Chapter 2

We headed straight for Patricia, still holding onto a glimmer of hope. After all, Patricia always seemed fair and responsible, and she'd even been voted the most beloved advisor this year.

When we knocked and walked in, Patricia was busy with some paperwork. She looked up and greeted us with a gentle smile, then invited us to sit down. She thoughtfully handed each of us a cup of water.

"Olivia, Emily, Chloe, I know you're here for the scholarship, right?" Patricia said with a sigh, her tone full of sympathy.

"I've looked over your grades. You three are definitely the top students in your major. Honestly, I feel sorry for you about how things turned out."

Olivia pushed up her glasses and spoke in a steady voice. "Ms. Thompson, Victoria and the other two students are way below us in the overall ranking.

"Swapping our spots like this totally breaks the rules. We hope the school can look into this again and put the original list back up."

Emily's voice was cold and blunt as she went straight to the heart of the matter. "We suspect there's been some shady manipulation with it. Victoria's taking advantage of her father being a board member to force the results."

I nodded, backing her up. "She confessed right in the dorm room that she replaced us on the list, and even threatened us if we spoke up."

Patricia's smile faded a bit as she tapped her fingers on the desk. She let out a sigh, looking genuinely troubled. "I know it's tough, kids. You worked your tails off for those grades. It's never easy. But sometimes, grades alone don't decide everything."

She paused and looked at us with a meaningful expression. "Victoria's father sits on the school board, and a lot of our projects depend on their backing. I'm sure you get what I'm saying."

Olivia frowned slightly. "Ms. Thompson, rules are rules. They shouldn't be bent just because of someone's connections or status. Haven't you always stood for fairness and integrity?"

"Rules are just guidelines. People make the real choices." Patricia's face grew stern with her tone turning cold. "Let me be straight with you. This whole thing was a directive from above. I'm simply following orders."

She gazed over the three of us with pressure completely undisguised. "You can't go against the powers that be. If Victoria wants the scholarship, it will serve you right to leave it to her.

"If you cooperate, I can look out for you at school. So, what do you say?"

Seeing our cold, unyielding expressions, Patricia dropped all pretense. She leaned forward with a blatant threat. "Don't mistake kindness for weakness. No matter how good your grades are, you're just ordinary students. Going up against the board member's daughter will only end badly for you.

"Even if you raise hell with the dean or the principal, it won't change a thing. I've made sure every step is airtight on paper, and everything looks perfectly legit. No one can find a single flaw.

"You'd better do as you're told. As your advisor, it'd be my pleasure to make sure you never graduate. Forget about the scholarship; you may not even get your diploma. Is it really worth destroying your future over this?"

She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, looking like she had this whole thing in the bag. "A wise person knows when to back off. Don't gamble your future on pride. It's a bet you can't win."

After hearing all that, we glanced at each other with no fear in our eyes, but icy, sarcastic grins. It turned out that fairness and justice crumbled when faced with real power.

We walked out without wasting another word on Patricia. If they wanted to bully us with their connections, we'd make sure to give them a run for their money.

Olivia whipped out her phone, opened the chat with William Grant, and started typing: [Dr. Grant, you said you'd give my school exchange spots for my sake. Just cancel it. I'm really disappointed in the way things work here.]

William controlled the school's most coveted international exchange slots. The university would move mountains to keep him close.

As soon as Olivia sent the message, William called her with fury. "Olivia, don't worry. I'll cancel it right away. Let's see if this school still gives a damn about its own rules. And if you want, I can get you straight into my grad program."

"Thanks, Dr. Grant. I'll seriously consider it." After hanging up, Olivia looked up, her gaze steady and cool behind her glasses.