NovelUSAChapter 372 Charlie wasn't angry about how these people treated Elodie.
What really got to him was their careless attitude-how they could so flippantly dismiss the fairness of the school and someone's hard work with a single, thoughtless remark. Did all that effort really mean nothing to them? Sylvie's expression grew even darker.
She understood that today's events, with all their commotion, had clearly irritated Mr. Sterling.
But...
"Professor, you knew about her scores that day, didn't you? So then..." Sylvie forced herself to calm down, steadying her breath as she asked.
Charlie turned to look at her, seeing the question written plainly on her young face. "You want to know why I didn't just tell you the truth then?" Sylvie pressed her lips together. At this point, she needed an answer.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe'd never been the sore-loser type; she knew there was always someone better out there. But the truth was, Charlie could have told her about Elodie's results on the spot. Why wait until now? If she'd known back then, she wouldn't have found herself so publicly embarrassed today.
Elodie glanced over, instantly guessing what Sylvie was thinking.
She probably assumed the professor had kept quiet about the scores to set her up, to deliberately make things worse for her.
Charlie, uninterested in dragging out this conversation, turned to leave but paused to say, with a gravity that silenced the room, "Because you weren't her real competitor. There was no need to explain myself to you." Jarrod shot Elodie a sidelong glance. She remained perfectly composed, unruffled as always. The professor's words seemed to carry layers of meaning, leaving everyone a bit dazed. Even Sylvie was caught off guard.
Did that mean Elodie had never considered her a rival? Or was there something else? Maurice and Grady exchanged confused looks, their thoughts momentarily scattered.
As Abbott was leaving, he glanced at Sylvie and offered quietly, "Don't overthink it. The professor treats everyone the same. He isn't shielding Elodie-he just wants everyone to trust in the school's fairness and integrity." Maurice finally cto, swallowing his shock and murmuring, "Sorry... I got carried away earlier." Abbott nodded, then followed after Charlie.
Now, all eyes were back on Elodie.
Sylvie and Jarrod both turned to her.
Sylvie's gaze was frosty. Elodie hadn't said a word about her results since the announcement-had she really just been waiting for this moment all along? Sensing Sylvie's stare, Elodie looked back, her expression cool and indifferent. Only now did she allow a faint, knowing smile to flit across her lips.
"Ms. Thorne really knows how to make an entrance!" someone quickly recovered from the shock and hurried over to shake Elodie's hand.
Almost immediately, the other executives joined in, eager to congratulate her. "No wonder Mr. Sterling thinks so highly of you, Ms. Thorne! With scores like that, you deserve every bit of this recognition!" "And Ms. Fielding too. The two of you swept first and second place what a close contest!" Someone glanced at Sylvie, then at Jarrod beside her, and made sure to toss in a compliment for good measure; after all, Jarrod's presence meant Sylvie deserved a little respect.
Even so, everyone knew the gap between first and second was no small thing.
It was almost funny now. Ms. Thorne, the top scorer, had kept quiet from the start, and yet they'd nearly misread Ms. Fielding's intentions, thinking there was sinside deal. In the end, the only real surprise was how astonishingly high Elodie's scores were.
Sylvie's ears buzzed, and she managed a stiff smile. Even though the praise now felt hollow, she nodded politely.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmElodie recognized these were just social niceties and responded with a slight nod and a polite smile.
Alexander waved his hand, grinning. "No need for all this fuss. Ms. Thorne likes to stay out of the spotlight-she's not interested in for glory. If you keep praising her, she'll just get embarrassed." He had said there was no need for an investigation, but of course, no one had listened.
Now, every gaze in the room was fixed on Elodie.
Sylvie's eyes were locked on her, her face tense, still reeling from everything that had just happened.
Maurice caught the undertone in Alexander's words, his heart skipping a beat. He drifted over to Jarrod and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. How had things ended up like this? Jarrod's eyes lingered on Elodie, dark and inscrutable. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Ms. Thorne, you really are impressive." Elodie couldn't quite decipher what he meant by that.
There was no emotion in his voice at all.
It could have been a simple, matter-of-fact statement-or maybe there was something else hidden beneath the surface, a note of irony only he understood.
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