The Coma Prince’s Fiancée novel Chapter 185

185 /188

"Wait, am I seeing things? Why is the Campus Belle standing up too?"

"Is she in the same exam group?"

"That... that is way too coincidental!"

The spotlight that had been fixed on Rebecca instantly shifted to Paulina Russell.

Paulina offered a flawless, friendly smile to the crowd. As she gracefully walked over to stand beside Rebecca, her smile softened even further. "Rebecca, what a coincidence. I didn't expect us to be in the same group."

Rebecca cast a cool, sideways glance at her. This was definitely not a coincidence. Five students made up a group, and the only number left for this round was 110. She remembered perfectly well that when she entered the waiting area, Paulina had not been the person behind her.

There was only one explanation: someone had secretly swapped their numbers so Paulina could face off against her directly.

"Indeed, what a coincidence. But this works out fine."

Her nonchalant tone caused Paulina's smile to slip slightly. Just because she had gotten lucky and earned some praise from their parents recently, did she honestly think she was better than her?

"I believe you have real talent, Rebecca," Paulina said smoothly, raising her voice just enough to be heard. "Do your best. Don't let down everyone who put their trust in you."

It was a classic setup: prop her up high so the fall would be devastating. Whether Rebecca won or lost, Paulina had secured the moral high ground.

Rebecca saw right through the transparent manipulation. Her clear eyes remained entirely unbothered. "You've already seen my skills. Who exactly do you think I'd be letting down?"

The crowd buzzed. "What? The Campus Belle has seen her play before?"

"How good is she, then?"

"Yeah, is she actually a genius or what?"

Magee looked sharply at Paulina. If she knew Rebecca's true skill level, why had she kept her mouth shut when Gavin was dragging Rebecca's name through the mud over the plagiarism accusations?

Catching Magee's questioning look, Paulina hadn't expected Rebecca to drag her into the crossfire so bluntly. A flash of cold anger tightened her eyes, and her tone grew slightly defensive.