Staring at the stack of white papers, Seraphina felt a wave of inexplicable panic.
She was just about to step forward and ask what was going on.
After reviewing the files, one of the executives suddenly frowned and looked at her.
"Ms. Shaw, how could you do something like this?"
Seraphina's face went sheet white, her heart pounding violently against her ribs. "Wh-what..."
"You didn't just frame someone! You secretly hired people to bully them!"
"Anyone who does this is absolutely disqualified from participating!"
"..."
Seraphina felt as though she had been struck by lightning. In that moment, the ambient noise in the room faded into nothingness. Her lips trembled. "I... I..."
It was as if her throat were in a vice; she couldn't speak, especially when she met Clara's cold, penetrating gaze.
Clara watched her with a completely deadpan expression, taking in her trembling, her pathetic state... Yet in this moment, Clara didn't feel the thrill of revenge—she only felt a profound peace.
Finally, all of this was coming to an end!
Understanding her perfectly, Leo patted her shoulder and addressed the executives.
"Seraphina Shaw doesn't even meet the most basic ethical standards for this competition, let alone qualify for a spot. So, regarding the quota..."
The executives nodded in rapid succession. "We understand completely. We agree to give the final spot to Ms. Vance..."
Their voices were undeniably weak as they said this, lacking the courage to even glance at Julian's expression.
But they had to say it!
After all, when weighing a few bribes against the reputation of their entire company, they knew exactly where they stood.
"We'll log Ms. Vance's information into the system shortly. Once the competition begins, she'll be fully registered to participate!"
The final decision was made.
Seraphina's ears were ringing. Her body shook uncontrollably, as if she might collapse at any moment.
She had longed for this for so long, and just as it was within her grasp, it was violently ripped away!
She couldn't accept it. She absolutely couldn't accept it!!
Clara, however, couldn't care less. After exchanging a few formalities with the executives, she prepared to leave.
Unexpectedly, someone grabbed her wrist. Julian held onto her, demanding coldly, "Did you know all along that I was coming to help Seraphina today? And why didn't you tell me you were Professor Thorne's student?"

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The readers' comments on the novel: Three years of loving him, three days to erase myself from his world