Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO novel Chapter 1727

She remained entirely silent, her eyes completely devoid of pity. In the end, the judge delivered the verdict right then and there. The two female classmates who had plotted to drug her were found guilty of deceiving another person into consuming narcotics and attempted indecent assault. Given the concrete evidence and the malicious nature of their actions, they were sentenced to two years in prison and fined. The male classmates who had participated in forcing her to drink and harboring ill intentions were classified as accomplices, receiving sentences ranging from six months to a year of imprisonment or criminal detention. Even the bystanders who had coldly watched without intervening were subjected to severe courtroom reprimands and heavy fines. As the sentences were read, wails of despair filled the defendant's box.

Once the trial concluded, Sylvia picked up her bag and walked out of the courthouse in her high heels, never once looking back. The chilling wind, laced with the bite of lingering snow, rushed against her face. She had barely stepped down the stairs when the chaotic sound of footsteps echoed behind her. Several of the classmates who had merely paid their fines and been released chased after her with red, furious eyes.

"Are you satisfied now, Sylvia?" one female classmate screamed hysterically, pointing at her back. "You ruined all of us, are you happy? No wonder your own parents do not like you, even though you are the young lady of a wealthy family! A cold blooded, heartless woman like you deserves to be unloved! You are a monster, and no one in this lifetime will ever truly love you!"

Sylvia's footsteps stopped abruptly, and her spine stiffened in that very instant. Just as the group prepared to continue their vicious tirade, a tall figure blocked Sylvia from view. Steve strode over, firmly grabbing Sylvia's slightly trembling wrist. Turning his head, he swept a dark, menacing glare over the crowd. His look was so deadly it terrified the classmates into instant silence, causing them to instinctively stumble back a few steps. Ignoring them, Steve looked down at Sylvia, who was frozen beside him.

"They are just a bunch of pathetic clowns spewing nonsense because they are backed into a corner," he said, frowning slightly as he tightened his grip and pulled her closer to his side. "You did not actually take that garbage to heart, did you?"

Sylvia did not stay in Seaview any longer. She booked the earliest flight that same day and flew directly back to the Capital. However, after being back for two days, she did not immediately return to the office to resume work. Instead, she visited a discreet, high end psychological counseling clinic in the heart of the city. Ever since that incident in Seaview, she had not experienced a single full night of sleep, suffering through endless nights of insomnia instead. Her heart constantly raced out of control, palpitating wildly as if she were suspended in midair with nowhere to land. Her mood had also deteriorated drastically, fluctuating between calm hydration one second and a violent urge to smash her glass against the wall the next.

She originally assumed it was just because her memories tied to Seaview were too disgusting. She had convinced herself that everything would return to normal once she escaped that place and returned to her familiar life in the Capital, stepping back into the comfort zone where she controlled everything. But upon her return, her condition did not improve at all. In fact, it had grown far worse.