Chapter 104

Carmen’s face turned deathly pale. “The chief judge found out I took someone else’s spot in the finals, and my eligibility has been revoked. If news of my cheating gets out, it’ll be announced to the whole school. How can I ever stay at this school again?”

She thought, ‘With this stain on my record, Rithol Art would never accept me. Alvin is definitely going there… I’m drifting further away from him. How can I ever be with him now?’

“How could this happen…” Daxton was utterly stunned. He thought, ‘Only Alec and I knew about this. How could Stan possibly know? Is he psychic or something?’

Before he could finish speaking, the loudspeaker crackled to life, cutting through the air with the announcement of the International Mathematics Competition results.

A voice said, “First, we would like to thank all participants for their hard work. Now, we announce the top three winners. The Gold Medal goes to the Department of Mathematics at Rithol University. The Silver Medal goes to an international contestant. The Bronze Medal goes to Aubree Miller."

“Remaining participants may check their rankings on the scrolling display. Top three medalists, please proceed to the award podium to claim your prizes.”

The announcement was broadcast three times in succession, sending waves of astonished murmurs through the square.

It wasn’t the gold medalist who stole the spotlight at this competition, but the bronze. The single name announced meant this contestant had fought their way up from the open qualifiers.

The International Mathematics Competition had been held for several editions, yet never, regardless of the host country, had an open qualifier become a medalist.

Someone asked, “Who the hell is Aubree? She’s insane!”

Another said, “Wow, what a legend! I gotta head to the award ceremony to catch the interview, I’ve never even heard of this prodigy before.”

A third said, “Wait, I just remembered! There was this young girl in my exam room; she looked like a high schooler. Could that be her?”

Someone exclaimed, “A high schooler! With skills like that, shouldn’t she have been fast-tracked to college already?”

The Wilson family were equally dumbfounded when they heard the announcement.

Alice was so shocked she forgot to comfort Carmen. Grabbing Daxton’s arm, she gasped, “Daxton, did I hear that right? Did they just say Aubree?”

Daxton’s face darkened, furious at Aubree’s blatant grandstanding.

Through gritted teeth, Daxton muttered, “Unless there’s someone else with the same name, it has to be her.”

Daxton’s thoughts were already churning. ‘Aubree clearly knows she has what it takes to win. Did she deliberately enter the math competition after finding out Carmen was participating in the painting contest?’

As he pieced it together, Daxton’s expression grew even darker. He thought bitterly, “There’s no way this is just a coincidence. Of all times, Aubree had to enter the competition exactly when Carmen was in the painting contest? How could she be so calculating? Does she really think that by outshining Carmen, we’ll regret ever being good to her?"

Alice’s jaw dropped. She thought, ‘Wasn’t Aubree always at the bottom of the class? When did her grades improve so much?’

Carmen clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood, though she barely noticed, lost in a storm of humiliation and rage.

“Aubree again!” Carmen seethed.

The surrounding whispers about her became the final straw. Carmen shoved Daxton violently and shouted, “This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be humiliated like this!”

Carmen was having a complete emotional breakdown, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed quietly, when suddenly, the loudspeaker crackled to life again.

The results of the painting competition were announced; not only were the top three winners revealed, but an additional statement was also included.

A voice said, “An investigation has revealed that a contestant in this painting competition used unfair means to enter the finals. The judging committee has decided to revoke this contestant’s qualification, and investigations into those involved are still ongoing.”

The announcement didn’t specify names, but anyone who cared to check the contestant list would know exactly who it was.

Carmen was completely shattered, wiping away her tears as she stumbled out.

She couldn’t stand being branded a cheater while Aubree got to bask in all that glory.