran to shake hands with Rory. Unexpectedly, Rory didn't even take his hand. Like a gust of wind, he bypassed him and quickly walked towards Valentina. "Miss Ricardo." Valentina looked at Rory who had a sunflower-like smile on his face as he whirled around to her, and he reached out both hands towards her. She just took a slight downward glance at him, and didn't shake hands with him. Rory didn't mind and retracted his hand. The smile on his face was even brighter. He introduced himself to Valentina, "Miss Ricardo, I am Rory Howard, the mayor of Mapleville." Valentina was in a bad mood. She just glanced at him and didn't pay much attention. The sudden arrival of Rory surprised everyone. Before they could greet him, they were all stunned by Rory's near word of flattery "Miss Ricardo". Then Rory's attitude towards Valentina even made them wide-eyed and greatly shocked. They weren't clear about the situation at all. “Rory, do... do you know her?" The principal had a bad feeling about it. He felt a droop in his heart and got a bit panicked. Rory said, "Miss Ricardo is a guest of honor of my family." The principal was stunned, and his mind buzzed. "What?" The headteacher said, "Valentina? Mr. Howard, are you joking with us? Valentina lives in the old city area, and her parents are farmers. How can she be..." Rory frowned slightly and said a little bit unhappily, "How could I make a mistake? I'm not so old that I would mistake someone." "I... I didn't mean that, but she..." The headteacher was startled and hurriedly explained. He looked at Valentina incredulously. The principal responded quickly and hurriedly changed the subject. "Mr. Howard... What brings you to our school all of a sudden? Feel free to instruct us. We will definitely do a good job." Rory coughed once, not forgetting his identity, "The SAT is soon, so I came to care about the students who are about to take the test." The principal immediately started flattering, "Mapleville is truly fortunate to have you. Our students would be overjoyed if they knew." Rory ignored his sycophantic words. "When I just came in, I heard that you're expelling Miss Ricardo." Rory pointed to the authorities who seemed to be conducting a trial, "What's wrong? Has Miss Ricardo committed some serious offense?" The school leaders to whom he pointed hung their heads and pulled back. The principal hurried to say, "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding." "Yes, indeed, it's all a misunderstanding..." The math teacher repeatedly agreed, nervously swallowing back his saliva. "Humph," Valentina let out a cold laugh. Rory immediately frowned.