The class erupted into a chorus of discussions, voices raising uncontrollably.
"I was shocked when I saw the list this morning. I never thought Isabella would be the top scorer this time."
"How is this possible? Wasn't she the one who scored zero on the college entrance exam? Now she's got perfect scores? Unbelievable."
"I heard her college entrance exam scores were actually the highest, but her interview scored zero. The school’s record only showed her interview score, omitting her written exam results."
"Wow, so Isabella is the real top student!"
Some still doubted, "Maybe she cheated too. With how advanced cheating methods are these days, who knows? She can't be lucky every time. She'll slip up eventually, just like Jaden did."
Isabella finally understood why everyone had been staring at her earlier—they already knew the exam results.
Lucius glanced at the broken pieces, worried that his future might be at risk, and quickly turned around obediently to wash the dishes.When it was time to rest at night, Lucius naturally lay down on the bed.As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Isabella glaring at him.Curious and puzzled, he asked, "What's wrong, Bella? Why aren’t you asleep yet? Don’t you have class tomorrow?"Suppressing her anger, Isabella asked, "Did you forget to buy a piece of furniture?"Lucius quickly denied it, "No, everything’s here. I even bought an extra-large bathtub."Isabella clenched her fists a little tighter, took a deep breath, and asked, "Then why didn’t you buy a bed?"Lucius rubbed his forehead, "Isn’t there already a bed? Buying another one would be wasteful."Ha, this spendthrift man finally knows how to be frugal.&n
Isabella’s face went stiff. If she kept arguing with this shameless man, she was bound to dig her own grave.She decided to yank him up and push him out of the bathroom. "Hurry up and go out! Nature calls!" she said as she shut the bathroom door with a click.Lucius, still amused, lazily sauntered over to Isabella’s bed and plopped down, resuming his sleep.Mmm, her bed smelled so good, a comforting fragrance that filled his senses.Lucius contentedly closed his eyes.When Isabella finished in the bathroom and came out, she saw the man sprawled out on her bed, once again taking up the whole space. Instantly, she felt a wave of despair wash over her."Wake up, this is my bed. You need to sleep in the bathtub," Isabella said, shaking him helplessly.But Lucius was already deep in dreamland, completely unresponsive.Isab
"Light on the top," he instructed."Focus more on the bottom.""Left side, not too light, not too heavy.""Right side, make sure to press a bit."He directed her with all his energy.Isabella could see that the massage was indeed easing his headache, but his commanding demeanor was getting more and more insistent.Her hands were getting sore.Isabella glared at him, who was enjoying himself with his eyes closed, looking utterly smug.The more she looked, the more she felt he had a face that just begged to be slapped.Suddenly, her phone chimed with a message alert.Isabella glanced at it and saw a message from her cousin, Hilda: "Isabella, I just called the Rivera’s, and your stepmother said you ran away from home. Where are you? I'm so worried about you.
Lucius saw that Isabella was dressed in casual wear and asked, “For a tennis tournament, shouldn’t you be wearing a proper tennis outfit?”Isabella shook her head, “Those specialized sports outfits are too expensive, and I didn’t have time to buy one. My main goal is the prize money. As long as I win, that’s all that matters. I’m not too concerned about anything else.”As she quickly put on her jacket, she continued, “I was planning to drag you in as a last-minute partner if I couldn’t find anyone for doubles. But since you’re still recovering from your injury and shouldn’t be doing intense exercise, it worked out that the school assigned me a partner. That’s one problem solved.”Finally, she grabbed her backpack, ran out the door, and called back to him, “I won’t be back for lunch. You’ll have to handle it yourself.”Without paying any attention to Lucius’s dejected look, which resembled the Titanic
Cynthia’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head in fury. “Are you out of your mind? Call the school security! How did they let such a lunatic in?”Fanny looked at the man, who was so charming despite his rebellious demeanor. There was something particularly attractive about a bad-boy look.Seeing Fanny gaping at the man with starry eyes only made Cynthia more enraged. She shoved Fanny hard, shouting, “Go on, hurry up!”The man gave Cynthia a sidelong glance and grinned, “Security let me in. I’m just here to deliver something.”With that, he turned and headed towards the gymnasium.“So he’s just a delivery guy, acting all high and mighty,” Fanny commented, seeing Cynthia’s face turn pale with anger. Fearing that Cynthia might take her frustration out on her, she hurried to pacify her.Caleb Reed smirked. Lately, he had indeed become a delivery man.
What a handsome delivery guy.Everyone was captivated by Caleb Reed's outstanding appearance.Some couldn’t resist taking photos with their phones and posting them online with the caption: “The most handsome delivery guy just arrived.”Isabella looked at him and recognized him as the fast-track driver often called by Lucius.When did he become a delivery man?She stared at Caleb in confusion and said, “I didn’t order a tennis outfit.”Caleb, showing a face weary from Lucius’s torment, said, “Your man ordered it for you. Ah, life is tough; please sign for it quickly.”He didn’t want to be the center of attention just for delivering clothes and was eager to leave.Oh, so Lucius ordered it. Hmm, a bit touched; didn’t expect him to be so considerate.Seeing Caleb Reed’s troubled expression, Isabella i
Cynthia glared at Isabella, who was standing in the center of the court looking stunning, her teeth clenched in anger.Why did Isabella always have such a good life? Loved by her grandfather, cherished by her father, and adored by Samuel.Cynthia had schemed to take everything Isabella had, but she couldn’t overshadow Isabella’s dazzling brilliance.Cynthia glared fiercely at Isabella, her lips bleeding from the force of her bite.Fanny, feeling frustrated, countered, “No matter how luxurious it is, it can't be more expensive than Cynthia’s sportswear. Her outfit costs over ten thousand dollars.”The crowd erupted in laughter.Those who knew the industry understood that for MCM, the world’s top luxury brand, such diamond-studded high-end apparel would cost several hundred thousand.A ten-thousand-dollars outfit couldn’t compare to a hundr
Isabella smiled, thinking of her grandfather. Her love for tennis was nurtured by him when she was young. Later, she was recruited into the school team when she started junior high. After her grandparents passed away and she returned to the Rivera family, she hadn’t touched a tennis racket again.While everyone was congratulating her, the list of participants for the mixed doubles and the match schedule was announced.Isabella scanned the list from top to bottom and was shocked to find that her name wasn’t there.Confused, she asked the coach, “Coach, I signed up for the mixed doubles. Why isn’t my name on the list?”The coach looked at the list and confirmed Isabella’s name was missing. He said, “I’ll check with the sports committee.”Isabella felt uneasy, sensing that something might be wrong.Sure enough, when the coach returned, he looked anxious. “The pa
“You don’t even share the Knight last name, and you dare to argue with me in front of my parents, and my own nephew? You really have some nerve!” Giselle coldly shot a glance at Lydia, not holding back her disdain for her. When it came to matters of interest, she didn’t even want to pretend anymore.“What do you mean I don’t share the last name? I’ve carried a Knight family member in my belly! My poor Lily is still in the hospital, all alone, receiving treatment while her mother is being bullied like this. It’s really inhumane!” Lydia put on her usual act, crying and making a scene, appealing to everyone’s sympathy for her sick daughter.Lydia was merely the daughter of a subordinate of Lucius’ father—Jay. At a banquet, she climbed the social ladder and successfully became Jay’s mistress, even getting pregnant.She gave birth to a daughter, Lily Knight, but the child was born frail and weak.
“Did they send you as a negotiator?” Hearing Lysander mention the Knight family, Lucius couldn't help but sneer, dismissively saying, “They’re all useless leeches clinging to me. None of them genuinely care about my well-being.”The reason Lucius had been gravely injured in front of Isabella was recently revealed to be the work of a business competitorBut at that time, some members of the Knight family weren’t in a hurry to find him; they even tried to take advantage of his absence to seize control of the Knight Group.The ‘useless’ people Lucius referred to included his stepmother—Lydia, his aunt—Giselle, and Lydia's brother, Hans.They all had their eyes on the Knight Group, clearly incompetent and unable to do anything, yet they harbored grand ambitions of taking it for themselves.Over the years, Lucius had cleaned up many of their messes.Fo
Seeing that the crowd was about to be won over by Isabella, Samuel couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer. He turned and walked away, almost fleeing, and his back looked utterly defeated.“I do not regret choosing Aetheron Film Academy; it has always been my dream school because it is open-minded and inclusive, a place where all aspiring performers wish to be. So today, I will not shy away from being broad-minded and accommodating of everyone’s opinions. Now that I stand on this stage, I am not just myself; I am embodying a character whose image is open to any judgment. Thus, I welcome all your doubts.”“However, I also hope everyone can think critically and analyze dialectically. It’s best to bring strong evidence before questioning me. When you defame me, don’t just follow the crowd; have your own insights. If you have grievances against me, feel free to confront me directly; I am never afraid.”“Lastly, I
Clearly, Isabella's powerful presence had intimidated them.In the audience, surrounded by so many people, it was easy for them to hurl defamatory remarks and throw a few paper balls without fear of being immediately identified by Isabella. They felt shielded by their large numbers.But when Isabella asked who among them could replace her, no one dared to speak up. Many of them bowed their heads, afraid to meet her gaze, fearing that if they made eye contact with her, they might be called up to the stage.However, not everyone present was without courage. Some were accustomed to bullying Isabella under the cover of numbers, while others genuinely disliked her due to the rumors circulating about her. One of these was Molly.Glancing around, Molly noticed that those who had thrown things the hardest were silent, not daring to contradict Isabella. Without fear, she stood up, becoming the center
After wrapping up the matter, Isabella went to Aetheron Film Academy for classes.Today was her opening ceremony, and due to her excellent grades, she had been chosen to represent the freshmen and give a speech.Such things had always been routine for Isabella.Having excelled academically throughout her life, Isabella was not intimidated at all; she delivered her speech as the representative of the new students with great fluency. “I’m very happy to enter Aetheron Film Academy and become a diligent student of Aetheron. In the near future, we will surely be the creators of this glorious era.”However, just as she was concluding her speech, someone in the audience threw a rotten egg at her, hitting her squarely.Wearing a pure white dress that day, the foul-smelling egg not only covered her in a terrible odor but also instantly stained her dress, causing the crowd to eru
The next day, the Rivera family once again made headlines.News Title: Rivera Family's Eldest Daughter Imprisoned: Sparks Urgent Response from Special Force Once this news broke, it quickly climbed to the top of the charts, and the online community reacted intensely.When a swarm of armed police stormed into the Rivera residence the previous evening, it was surprising enough, even in the dark. Someone managed to secretly film Regina and Cynthia being taken away in a police car.Once the video was uploaded, the news gained momentum, leading to a restless night for Carlos, who found that due to the scandal, Rivera Group’s stock had plummeted significantly.Netizens, sharp as they are, began digging deeper into the news and uncovered that Cynthia and Isabella had both participated in a talent show together.Cynthia’s initial persona was mea
“How could Regina have this bracelet?” As Isabella searched the room for her mother's belongings, her gaze happened to land on Regina’s dressing table! There, she discovered the gleaming gold bracelet!This bracelet belonged to her mother.Isabella remembered it clearly because it was a wedding anniversary gift from her father to her mother, and she had been involved in designing it. Together, father and daughter had crafted this unique gold bracelet with distinct patterns, the only one of its kind in the world.Her mother had always preferred simplicity. Even as the wife of the president of the Rivera Corporation, she shunned ostentation and never wore expensive jewelry, never needing such things to validate her identity or worth.After all, wherever she stood, countless people would flock to her with flattery.So after her mother passed away, the items left behind wer
“What’s going on?” After embracing Lucius, Isabella looked around at the swarm of people in black uniforms suddenly filling the Rivera family home and asked him, confused.The Rivera family's villa had three floors, each nearly three hundred square meters. Seeing so many people in black uniforms crowding the place, there must have been at least forty or fifty of them.“I called the police about you being locked up by those two. I also informed the police about the threats they made against you. They’ll help sort your mother’s belongings and bring them back to our home,” Lucius explained simply, gently patting Isabella's head.As soon as he finished speaking, the leader of the police team stepped forward to explain, “Hello, Miss Rivera. Mr. Lucius reported the case. We need you to identify the suspects who locked you up. Is it these two?”As he spoke, the tall police officer pointed to Regina
Inside the storage room, surrounded by her mother’s belongings, Isabella felt a flood of memories surge through her mind, causing her to redden her nose and well up with tears.Just then, her phone rang. Looking down, she saw it was Lucius calling.“Why aren’t you back yet?” Lucius’s voice on the other end was muffled and a bit aggrieved.Isabella rarely stayed out late without returning home, and even if she were to be late, she would always notify Lucius in advance to ease his worries.Today, she had only planned to go back to the Rivera family to collect a few things and return. Lucius had even postponed dinner a bit, wanting to share it with her.But she had kept him waiting for a long time, and still, there was no sign of her return.“I...” Isabella didn’t know how to explain her current situation to Lucius. She was locked up in the Rivera fa