Chapter 19
Eleanor figured it was better to let the results speak for themselves than to waste her breath arguing. When the scores came out, she’d make sure to prove everyone wrong with cold, hard facts.
Andrew, ever protective, respected her decision to handle things her own way. But that didn’t stop him from repeatedly telling her that if she couldn’t resolve it, he’d hire the top lawyers and the best legal team in town to make sure whoever was behind the rumors ended up behind bars for a few days.
Eleanor rolled her eyes. If he knew it was his other sister, Gloria, behind all this, he wouldn’t be so eager to throw someone in jail, she thought to herself.
To her surprise, when the exam day finally came, Eleanor found herself face–to–face with Gloria. Her mood instantly darkened. Of course, it had to be her. Like a shadow, I can’t shake off
Gloria, as if nothing had happened, waved cheerfully the moment she saw Eleanor enter the exam hall with her pen, her voice bright and annoyingly sweet. “Eleanor. Wow, we’re in the same exam room? What a coincidence. It’s like fate, right?”
Her voice, sing–songy and clear, immediately drew everyone’s attention. Eleanor raised an eyebrow but didn’t let the stares faze her. With a cool, collected demeanor, she calmly made her way to her seat, radiating an air of unbothered grace.
After all, she’d been an award–winning actress in her past life. She’d seen far worse situations and handled much sharper gazes than this. Gloria’s little spectacle didn’t even scratch the surface.
Still, Gloria wasn’t one to give up so easily. She scooted closer, her smile as fake as ever. “Eleanor, I heard all about that mess on the school forum. Don’t worry, I don’t believe you cheated. I know your grades weren’t great before, but with all the effort you’ve put in these past few days, I’m sure you’ll do much better this time.”
Her words dripped with faux concern, but the jab was obvious. Gloria was subtly reminding everyone that Eleanor had been struggling academically and now she was merely cramming for the sake of it.
Eleanor crossed her arms, letting her gaze sweep over Gloria from head to toe before she spoke, her voice cold as ice, “No matter how bad my grades were, I still made it into Class A But you Didn’t you offer to tutor me? Funny how you’re still stuck in the bottom exam room.
The color drained from Gloria’s face as if she’d swallowed something foul. The insult hit hard.
At Aloria High School, the exam rooms were arranged by rank. This place was full of geniuses. Gloria had barely scraped her way into the school, and despite her best efforts, she hadn’t managed to climb higher, always lingering near the bottom. Eleanor’s words were like salt in a wound
Before Gloria could muster a response, her loyal friend Janet, unable to stand seeing her friend humiliated, shot up from her seat, bristling with anger. “Gloria was just being nice to you. Do you have to be so nasty?
“And for the record, Gloria scored way higher than you when she first got into this school. You barely made it in with six- hundred points. What gives you the right to criticize her?”
Eleanor clicked her tongue in annoyance, thinking. Ah, the heroine of the novel, always surrounded by a brainless flock of defenders, no matter where she goes.”
Out loud, she calmly responded, “Were you there when I scored six hundred? How are you so sure that’s all I’m capable of?”
Janet’s face twisted with frustration as she gritted her teeth. “Your teacher, Miss Mille, said it herself. Are you calling her a hart
Eleanor let out a cold laugh. “She also said she’d kick me out of Class A But look at me. I’m still here. Her words aren’t exactly gospel, now are they?”
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Chapter 19
“You…You’re just full of it Let’s see what you have to say once the exam results are out. Janet was practically shaking with rage. If it weren’t for the fact that they were in an exam hall, she probably would’ve lunged at Eleanor by now.
But Eleanor, in contrast, was in an unexpectedly good mood. After all, she had been staying up late studying for days, and the stress had left her irritable. Now, these girls had walked right into her line of fire, giving her the perfect outlet for her pent–up frustration. They really don’t know when to quit, do they?” she mused, barely suppressing a grin.
Eleanor tilted her head, watching Janet stomp around like a child. Her crimson lips curled into a mischievous smile, her eyes glinting with a dark amusement behind her oversized glasses. “Alright, Janet, she purred. “If I score seven hundred points, or even higher, what will you two do?”
Janet, quick to rise to the challenge, shot back almost immediately. Then Gloria and I will bow and apologize to you in front of the entire school.” Her voice was sharp with determination, as if she feared Eleanor would back out.
She then added with a smirk. “But if you can’t hit that score, you have to take off those ridiculous glasses, tie your hair up. and run laps around the field, calling yourself an idiot. Then, you can pack your stuff and leave Aloria High School for good.”
Eleanor met her gaze head–on. “Deal. It’s a promise.”
Gloria, silent during their heated exchange, felt her expression falter for just a moment. She roared internally, thinking. That idiot Janet, letting Eleanor manipulate her so easily. One little nudge and she’s jumped right into Eleanor’s trap. And why drag me into this mess?
But then, her eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction. But seven hundred points? There’s no way Eleanor could suddenly pull that off in just two days of cramming. Even if I have to apologize, it’s no big deal.
But if Eleanor loses! She’ll be kicked out of Aloria High School, and I’ll finally get to see what she really looks like behind those bangs. I’ve been curious for so long. She must be hideous since she’s gone to such lengths to cover her face up!
Gloria, now
wamused at the thought, let a tiny smile creep across her lips. She liked this bet more and more.
Eleanor, meanwhile, caught the barely concealed unirk though Cloria masked her emotions and thoughts with a practiced finesse. After all her years as a celebrated actress, Eleanor had mastered the art of reading people, and Gloria’s thoughts were plain as day. Eleanor chuckled softly to herself. “We’ll see who get the last laugh
The first exam was English Language Arts, the subject Eleanor had been dreading the most. But after pulling all–nighters. and drilling vocabulary into her brain, she found herself breezing through the questions. She scribbled down the final word of her essay, then leaned back and exhaled deeply.
‘One down, she thought. With English out of the way, the rest was smooth sailing. Math, Physics, and Spanish were subjects that barely required her to exert effort.
Sure enough, when it came time for the physics exam, Eleanor was done within an hour. She stood up and confidently walked to the front, handing in her paper well before anyone else. The room buzzed with quiet disbelief.
During the university admissions testing, students typically had to stick around until the last half hour before turning in their papers. But Aloria High School had its own set of rules about this. The mock exams here were notorious for their difficulty. Just completing them was a feat in itself, let alone finishing early.
However, today was different. The fact that Eleanor had finished to quickly broke this unspoken rule.
The invigilator stared blankly at her as she walked out of the room, gripping her test in confusion. By the time he registered what had just happened, she was already long gone, striding out like a conqueror who had just claimed her victory.
Did she just hand in a blank paper? he wondered, flipping through her work. His eyes widened–every question had been answered, every step detailed with precision. He blinked a few times, dumbfounded.
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Chapter 19
Across the room, Gloria hadn’t even finished the first page when she caught sight of Eleanor leaving. Her pen slipped in her hand as she gawked in disbelief. ‘How did she finish so fast?
Gloria’s gaze darted to the pristine sheet of scratch paper beside Eleanor’s desk. It was spotless, devoid of any scrawl or chaotic scribbles. She let out a small snicker. ‘She must’ve handed in a blank exam. No way she could’ve solved everything without even working out the math on paper.”
The image of a hideous woman–ugly enough to make anyone cringe–stood in her mind, standing in front of the whole school, berating herself for being a fool. That thought was too amusing for her to resist, and she burst out laughing, the sound bubbling up like a sudden burst of joy.
“Shah.” The invigilator’s stern voice cut through the air. “Focus on your test. Any more noise and I’ll have to take action.”
Gloria quickly stifled her laughter, but the satisfied grin on her face remained.
Meanwhile, in Class A. Felix had just finished the first question of the final section when he saw a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. His hand froze over the paper as he glanced around, trying
