Isabella crawled forward inch by inch like an obedient pet, doing everything in her power to please Sebastian.
An overwhelming sense of degradation washed over her.
This was the same suitor she had once completely dismissed.
And now, he had become her master.
And the one who caused all of this... was Serena!
Now, Serena was even trying to steal her last lifeline.
She hated Serena.
And she hated Agnes even more.
Why did she have to be Agnes's daughter?
Why couldn't she be the true Lancaster heiress?
She absolutely had to take first place in the upcoming elite tournament hosted by the school. She had to win.
Only by winning.
Only by proving her worth.
Might the Lancaster family finally notice her again.
And then, she could finally escape this psycho, Sebastian!
Meanwhile.
Serena was sitting in the Marington College library.
She had checked out a few ancient medical texts and the latest computer science journals, and was currently flipping through them in a quiet corner.
Marington College truly lived up to its reputation; she could actually find these rare historical volumes here.
She had never read these specific texts before.
This was definitely a perk of attending Marington College.
Caleb was sitting at the table opposite hers, silently observing her.
He noticed that the speed at which this girl was flipping the pages was... incredibly fast.
She wasn't just pretending; she was actually reading them.
And every so often, she would pick up a pen and jot something down on the scratch paper next to her.
Caleb frowned.
Just what exactly was this new transfer student's background?
Serena finished writing the final equation and set her pen down.
Naturally, she had noticed the gaze coming from the opposite table.
Serena had very little interest in the class president. As long as he didn't get in her face, she couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.
But she did understand the mindset of these prodigies.
The strong only respected the strong.
From their perspective.
They had been working their hearts out on their projects, preparing for the tournament, and she, a drop-in student, had simply barged in, ready to piggyback off their hard work and success.
"Got it." Serena closed her book. "I'm heading over now."
She casually tossed her scratch paper into the trash can and got up to leave.
After Serena walked out of the library.
Caleb frowned, staring intently at her retreating back.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Driven by some inexplicable urge, he got up, walked over to where Serena had been sitting, and fished the crumpled scratch paper out of the trash.
He smoothed it out.
On it were several lines of complex computer algorithms.
And those algorithms...
He actually couldn't fully decipher them?!
-
The library wasn't far from the North Gate.
In five minutes, Serena had arrived at the gate.
At this hour, the North Gate was relatively quiet, with very little foot traffic.
Only a handful of students were passing by.
Serena stood at the entrance, scanning the area, but there was no sign of Nicholas.

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