Written Off as Trash, I Activated My Hidden Queen Mode novel Chapter 7

The next day, at Azure Peak University.

A crowd gathered with protest signs:

"For our kids' futures—no nepotism!"

"Kindergarten grad as a professor? Corruption!"

"Stella Shaw out of Azure Peak! Nepotism out of Azure Peak!"

Derek scanned the area, panic rising when he didn't see Stella. He needed to fix this for the Thornes. Without their support, the Harlows would be finished in Azure Peak City. Stella wasn't even his real daughter, but he still planned to sell her off for a profit. If she'd slept with Ethan, though, his plan would fall apart.

"Bring out Stella Shaw! We demand answers!" someone shouted.

"Go mooch off someone else—don't ruin our country's future!"

"Our kids studied for over a decade! They don't deserve a teacher who only finished kindergarten!"

"We want qualified professors! No nepotism! Azure Peak owes us an explanation!"

Chaos erupted at the university gate. Students tried to calm the crowd.

"Sir, ma'am, this isn't what it looks like! Don't let yourselves be used. It'll embarrass your kids! Please go home!"

"Mom, Miss Shaw was personally invited by Mr. Voss to be an assistant professor. She must be talented!"

"Azure Peak would never risk its century-old reputation for one person! You're being manipulated!"

Not everyone was fooled—but some still bought into the lies.

"Stella only finished kindergarten. That's a fact! She might've studied scriptures at the convent, but that's not enough to teach! She's misleading students!"

"Her own father and sister admit it! They say she's illiterate and lived in a convent her whole life! How is she qualified to teach?"

"Mr. Harlow and Jasmine did the right thing by speaking up!"

For a moment, Jasmine's reputation inched upward.

"Fellow parents, progress depends on talent," Jasmine said, feigning concern. "Even though Stella changed her last name, she's still my sister. I can't let her harm innocent students."

Derek nodded in agreement.

"Jasmine, why should we trust you? You lied to us before!" a student snapped.

"You're the homewrecker who slandered Miss Shaw!"

"You Harlows ignored Stella for years. How do you know she never went to school? Mr. Voss isn't stupid!"

The crowd shouted back, leaving Jasmine tongue-tied. She could only cry, pretending to be wronged.

Silas pulled her close, glaring at the crowd. "Wondering why I ended the engagement? Ask Stella how she got into Azure Peak University. Does she deserve it? A woman who sleeps her way to the top isn't good enough for the Thornes."

He still seethed over Stella's insult.

A country girl, an illiterate, a former nun—how dare she reject me?

"Where's Stella Shaw? Too scared to show her face?"

His words died in his throat when he saw her. The anger vanished, replaced by a flutter in his chest. He swallowed hard, his gaze softening involuntarily.

Stella ignored him entirely. She walked over with Ethan and his wife, ready to end the farce. She'd expected trouble—but this was pathetic, a waste of her time.

"I'm here," she said calmly. "Ask me anything."

That is Stella? It has to be a mistake.

Stella's confidence made Derek more nervous. He couldn't think of a rebuttal. She smiled coldly.

He's hiding something, that much is clear.

She turned to the protesters, grabbed a megaphone, and climbed onto a flower bed. "If you have questions for me, ask now."

"We don't care about your feud with the Harlows," a parent shouted. "But a kindergarten grad as an assistant professor? You're ruining our kids' futures!"

Stella laughed, amused they'd actually believed that lie.

"Who told you I only finished kindergarten?"

"Jasmine Harlow!"

"Derek Harlow!"

"Silas Thorne!"

The crowd answered in unison.

Stella smiled, "I'm sure many of you read the news—or you can search it online now. A 13-year-old 'genius girl' scored perfect marks on SAT and got into Azure Peak University's Elite Youth Program."

The crowd scrambled for their phones, searching for the old story.

"Stella Shaw?"

"No way..."

"That's her! I still have the newspaper—I envied that kid back then!"

Derek, Jasmine, and Silas stared in shock. Jasmine's hands shook so badly she dropped her phone. It hit her foot, and she yelped—but no one noticed. Everyone was too busy staring at their screens, stunned.