?Chapter 239:


    At that, Cecelia mped her mouth shut, her pride stinging.


    Thest thing she wanted was to be a public spectacle.


    Paul’s assistant stepped in, guiding Cecelia and her group toward the exit. As Paul turned to leave, he paused beside Ste, then made his way to Elbert.


    “The matter’s settled. Your team earned that advancement. We’ll post the corrected results soon. Congrattions—consider this a well-deserved win.”


    Elbert’s group let out a collective sigh of relief, joy, and a touch of disbelief. It was like finding something you thought was lost forever. Elbert was still soaking in that feeling, along with everyone else.


    After a quick word with Elbert, Paul walked up to Ste.


    “Ms. Gilbert, we owe you—big time. And I want you to know, the management’s taken note of your performance. We’ve decided to award you this year’s Best Achievement Award.”


    Ste blinked. She figured Paul and the others were just here to wrap things up. She hadn’t expected anything else. But the Best Achievement Award?


    That caught her off guard. It might just be a yearly award, but to her, it meant something real. Something personal. She stood there, caught between surprise and speechlessness.


    Paulughed gently. “What’s wrong, Ms. Gilbert? Don’t tell me you think the award’s too small?”


    She knew he was teasing and quickly pulled herself together. “Not at all. I’m grateful—truly. Thank you for the recognition and for your trust. I’ll stay focused and keep giving it my best. I won’t let you down.”


    Her voice was calm, but heartfelt. Paul smiled, gave her shoulder a pat, and added, “By the way—there’s an academic conferenceing up. You’ll be representing our institute.”


    Boom. Another surprise. Ste barely had time to process the first one.


    “Wait—you mean the quinquennial academic conference?”


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    Thest one had been held in Achury, and this time it was local.


    She had actually thought about trying to pull some strings to get in—just to sit in the back and listen, even if she couldn’t participate.


    But now?


    She wasn’t just going—she was representing the institute. She had never dreamed of this.


    She felt like she’d just won the lottery.


    Paulughed and walked off with his team, leaving behind a trail of congrattions.


    Elbert and the others gathered around her, all beaming. “Sylvia, congrats! That conference is no joke—and you’re our official rep this year. That’s amazing.”


    She hooked her arm around Ste’s. “Sylvia, you’re seriously incredible!”


    Ste smiled and thanked them one by one. “It’s not just me. We got here as a team. I couldn’t have done it alone.”


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