Under the Heiress' Facade

Did Hera hand in a blank paper again?

Disbelief contorted Cindy's face. Was Hera truly serious about taking this examination?

Two invigilators monitored the room-Josh Garner and Kyson Middleton from Cavenridge. They represented the prestigious schools. Neither anticipated a student turning in their paper after a mere half-hour. Josh recognized Hera and groaned.

Blank paper or random scribbles, it was always the same old story for Hera's exam papers. He'd heard all about the school's hotshot cheater who bombed the midterms.

Why did Robert even let her take the test? Slackers like her just messed with everyone else and wasted paper.

However, Kyson saw Hera differently. He had spotted her at the opening ceremony and thought she was gorgeous. Now, seeing her ditch early, he wondered if she was some kind of genius who aced the test in record time!

The pre-university examination was notoriously difficult due to the collaboration between prestigious schools. They had never seen a student submit early before.

Completing exams early wasn't uncommon, but students would meticulously review answers to avoid mistakes. Yet, this enigmatic beauty surrendered her paper after a mere half hour!

Finally, when the examination was over and the exam hall emptied, Kyson eagerly retrieved Hera's paper.

Meanwhile, the school forum erupted in a frenzy.

"Hera submits paper early in a shocking move!"

"Witnessed by peers, she even borrowed a pen for the exam!"

"No doubt she either chickened out and handed in a blank paper or just went for random guesses."

"Place your bets, folks! One-to-one odds! Did Hera turn in a blank sheet or blindly bubble in answers?"

"A hundred bucks on she did it randomly!"

The stakes escalated quickly, with bets rising from five hundred on a blank paper to a thousand, then five thousand, and finally, a daring ten grand on her randomly answering.

Gino was in Grade 1 of Class A at the elementary school. He was glued to his screen, seeing the forum post on Hera explode with over a thousand comments. The vast majority, exceeding seven hundred, bet on a blank paper while the rest scattered their bets on her giving random answers.

A few voices dared to defend Hera, but they were swiftly drowned out by the betting frenzy.

Adding fuel to the fire was Gino's arch-nemesis, Jefferson Becker. This infuriating individual had placed a hefty bet of fifty grand covering both options!

To make matters worse, Jefferson sauntered over to Gino after placing his bets, a mocking glint in his eyes.

"Why not ask your country bumpkin sister, Gino? See if she gave a blank paper or just guessed wildly? Maybe you could even place a bet yourself and earn some pocket money."

"Have you forgotten, Jefferson? The Everetts went under a while back. No pocket money for our friend here," Jefferson's sidekick interjected with a smug grin.

"Right, that slipped my mind for a moment." Jefferson chuckled unconvincingly.

With a mocking flourish, he waved a hundred-dollar bill in front of Gino, like a juicy bone tempting a hungry dog. "Need a loan, country bumpkin? Win this bet, and it's on the house." Gino's expression darkened. "Get lost!"

His anger flared, threatening to boil over into a fight. Thankfully, Xyla, his deskmate, reacted quickly and grabbed his arm before things escalated.

Still fuming, Gino snatched his phone and furiously typed out a new post.

"One million dollars on a third option! Hera aced the examination!"

While Gino harbored doubts about Hera's academic prowess, he couldn't tolerate Jefferson's taunts.

It wasn't about winning the bet; it was about pride. After all, who else would have his sister's back if not him?