Chapter 15
Lucas was troubled by the upcoming competition. Nathan patted his shoulder, “Let’s talk to her after the scores come out. The revival match is crucial.”
Lucas grumbled, “Lina begged me to teach her how to play, and now she’s trying to control me? When did she become so manipulative? A werewolf with schemes against their own family is never welcomed.”
“If all else fails, let Big Brother step in. Lina wouldn’t dare ignore him,” he added.
Sophie Quinn listened nearby, simmering with resentment. She wasn’t about to relinquish her position to Lina!“MY POSITION! MINE!” Her wolf ambitions rapidly grew under the care and attention of the Ashford brothers.
At school, everyone buzzed about the exam results. A classmate of Sophie’s glanced at me, Lina Ashford, and loudly remarked, “Some people worked so hard lately, I wonder what their scores are!”
I pretended to calmly review my textbooks, though my heart pounded. My wolf kept pacing in my mind, equally anxious. Soon, the homeroom teacher arrived with the grade sheets, electrifying the room.
The teacher banged the desk. “Quiet! The scores are generally lower than expected. This isn’t a time to slack off. I want to specifically mention Sophie Quinn. You’ve dropped over two hundred places.”
Sophie’s face paled. She knew her recent performance had been off, but not this drastically.
The teacher then looked at me, hesitating.“However, Lina Ashford has shown significant improvement. Keep up the good
work!”
My classmate pressed, “Ma’am, what’s Lina’s ranking?”
“Her currently rank in the grade is 100.”
The classroom erupted. I managed a smile. I’d actually done it!
Excitement surged through me. I could finally report this to Jason Fairmont! My hard work hadn’t been in vain. At this rate, if I kept pushing, I might actually have a shot at Harvard! I completely couldn’t control my thoughts, but I finally took a step closer to leaving FirstQuarter Pack
Then, a voice cut through the jubilation. Teacher, I suspect Lina’s score is questionable. It’s impossible for her to improve this
much in such a short time!”
Silence fell. Nearly everyone stared at me with suspicion. Even the teacher, despite my recent diligence, harbored doubts after seeing my ranking.
Sophie intervened, her voice soft. Teacher, Lina really wants to prove herself, especially since she made a bet with her brother. Please don’t question her score. This means a lot to her, I beg you.*
She played the innocent victim perfectly. But I scoffed inwardly. She’s really skilled at pretending. No wonder I’d fallen for her tricks in my past life.
Sure enough, the teacher’s suspicion shifted towards me cheating to win a bet. Sophie’s classmates piled on, Teacher, you can’t protect a cheater! Sophie and Lina were both preparing for their family’s team competition. Sophie’s score dropped dramatically, so it’s impossible for Lina to improve so much!”
“Yes, teacher, for fairness, Lina’s score should be canceled,” another chimed in.
Sophie’s smug look confirmed her success. Lina Ashford, you dared surpass me again? Don’t you know the consequences?
Lina, don’t you have anything to say?
5.05
< Chapter 15
tenu
Feeling the teacher’s skeptical gaze, I responded coldly, “I didn’t cheat.”
That’s all I said. In my past life, surpassing Sophie always brought trouble. Now, she was using the same tactics.
Sophie quickly chimed in, “Teacher, I told you she wouldn’t cheat. Please don’t doubt her. Canceling her score might seem fair, but it would deeply hurt her.”
After deliberation, the teacher announced, “Lina’s ranking is temporarily invalidated. I’ll investigate further. If cheating is confirmed, there will be consequences.”
Once the teacher left, the classroom buzzed with taunts. My classmate sneered, “I knew someone’s improvement was too good to be true
–
cheating!”
Sophie, a triumphant gleam in her eyes, immediately texted Lucas:[Lucas, what do we do? Lina cheated to win our bet and is facing disciplinary action. I’m so worried about her!]
I simply opened my textbook and resumed studying. I didn’t care if my ranking was canceled. Sophie could only influence the teacher, not the college entrance exam!
Still, a sense of disappointment lingered. I’d promised Jason Fairmont a celebratory game if I made the top 100. Lately, though, I hadn’t gone to the infirmary, and Jason hadn’t responded to my messages.
I felt a bit uneasy. I had finally made a friend, but in the end, I had overthought it. I still only had
After morning classes, a girl’s scream pierced the air. Lucas was here. What did he want?
“Sophie, your brother is so handsome!”
my wolf.
Sophie preened, taking a small cake from Lucas.“Lucas, Lina’s in the classroom. Should we talk to her? If she apologizes and admits to cheating, maybe she can avoid punishment.”
Lucas glanced at me. I remained still, pretending to study. I knew why he was here; Sophie couldn’t wait to see me fail. But the cancellation of my score didn’t matter. What did matter was that I would never admit to cheating!
Sophie, standing at the doorway, feigned concern. “Lucass here; don’t worry.”
I ignored her and Lucas. His initial worry quickly vanished. He said coldly, “I’ll go to the office to see the teacher.”
Then he left. Sophie approached, cake in hand.“Lina, Lucas only brought one cake. He must have been careless. I’ll share half with you.”
I saw through her blatant show of superiority. I was used to it; whenever my brothers visited school, they always brought gifts for Sophie, never me.
I’d even cried about it before, only to be told by my second brother Nathan that I didn’t get gifts because I was disobedient. But I no longer cared about these trivial gifts.
My phone rang. It was Jason Fairmont. I stepped into the hallway, took a deep breath, and answered. “Hello, Master.”
“How were your scores?”
A wave of sadness washed over me.“I was ranked 100th, but they might cancelit.”
Jason’s languid demeanor turned serious. “What happened?”
