Chapter 105

Carmen’s resentment made Daxton’s heart ache. He longed to comfort her, but reason dictated that he stay behind to investigate who had leaked the information. “Mom, go comfort Carmen now!”

Daxton thought anxiously, “I have to find out who leaked this!”

A venomous glint flashed in Daxton’s eyes.

Alice finally snapped out of her daze and hurried after Carmen. Meanwhile, Daxton went to review the surveillance footage from that day.

Hearing the broadcast announcement, a satisfied smile played at the corners of Aubree’s lips. She thought, “Did Carmen really think she could have all the good things to herself? Not a chance. If you dare to play dirty, you’d better be ready to face the consequences.”

As the judges prepared to present the awards, Aubree finally made her graceful entrance onto the podium. The crowd watching the ceremony was unusually large this time, all drawn there by her presence.

Everyone was dying to see who had fought her way up from the open qualifiers to claim bronze at this international competition.

A person said, “Oh my God! She’s so young! She’s only in high school, right?”

Another said, “If she’s in high school, why didn’t her school nominate her? What kind of idiotic school wouldn’t nurture a prodigy like that?”

Even the judges presenting Aubree with her medal were stunned. How could someone so young win at such a prestigious international math competition?

Some teachers were already scheming ways to poach Aubree.

Aubree found all the attention both amusing and a bit overwhelming. “I never thought I’d actually win bronze,” she mused, “Honestly, I would have been content with just a consolation prize, anything to get noticed. What an unexpected windfall.”

The moment the awards ended, reporters swarmed the three medalists, but nearly all the questions were fired at Aubree.

A reporter asked, “Miss, how old are you? Still in school? With skills like yours, how did you end up competing through the open qualifiers instead of being school-nominated?”

Let alone winning the bronze, even just picking up any award would make her a prized asset, and every high school would treat her like gold.

Not only were the reporters baffled, but the surrounding crowd held their breath, waiting for Aubree’s answer.

Taking the microphone, Aubree replied with composure, “I’m a senior at Rithol High School. There are two reasons I entered the competition through the open qualifiers. First, my school didn’t nominate me. Second, I’m currently suspended.”

The reporters immediately fired off questions. “Being suspended? What exactly was the offense?”

Aubree flashed a faint smile. “Anyone here on Twitter? Do you follow that League of Legends match-fixing scandal a while back? Yeah, that was me. The principal of my school said it was a negative influence and suspended me for a while, so I’ve been staying home. Honestly, I still haven’t heard when I can go back to school.”

The reporters exchanged glances in confusion. “Wasn’t that match-fixing scandal settled ages ago? Why aren’t they letting her go back to school? It’s such a crucial time for seniors,” one of them whispered.

The educators frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

Sensing a potential headline, the reporters pressed on, and Aubree was ready for their questions. “Before high school, I lived in an orphanage. I went through some things, and yes, I’m still an orphan. After transferring to Rithol High School, if you ask about my experience… well, to be honest, it hasn’t been great. Right after I enrolled, I witnessed a female student being bullied into jumping off a building. The teachers barely did anything, and the principal even held a meeting ordering us not to talk about it.

“And after that? Well… I ended up becoming a bullying victim myself.

“My thoughts on the principal? Well, I suppose he has his own… unique perspective, like not telling me when I could return to school. Maybe he thought I looked exhausted and wanted me to ‘rest’ a little longer.”

Aubree’s explosive interview went viral across major news sites. Meanwhile, Will, blissfully unaware in his office, received a phone call.

When the call ended, his face went ashen. He had been suspended pending investigation.

With trembling hands, Will recalled the warning from the call and unlocked his phone. The moment he saw Aubree’s interview, his vision darkened; clutching his chest, his eyes rolled back as he collapsed. He knew his career was over.