Chapter 24
After Dereck finished speaking, a strange silence fell over the school gates. All eyes turned to Joanna, who stood there calmly, eyes downcast, casually scrolling through her phone, completely unfazed.
The wind swept through her long hair, a few strands brushing across her lips. Her face, framed by sunlight and shadow, carried a quiet sadness–like a character from a movie poster.
Distant, almost untouchable, yet delicate enough to make people want to protect her.
A girl like that could’ve easily been on screen, not standing here at Aurelia Academy. And yet… she had a personal recommendation from Aiden?
‘Aiden?‘
Ariel was the first to break.
“No way! That’s impossible–it has to be fake! Do you even know who Aiden is? He’s in a secure lab right now working on classified experiments! There’s no chance he had time to write a recommendation letter!.
“It’s fake! A complete fake!”
Dereck ignored her. His eyes never left Joanna, still filled with anticipation.
“So? Would you consider transferring to our school?”
He remembered when Aiden had attended their school briefly. He’d proctored his exams, reviewed his papers–he knew Aiden’s handwriting by heart. There was no way he’d mistake it.
Around them, students began to react. Murmurs spread. Everyone was staring at Joanna with wide eyes. Ariel looked around at their amazed expressions, practically shaking with rage.
“This can’t be real,‘ she thought. Her jaw clenched so tight, she nearly bit through her bottom lip. “It’s fake. I’ll prove it. I will find evidence.”
Shannon still couldn’t accept it.
Geniuses were different from the start. They stood out early in life.
She thought, ‘How could someone who barely scrapes into Aurelia Academy–someone who’s dropped out of middle school -be more talented than Aiden?
‘A joke. A literal joke.‘
She didn’t buy it for a second.
Her phone rang–it was the academic director.
She lowered her voice and said, “We’ve got a student here, name’s Joanna. She’s faking it. Total act. Probably some distant relative of Dereck. Putting on a show, pretending to be a genius. It’s laughable.”
The director replied, confused, “A genius? Isn’t she the one who scored zero on everything? And only finished middle school at eighteen?”
“Exactly,” Shannon muttered. “And now Harvenridge Institute wants her? Please. They’re either blind or desperate. Oh wait- hang on. Looks like another car’s pulling up. Must be here to drag that poor Dereck out before he humiliates himself any
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more.”
She looked up–along with the rest of the crowd.
A sharp screech of tires echoed at the gate. One by one, a line of sleek black BMWs rolled to a stop.
The door of the lead BMW X5 flew open–kicked from the inside. A man in a tailored black suit and slicked–back hair stepped out, carrying a black briefcase.
He was over six feet tall, lean and sharp–featured, dressed impeccably in a custom suit. Despite having kicked open his car door in a rush, he still took the time to adjust his cuffs and straighten his collar as he strode forward.
Shannon’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Wait… isn’t that Isaac, the principal of Nexcrest College?”
Isaac Thornton, principal of the prestigious Nexcrest College–young, brilliant, and single. A legend in the city’s education circles, and one of the city’s most sought–after bachelors. Quiet, determined, and obsessed with making Nexcrest College the best school in the city–better even than Harvenridge Institute.
The moment he showed up, the round–bellied Dereck straightened up, sucked in his stomach, and plastered on a strained
smile.
“You’re late.”
Isaac didn’t even look at him. He shot him a frosty glance and walked straight to Joanna. Without saying a word, he set the briefcase down at her feet and popped it open.
Gasps exploded in the crowd.
“Holy crap–my eyes! That’s cash!”
“Is that 300 thousand dollars?”
“This feels like something out of a movie!”
Expression flat, Isaac said simply, “300 thousand dollars. Come to Nexcrest College.”
Joanna didn’t even look up. She kept scrolling on her phone like nothing was happening.
Shannon sucked in a breath. “Another one? This has to be staged. No one would go this far for show!”
Ariel’s lip was already split from biting too hard, blood trickling down her chin. But she couldn’t take it anymore–she snapped.
“She’s just some backwater hick! She probably can’t even recite the alphabet! Why are all of you fighting over her?”
Isaac, still getting no response from Joanna, turned calmly to take another suitcase from his bodyguard.
“Still not enough? Fine. Here’s another 300 thousand dollars.” Still no reaction. “Not impressed? Okay. 1.5 million dollars. And a guaranteed university placement–full recommendation.”
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