Chapter
Lucille had always had high hopes for Leila, one of the top five students in her class. With the SATS around the , she was counting on Leila to ace the tests and bolster the schoolâs academic reputation.
But when the likes of Yates and his showed up, Lucille instantly lost her nerve and clammed up. daring to utter another word.
not
Latham, on the other hand, furrowed his brow and confronted them, âYates what are you doing here instead of being in class?â
, arms crossed and with an impatient glance at Merry, responded, âHeard someoneâs been badâmouthing our Flame Union. Just wanted to see whoâs got the guts.â
His gaze shifted to Leila, who shivered the moment their eyes met.
She was confused. Wasnât it rumored that Cordelia had taken over as the head honcho of Flame Union? Yates should be holding a grudge, so why was he sticking up for Merry?
As Yatesâ gaze unintentionally brushed past Cordelia, he fixed his eyes on Lucille, âSince Leila is fessed up, how do you plan on punishing her?â
Before Lucille could respond, Paulina stepped forward, âThis little mixâup? Letâs just settle it with ten times the dues for the class fund
Yates, however, tilted his chin up slightly. âTheft and slander are two offenses⦠Hmm, by the schoolâs code of conduct, thatâs grounds for major disciplinary action. Donât worry, Ms. Lucille, Iâll take it up with the vice principal.â
Every high school has its rules. No dyed hair, for instance. But Yates and his Flame Union seemed to strut around Greenmeadow International School with impunity, mainly because one of the schoolâs trustees was none other than Hackett, his grandpa!
After laying down the law, Yates stepped aside, âLia, shall we?â
Cordelia, who had been the sole eyewitness, had spent the entire period in the office, missing her class. âOh, right,â she muttered, leading Merry towards the door.
As they were about to leave, Paulina shouted desperately, âMerry, how could you ruin Leila like this? How can you be so selfish and cruel?â
Merry closed her eyes in pain at the accusation.
Just then, a voice tinged with confusion cut through the tension, âBut⦠didnât she bring this upon herself? Why are we saying Merryâs the one who ruined her?â asked Cordelia.
Paulina was at a loss for words.
The entire office turned to look at Cordelia, whose distant eyes seemed to be searching for an answer from Paulina
After a tense silence, Cordelia turned and left the office.
The group made their way out of the administration building and towards the academic wing. Cordelia walked ahead, with Yates, his chin held high, trailing beside her.
Having dealt with the situation, Cordelia finally checked her phone for a message from Louie
Louie asked, âLia, you got a boyfriend?â
Cordelia paused, belatedly realizing something she hadnât picked up on before. She played back the voice message she had sent earlier. It began with Everardâs voice saying. âMy dear girlfriend, you can talk now,â followed by her own, âLouie, whatâs up?â
She stopped in her tracks, puzzled.
Yates, overhearing the message, was equally stunned. Girlfriend?
The others behind them didnât notice the exchange, and Flame No. 1, after getting the full story from Merry, , âLia, why didnât you just call the cops? That wouldâve put Leila behind bars!â
Cordelia lazily replied, âLittle Parrot touched the envelope.â
Flame No. 1 was perplexed, âWhat?â
It took him a moment to realize Little Parrot was a nickname for Merry.
Cordelia explained, âFingerprint evidence would be useless, then.â
Leila and Merry were indeed identical twins. With Merryâs penchant for heavy makeup, it was too easy to impersonate one another. The surveillance footage was inconclusive.
âAh, I get it now! Boss Cordelia, you were bluffing. Clever move!â Flame No. 1 said, scratching his head. He then looked at Cordelia and asked, âYou like giving people nicknames, huh? Whatâs mine? Did you give one to Yates ?â
Cordelia glanced at his hair and felt a twinge of guilt, ââ¦I donât think .â
After sending a quick message to Louie, âYeah, itâs a special case. Iâll explain later. Got a class now.â
She noticed a new friend request with the name âEâ and a profile picture, but she dismissed it and slipped her phone back into her pocket.
Meanwhile, at Midnight Scent, Everard chuckled softly at the âRequest Deniedâ notification, causing Calvert, who was gaming nearby, to edge away from his bossâ¦
The school day flew by and it was time for the advanced math class. Well, today it was the physics competition prep.
Cordelia, books in hand, made her way to the lecture hall and spotted Merry and Paulina in a heated exchange. Paulina, eyes red, was trying to stuff a bank card into Merry
Merry, however, shook her head, pushed the card back to Paulina, and ran off
Cordelia watched briefly before heading to her class, where found it even less populated than the math competition group, just seven students.
She took a seat and tuned out Julianaâs concerns about her upcoming Galaxy Math Whiz competition, focusing instead on the physics ahead.
Juliana nodded, casually brushing her bangs aside with an air of nonchalance. âYeah, the Math and Physics Clubs are swamped with homework already. Sheâs burning the midnight oil every day. I honestly wonder if she can handle both classes.â
The guy looked baffled, âSeriously? One competition is already a fullâtime commitment. Is she just doing this for kicks?â
Juliana shrugged, âWho knows what sheâs thinking.â
The others glanced at each other but remained silent.
However, within five minutes, a buzz started on the schoolâs online forum when an anonymous post went . âDid someone get too big for their boots after acing one test and signing up for two competitions?â
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The post quickly racked up a flurry of comments.
âWho? Cordelia from senior year?â
âIâm in the advanced Math Club, let me enlighten you all. Cordeliaâs been at the bottom in the last two mock exams. Why on earth did Latham even admit her? As a mascot something?â
âBet she cheated to get that top grade. Is Cordelia from the Delaney family trying to play the genius card to add some shine to her highâsociety status? But isnât this a bit too much?â
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Chapter 29
The Galaxy Math Whiz Competition is just around the corner. Weâll see what happens, no cheating there. All the pretenders will be exposed!
Oblivious to the online storm, Cordeliaâs phone buzzed with another notification.
She picked it up to find a new friend request. The profile picture was a confident selfie with a pair of fangs in the smile. The username was Boss Wallaceâ.
Meanwhile, at Midnight Scent.
Calvert was sucking up to Everard with a smirk, âBoss, I bet she wonât accept a strangerâs request. Just watch, shell reject me too!
No sooner had he spoken than his phone vibrated. Both he and Everard looked down to see a notification, âFriend Request Accep
âFriend Request Accepted by Learn Lover.â
Calvert was speechless.