Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1045

After all, Bella's mother had been forced to livestream a humiliating public apology to Lillian for an entire month. The internet hadn't forgotten that.

Starting a fight with Lillian today meant making an enemy of the entire university, and Bella wasn't foolish enough to risk that kind of backlash.

She was only here for Sebastian. She could tolerate watching Lillian bask in the spotlight, but she absolutely refused to let Sebastian publicly crawl back to her.

She had to prevent him from declaring his love, and she desperately needed to keep the reality of their past secret marriage hidden.

This was a matter of survival for Bella.

Lillian already had too much. She had the money, the fame, the genius.

Why did everything good have to belong to her?

Bella couldn't accept this reality.

As Lillian spoke, Bella's manic eyes darted between the stage and the shadowy second-floor balcony where Sebastian stood.

Finally, the speech transitioned into a Q&A session. Bella's heart raced as she aggressively pushed her way forward, desperate to grab the roaming microphone.

Several students asked brilliant technical questions, which Lillian answered with ease.

Inevitably, the topic shifted to her personal life. Lillian handled it gracefully, offering lighthearted responses.

"Ms. Mercer, you're gorgeous! Your future kids with your partner are going to be stunning. Do you plan on pushing them to attend St. Kingsley too?"

Up on the balcony, Sebastian completely filtered out the word 'partner' and inserted himself into the fantasy, picturing his son, Noah.

Yes, once he brought Noah back home, he would definitely groom him to attend St. Kingsley.

It would be a beautiful legacy—both parents and the son graduating from the same elite institution.

She hadn't walked a normal path, so she couldn't give them a normal answer.

Some things simply couldn't be achieved purely through hard work.

For most people, it was an impossible standard.

Lillian was purely fueled by raw talent, a brilliance she had displayed early on, which propelled her to her current heights.

Even Nathan Cole, who was brilliant in his own right, could never replicate Lillian's sheer genius, even if he had stayed in tech rather than pivoting to management.

The microphone was passed around the room until, suddenly, it landed squarely in Bella's hand.

A twisted, sinister smirk crawled across Bella's face as she slowly tilted her head up and locked eyes with the second-floor balcony...