Chapter 34 Wade Actually Lied

Kyla had already met Una yesterday at the Porsche dealership, so when Una came out complaining about how impossible the program was, Kyla finally felt a little better.

“Yeah… I’ve definitely been overthinking. Someone like Tilda? No way she can actually pull it off. Her trying so hard will just backfire, turning her into the laughingstock of everyone watching.”

Feeling relieved, Kyla spun around and walked away.

Five more minutes passed, making that 48 minutes now. Just when everyone was certain Tilda had already failed, the door suddenly opened, and Tilda walked out, right beside Shaun.

Shaun’s whole face lit up with pride and joy. “Time: 48 minutes. Congratulations, Tilda! You’ve set a brand-new record. Challenge cleared! From now on, you don’t even need to attend my classes. I’m giving you a perfect score!”

“What?!” The crowd exploded. Except for Una, everyone had thought Tilda was doomed. But no. She’d actually done it. And in only 48 minutes? That was crazy. Not just rare, not just once-in-a-lifetime—she had beaten Wade’s record of 54 minutes by a whole 6 minutes. It was unbelievable.

Wade had already been called the genius of Orica University’s Computer Science department. Professors praised his brains, talent, and sharpness. But Tilda now outshone Wade! It was hard to wrap their heads around.

“Yeah! I knew you could do it, Tilda!” Una jumped up and hugged her tight, her face glowing with excitement.

Tilda smiled softly and ruffled Una’s hair. “I had to win–just to prove you were right about me.”

Truth was, Tilda could've solved Shaun’s program in 20 minutes. This time she didn’t hold back, but she was stuck using the university’s clunky system instead of her own special hacking-repair software. It had slowed her down a lot. That was the only reason it had taken her 48 minutes.

News of Tilda’s victory spread across Orica University like wildfire.

Of course, it reached Clive and Wade too.

“Hahaha! Wade, guess what? Tilda cleared it in 48 minutes! She beat your record by 6 whole minutes!”

Wade froze, his pen slipping right out of his hand. “Th–this can’t be real!” His voice cracked with disbelief.

“Look! Even Professor Manning posted about it. Congrats and everything. You owe me a month of lunches now–no running away!” Clive shoved his phone in Wade’s face before he could argue. On the screen, Manning’s post read, “Proud to introduce, after 20 years of teaching, my most outstanding student yet, Tilda Jenson.”

Two pictures followed. The first showed Tilda, smiling at Una, her face confident and radiant. The second showed the program screen–finished, complete. The timer stopped at 48 minutes. Not a second more, not a second less.

“She really… did it…” Wade whispered, his voice shaking. Even his eyes trembled.

“Wade, looks like your sister isn’t as simple as you keep saying. Honestly? I think I’m starting to like Tilda myself.” Clive dragged a finger slowly across his lips, eyes full of mischief.

Suddenly, Wade shot to his feet and bolted for the library doors.

“Hey! Wade! Where are you going? Wait for me!” Clive didn’t need to guess. There was only one place Wade could be headed–Tilda’s classroom.

Meanwhile, Kyla, on her way back to class, caught wind of the news too. Tilda had passed. And not just passed–she’d broken Wade’s record by six minutes. Her whole face froze.

“Th–this isn’t possible. No way Tilda could’ve done it! She even outdid Wade. It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t even sound real!”

Then came the sound of quick, heavy footsteps. Kyla looked up. It was Wade.

“Wade why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?” Kyla’s throat went dry. She didn’t dare voice her suspicion.

Is he running because he already heard the news? Because he has to see Tilda himself?

“Kyla, don’t you have class right now? What are you doing here?”

“I–I was just heading there.”

“Alright. We’ll talk later. I’ve got something urgent to take care of.” Wade brushed past her, not even explaining, and rushed away faster.

He left Kyla standing frozen, lip caught between her teeth until it hurt.

He lied.

Wade actually lied to me for Tilda, an outsider! He’s never lied to me before.

Tilda… you really think you can steal what’s mine? What rightfully belongs to me?

By the time Wade reached Tilda’s classroom…