This time, there were no loopholes. Every teacher had used the official marking scheme, scored their own questions, and totaled them independently. No bias. No tampering.

The students knew this exam was meant to settle one question: Had Melany cheated?

And now, all eyes swung toward her.

The room leaned in, breath held. Could she possibly outscore Zaylee?

Zaylee sat straight in her seat, cheeks flushed with pride. Her eyes sparkled as she glanced sideways at Letty, overflowing with unfiltered excitement — and gratitude.

She even leaned slightly toward Melany, who sat stiff with tension, and spoke in a deliberately low yet clearly audible tone laced with concern. “Melany, don’t be too nervous. Just make sure you’ve done your best, and that’s what matters. After all, Miss Owen only recently began tutoring you. It’s perfectly understandable not to perform well with such limited preparation time. All I hope is that you will learn from your mistakes.”

Though it sounded like gentle reassurance, every word cut sharply — each syllable a veiled insult aimed squarely at Rylie’s capabilities.

Letty’s smile widened, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes, as if she were accepting the glory on behalf of her so-called protégé.

Before the room had fully settled, Larkin picked up Melany’s paper. Adjusting his glasses with slow precision, his brows furrowed deeper as he carefully examined each answer.

Time dragged on, and the silence thickened. Every gaze locked onto his serious face.

Finally, he looked up, his voice low and tinged with both regret and subtle disbelief.

“Melany scored seventy-two points on the physics section.” Seventy-two points. Barely enough to pass.

If Zaylee’s score had shocked the room, Melany’s result struck like a thunderclap.

“Seventy-two? Just scraping by? You’ve got to be kidding! She ranked in the top fifty last time!”

“Didn’t she solve those ridiculously hard questions before? Why does she only get 72 points this time? Looks like her earlier score was totally fake!”

“Knew it! She’s always been average. Her tutor’s a disaster — couldn’t even pass her own college entrance exam. What could she possibly teach anyone?”

“Now it all makes sense! She clearly cheated last time. How else do you explain such a drop? Zaylee put up 90 points.”

“Shameless! Rylie’s a failure and still dares to tutor others? Honestly.” Whispers turned into jabs, and jabs became shouts. Accusations, cruel laughter, and judgment surged like a tidal wave, crashing down around Melany. Standing at the podium, she dropped her head, her shoulders trembling as she bit her lip hard to hold back sobs. Her vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes.

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