Sylvie pressed her lips into a thin line, herplexion growing even more ashen, though she couldn''t quite say why.


    Elodie met Jarrod''s gaze with icy calm, tossing out a single line as she turned away: "Compared to Mr. Silverstein''s girlfriend, I suppose it''s not so bad."


    Jarrod paused, looking at her.


    Sylvie''s face instantly turned cold.


    Was Elodie showing off and at the same time putting her down?


    Elodie didn''t bother watching their reactions. She simply turned and strode toward the next exhibit.


    Sylvie watched as Elodie and Alexander walked off, their figures growing smaller in the distance. An irritating heaviness pressed in her chest, but years of rigorous self-control kept every flicker of emotion hidden. She forced it all back, not letting anything show.


    Maurice broke the silence, his toneplicated: "Has Elodie been hiding her real abilities from us all along? Or did even she not expect to do so well?" Even now, he struggled to reconcile the Elodie from his memories with the person in front of him.


    When he first learned she''dnded a graduate spot at the Academy, he''d chalked it up to luck.


    But a score like that? You can''t fake that.


    Was Elodie just ying them for fools?


    Grady frowned, not wanting Sylvie to take the blow too hard. "Ms. Fielding grew up overseas and only crammed for the exams aftering back. It''s not that you fell short-she just had a different path."


    Sylvie''s expression went icy, her pleasant mask vanishing. She needed time to process everything that had happened today. Elodie, first ce in the


    admissions? She had to make sense of it all.


    She turned to Jarrod, her voice quiet but steady. "Jarrod, I think I caught a cold- I''m not feeling great. Can you take me home?"


    At her request, Grady nced at Jarrod, who seemed lost in thought, his eyes following the direction where Elodie had gone.


    Grady''s brow furrowed. Was Jarrod... interested in Elodie now? The thought left a sour taste.


    Jarrod, oblivious to the others, looked down at Sylvie. After a beat, he murmured, "I''ll take you."


    Grady watched Sylvie lean on Jarrod, a strange mix of feelings stirring as he watched the two leave together.


    As soon as they were out of sight, Maurice whipped out his phone and shot Joseph a message: [Dude! Dude! Dude!]


    [Did you hear Elodie took the top spot in the admissions? Elodie! Number one! I thought I was seeing things! If I scored that high, my great-granddad would probably climb out of his grave to give me a medal. Sylvie was so upset, she left early!]


    Joseph had just finished a meeting when the message came through. He stood in ce for a moment, then replied: [What about Jarrod? How did he react?] Maurice paused, momentarily confused. He nced at the car driving away. How did Jarrod react? He wasn''t sure. Probably... feeling sorry for Sylvie, right?


    Elodie, meanwhile, paid no mind to their drama. After her stunning performance, fellow visiting students from Verdant University gathered around, eager for advice, their admiration obvious.


    For once, Elodie didn''t mind chatting with them at length.


    Eventually, she heard Jarrod and the others had already left.


    Later that evening, after making sure Sylvie was settled, Jarrod returned to his family''s old house.


    As soon as he walked in, he spotted Octavia slouched on the couch, gaming.


    He tossed his coat aside, his expression stern as he nced at her. "If you really want to go to Verdant University, stop wasting your time. If your grades aren''t up to par, you''ll be packing your bags for school overseas."


    Octavia had always been a little afraid of her older brother. The moment he spoke, her bravado vanished.


    She sat up straight, stammering, "I get it, I get it. I''ll study hard—I don''t want to go abroad. That''d be exile, not education..."


    Jarrod set down his coat. "Depends on your grades."


    Octavia swallowed, anxious to change the subject. "Hey, wasn''t Verdant


    University posting their admissions rankings today? How did Sylvie do?"


    She''d already texted Sylvie but hadn''t gotten a reply. She must be busy, Octavia thought.


    Jarrod paused, shooting her a cold look before rolling up his sleeves, saying nothing.


    "Bro?"


    "Jarrod! Come on, what''s Sylvie''s ranking?" Octavia pressed, trailing after him.


    "Second."


    Octavia froze, disbelief all over her face. "No way!"


    "Then who got first?"


    "Your future sister-inw."