Her son had never spoken up for any woman before.
Gemma was livid. “How dare you talk to me like this? That vixen Luna has turned you against your own mother, hasn’t she?”
Before Gemma could finish, Harrison hung up on her.
He tossed his phone onto the desk, his handsome face radiating a chill that could freeze the room.
Things were always easier when Gemma didn’t bring up Luna.
But the moment she did, doubt came swirling back into Harrison’s mind.
Back on Bellcrest Mountain, he’d given Luna three days to come to the Vaughn estate and pick up her car.
Three days had passed. Luna never showed.
No one had been able to reach her except Adrian.
Harrison issued a terse order to his secretary. “Sell the Nocturne and the Valkyrie in my garage.”
Secretary Burnett stared at him, baffled. “Mr. Vaughn, may I ask why you’re suddenly selling your cars?”
Both vehicles were top–tier, limited–edition supercars–just seeing them in the garage was enough to leave Burnett awestruck.
But Harrison’s expression was stormy. He had no intention of explaining himself. “One more thing. Spread the word that I’m putting those two up for sale.”
He was trying to force Luna out of hiding.
If Luna didn’t show herself to Harrison soon, she’d never have a chance to claim
those cars.
Capital University.
Noon. Five and a half hours remained until the end of the finals.
Selene clicked “submit” on her laptop and raised her hand. “I’m finished,” she told
the proctor.
21:40
Chapt
At her voice, every other competitor looked up in surprise.
The proctor blinked, stunned. “Excuse me? You’re sure you want to turn it in?”
“I’ve answered every question,” Selene replied.
Last time, she’d handed in her answers right at the buzzer–partly because Harrison had delayed her.
Now, after five years away from competition, Selene felt her reflexes had slowed. So, she’d spent the past weeks rigorously training her mind, honing her logic, sharpening her focus. The results spoke for themselves: as long as her thoughts stayed sharp, the answers came faster and faster.
The proctor regarded her with a new level of respect.
Once he confirmed she’d submitted her test, he let her leave the exam hall.
The other contestants exchanged uneasy glances. Selene finishing five hours early put enormous pressure on them. Was the test too easy–or were they just- hopelessly out of their depth?
Wyatt watched Selene stride out with her laptop bag and scoffed inwardly.
She was just trying to play up the “genius” act, he thought. But leaving early meant sacrificing accuracy. He smirked. Even if Selene managed to scrape into the top twenty, he’d make sure she failed spectacularly at the next round.
Selene stepped out of the science building, only to be swarmed by a crowd of reporters who had been waiting for her.
In an instant, they blocked her path.
“Miss Thompson, why did you leave the exam room so early?”
“Miss Thompson, are you withdrawing from the competition?”
“I’ve already submitted my answers,” Selene replied.
“Submitted? That’s impossible! Miss Thompson, are you dropping out?”
These reporters refused to listen to reason, Selene didn’t bother explaining further.
Her test had been livestreamed online, and while viewers couldn’t understand the questions, they’d seen exactly how far she’d gotten.
“Please, let me through,” Selene said, trying to move past, but the reporters kept he
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Chapies T
boxed in.
“Miss Thompson, do you have anything to say about abandoning your husband and child to compete in the math finals?”
Selene paused, startled. A reporter with stained teeth grinned from the bottom of the steps. “We interviewed your son at Charteris Academy. Want to hear what he had to say about you?”
