Chapter 414

Ten minutes later, Mr. Jerome, though late, finally made it to the meeting.
As it happened, the principal had just stepped out of the conference room, leaving a few teachers behind. When they saw Mr. Jerome arrive, they chuckled. “So, Dean, you finally changed your mind and decided to show up. I told you testing her was a waste of time.”
“But how did you manage to talk that girl out of it? She seemed incredibly stubborn.”
Mr. Jerome was still visibly worked up from before. At their words, he jumped in. “A waste of time? Are you out of your minds? Anastasia is a genius!”
“I gave her last year’s Global Harmony Medical Institute entrance exam,” he said, his voice rising with excitement. “Do you know what she scored? A perfect score! And she finished in just twenty-eight minutes!”
“I’ve already decided I’m recommending her. She’s signing up for the exam.” “What?” The others stared at him, convinced they’d misheard.
Someone snorted, “Dean, that’s the most ridiculous joke I’ve heard all day.”
Twenty-eight minutes? Full marks? Plenty of them had tried that test out of curiosity, and even the best only managed forty percent. These were professors at Kingsbridge University Medical School, for heaven’s sake.
Was he saying Anastasia, in less than half an hour, had aced the test and left all of them in the dust? If that wasn’t a joke, what was?
“I’m not joking,” Mr. Jerome retorted sharply, pulling the test paper from his folder. “See for yourselves! Here’s the exam-how could I fake this?”
They crowded around to look, eyes widening as they saw the answers, the flawless score marked in bold red ink. Shock rippled through the room.
Still, they couldn’t quite believe it. It was just too far-fetched.
“She must’ve gotten the answers ahead of time,” someone scoffed. “Sure, the Global Harmony Medical Institute exam doesn’t have leaked answer keys, but with Anastasia’s connections-come on, we all know who her family is. With her husband spoiling her rotten, if she wanted an answer sheet, she’d have no trouble getting one.”
The others nodded, murmuring their agreement. No one was willing to take Mr. Jerome at his word.
He argued back, but when it became clear no one would listen, he simply gave up.
The others might think Anastasia had cheated, but Mr. Jerome didn’t believe that for a second. He remembered the clear, unwavering confidence in that young woman’s eyes-it was impossible not to be convinced.
This was not a girl who needed to cheat. This was a star on the rise in the world of medicine.
Now that, he thought, that’s Cecilia’s daughter.
A wave of pride surged through him as he pictured Anastasia stepping into the spotlight she so clearly deserved.
Then his thoughts drifted to Lauren, and he shook his head.
Lauren was a prodigy, no doubt. But compared to Anastasia, she was simply outmatched.
News that Anastasia was going to sit for the Global Harmony Medical Institute entrance exam spread through the medical school like wildfire, the professors passing it around as a punchline. Within hours, all of Fairhaven was buzzing.
Wait, what? Anastasia? She’s taking the Global Harmony Medical Institute exam? Are you kidding me?
You mean that useless Sterling girl? God, can’t she spare us the embarrassment? She’ll probably only manage to write her name, if that!
What on earth got into her? Has she completely lost her mind, running headlong into humiliation like this?
I heard Lauren’s back-that explains everything…
Most people didn’t know that Anastasia was actually the daughter of the legendary healer, Cecilia Brennan, and that Lauren was only adopted. But in Fairhaven’s inner circles, everyone was well aware.
For years, Anastasia had been a running joke-a true daughter of Cecilia, raised into nothing but a disappointment, her rightful place as heir stolen by an adopted girl. If that wasn’t laughable, what was?
Now, hearing that Anastasia was daring to sit for the Global Harmony Medical Institute exam, those in the know couldn’t help but compare the two girls yet again.
Lauren is a bona fide genius-everyone important in the field says so. Anastasia? She must know how hopeless she is. This is just her setting herself up for public humiliation.