Isabella had a strict rule about never wearing the same dress twice.
But now...
Where was she supposed to get a new one?
Bianca had initially refused to bring her, finding her utterly repulsive.
But Isabella had laid it all on the line.
"I'm a member of The Dreamscape Initiative! I know exactly where that research came from!"
"If you dare leave me behind, I'll report you for stealing Serena's data right now!"
She had nothing left to lose, and she made sure Bianca knew it.
Terrified of a scandal, Bianca had reluctantly agreed.
Isabella stared up at the blinding spotlights.
She gazed at the stage, the most authoritative platform in the international academic world.
Gripping the fabric of her dress, she forced down her humiliation.
She was waiting.
Waiting for the infinite glory of stepping onto that stage to claim the award.
When the time came, everyone would be looking at her.
Everyone would know that she, Isabella, was the only one fit to be the Lancaster heiress!
Not long after.
Serena led the members of The Hope Initiative into the venue.
They kept a low profile.
Dressed in their matching team uniforms, they found an inconspicuous spot in the corner and sat down.
Lydia Brooks looked around and clicked her tongue. "The Doyle family really went all out today. Look at all this media."
Caleb Sommers pushed his glasses up his nose. "Probably here to build hype for The Dreamscape Initiative."
"Hype?" Vanessa Vance scoffed. "More like documenting the total collapse of the Doyle family."
Caleb smiled. "Let's just wait for the results."
Bianca caught sight of them out of the corner of her eye.
The spotlights suddenly converged, bathing the center of the stage in brilliant white light.
The host walked up to the podium.
For a stage this prestigious, the host was naturally one of the nation's top academic professors, who also served as the Chairman of The Organizing Committee.
"Distinguished guests, contestants, the final results for the Final Gauntlet Phase of the Global Elite College Challenge are about to be revealed!"
The loud chatter in the room instantly died down, replaced only by the frantic clicking of camera shutters.
Bianca shot Serena a vicious glare before returning to her seat.
On stage, the professor looked unusually emotional, his eyes red with excitement.
He clutched a thin sheet of paper, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip.
He took a deep breath.
Even for a man accustomed to major events, his voice trembled heavily into the microphone. "Friends in the media! Geniuses from our top academies!"
"Today, we are not just announcing the final rankings!"
"We are here to announce to the world the birth of a miracle for this era!"

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