Yvonne finally seemed to notice me. She lifted those watery, doe-like eyes and glanced at me timidly.

Her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her expensive dress as she spoke in a soft voice.

"Big sister, if you like my dress, I can ask Mom and Dad to buy you one too. But could you please not wear fake designer brands?

"It really lowers our family's image. If people saw this, they'd think the Brooks family can't even afford to support their adopted daughter properly…"

She trailed off at just the right moment.

But the implication had already landed perfectly: the fake daughter wearing fake luxury goods, desperately trying to compete with the real heiress for attention and affection.

The gazes around me instantly changed.

My classmates looked at me like needles pressing into my skin, filled with scrutiny, curiosity, mockery, and barely concealed delight at the drama unfolding before them.

I could clearly catch the ridicule in their eyes.

The shame burned through my nerves like fire.

Even so, I kept my back straight. My face remained almost unnaturally calm as I slowly pulled out an empty chair and sat down.

Then I picked up my cutleries and quietly continued eating, as though none of this had anything to do with me.

My silence seemed to catch both Aaron and Yvonne off guard, though irritation quickly replaced their surprise.

Aaron cleared his throat and spoke loudly with the air of someone controlling the entire room.

"Today's the day we submitted our university applications. Since everyone's here, why don't we all share where we applied?

"After all, this is going to decide the next four years of our lives, maybe even our entire future."

The barrage of comments exploded again.

[Here it comes! The classic scene! They're about to mock the villain girl in front of everyone for applying to Medford!]

[So ridiculous. I seriously hope she stops acting lovesick for once. Your future matters way more than some guy!]

The moment the topic shifted to university applications, the whole room lit up with excitement.

"I totally overperformed this time. I put Silvercrest University's finance program as my first choice. My dad said it'll help me a lot in the future."

"Damn, I barely made the cutoff and applied for Verdant University's computer science program. I'm praying I don't get bumped down. That's my dream school."

"You guys are all insane. I'm the only one who applied to a local teachers' university. My mom said girls should stay close to home, become teachers after graduation, get a government position, and have a nest egg."

The conversation bounced back and forth around the table.

All the while, Aaron sat there smiling faintly, lightly tapping the table with his fingers, completely confident in himself.

Finally, it was his turn.

Slowly, he reached over and took Yvonne's hand, a carefully crafted smile spreading across his face.

"Yvonne and I…"

He deliberately paused, savoring the attention of the entire room before finally saying, slowly and clearly:

"Since we both exceeded expectations on the exams, we applied to the same university together: Kingston University."

He deliberately emphasized the last four words.

A chorus of shocked exclamations immediately erupted around the room.

"Kingston?! Aaron, that's insane!"

"Yvonne got into Kingston too? That's amazing!"

"You two are seriously the perfect couple. You'll get to stay together at the same university too!"

Praise and congratulations flooded in from every direction.

Yvonne blushed shyly and leaned closer into Aaron's arms, looking completely wrapped in happiness.

Just as everyone was busy congratulating them, Yvonne's gaze cut cleanly through the crowd and locked onto my face.

There was no hiding the malice in her eyes now, nor the excitement of someone about to get exactly what they wanted.

"Now," she said softly, "I think the only person who hasn't shared their application yet… is my sister, right?"

A cruel smile curled across Aaron's lips.

"Guys, Chloe's college application is the real shocker here. Right, Chloe?"

The moment he said that, every eye in the room turned toward me.

Barely able to contain his excitement, Aaron pulled out his phone and held it high for everyone to see.

Displayed on the screen was the edited image I had once sent him.

The application page clearly showed one selected choice:

Medford College.

"Come on, everyone, take a good look!"

His voice dripped with exaggerated mockery.

"Our school's top student, Chloe, turned down actual universities to apply to a prestigious institution instead! Medford College! Hahaha!"

The moment he finished, he burst into loud, arrogant laughter.

The private room fell silent for half a second.

Then the entire place exploded.

"What? Medford? Isn't that the school for chefs?"

"A vocational college? Chloe? No way! She ranked first in every mock exam! She never scored below 700, how could she possibly apply to a vocational college?"

"Oh my god, that gap is insane."

"Tch, I knew something was off. Her grades were way too unreal. Who gets first place every single time? Maybe she…"

A boy wearing glasses pushed them up the bridge of his nose. His voice was quiet, but every word carried clearly across the room.

"Used some kind of trick?"

"You mean cheating?"

Yvonne covered her mouth in fake disbelief, acting as if she had accidentally said something inappropriate.

"Yes! That has to be it!"

"No wonder she always acted so above everyone else. Even after getting top scores, she never reacted. Turns out it was all an act!"

"She's not even the real Brooks family daughter anymore. Without her privilege, her true colors are showing."

"How pathetic. Everything about her was fake. Her identity was fake, her clothes were fake, even her grades were fake…"

"But hey, it's not all bad. Become a good chef in the future, open a breakfast shop or something. As your old classmates, we'll definitely come support you!"

Yvonne stepped forward gently, pretending to defend me.

"Please don't say that about my sister. She's had a hard life too. For a fake daughter to survive in the Brooks family for so many years, she really did try her best."

She walked over and wrapped her arms around me lightly, lowering her voice so only I could hear.

"So what if you lived in this family all these years?

"So what if you grew up with Aaron?

"So what if your grades were good?

"Everything you had only takes me a flick of my finger to steal.

"And you should've crawled back to your slum a long time ago."

Seeing Yvonne 'comfort' me so kindly only made the others despise me more.

The malice surrounding me felt suffocating, like it was about to swallow me whole.

Meanwhile, Yvonne stood there wearing the smile of a victor, enjoying the sight of everyone turning against me.

Just then, my phone rang.

An unfamiliar landline number flashed across the screen. The caller location was clearly marked:

Valerith, the capital city.

I took a deep breath, answered the call, and switched on speakerphone.

The next second, the calm, steady voice of a middle-aged man rang clearly through the private room from my phone's speaker.

"Hello, may I ask if this is Chloe Brooks? This is the admissions office of Westbridge University..."