Return of The Alpha Heiress-Chapter 50: Clarissa – First Place

Richard told me about a company called FrostAe. It was an ae-device production company and one of the newer companies at the Black Pack.

The office here was only a branch. The headquarters was located in the capital city.

FrostAe was aggressively recruiting talented ae-engineers and was also willing to produce ae-devices created by independent engineers, as long as the device itself was good.

To be honest, my confidence surged immediately.

I could already imagine breaking free from the Green family, earning my own capital, and maybe even joining FrostAe as an ae-engineer after graduation.

"Thank you, Richard." My eyes nearly closed as I smiled, overwhelmed with happiness.

After asking a bit more about FrostAe, I excused myself since I needed to go to class.

I was so excited that I forgot my scarf. Richard chased after me outside.

"You get cold so easily. Don’t ever forget your scarf, gloves, and earmuffs," he said, sounding exactly like a mother lecturing her child while putting them on me.

I looked up at his taller figure, nodded, and smiled widely, still riding the wave of happiness from earlier.

Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed my lips.

Peck.

I froze.

Now it was his turn to grin, showing his neat row of teeth. "Go on. You’ll be late for class."

He turned me around, and I walked away like a robot. I could still hear his annoying laughter behind me.

My face was no longer cold. It was burning hot.

When I heard the click of the door closing, the tension slowly faded. My heartbeat finally began to calm down.

And soon, happiness filled me again, knowing the shifter’s aide could be produced after all.

Not far away, Selene and her two friends were standing in front of another room. It seemed to be theirs.

They looked at me with sneers.

Normally, I would ignore them. But since I was in a good mood, I felt like giving them a little spoiler.

"You think I’m a device thief, right?" I said arrogantly. "During the exam, I’ll show you just how good I am at stealing ranks."

Being arrogant once in a while shouldn’t hurt.

After flaunting my confidence, I walked away with a wide smile.

I would show them my true ability. Over the past few months, I had worked incredibly hard to catch up.

Being ranked last on the first quiz was the only time my name ever sat at the bottom.

That would never happen again.

And I truly proved it.

Two weeks later, on the last day before winter break, the exam rankings were announced.

My name stood at first place, surpassing all the best-class students who had belittled me and insulted me whenever they pleased.

Second place was Adrian. The usual top ranker had been pushed down because of me.

Third was Selene. Fourth and fifth were her friends.

Shannon was ranked sixth.

"Not a bad result," I murmured.

The best-class students nearby glared at me.

I didn’t care.

I contacted Richard through the com-orb and told him my ranking. He was happy and asked to meet so he could give me a reward.

But I knew he would do something strange again, so I refused to meet him.

Since I still lived at home instead of the dorms, I could go straight back without packing anything.

On my way to the front gate, I ran into Nadia. It had been a long time since I last saw her. I didn’t have any close friends in class anymore.

"You packed fast," I said, scanning her suitcase and bag.

"I packed last night. I just want to go home. Rankings don’t matter to me," she replied.

I chuckled softly and nodded.

She seemed to recall something. "I heard the best class isn’t very friendly?"

She clearly knew what had happened there but deliberately toned it down.

I nodded.

"Then what about Adrian?" she asked.

I frowned, confused. "What about Adrian?"

Before she could answer, her father arrived, and she had to leave immediately.

After the Green family’s driver arrived, I stopped thinking about her question.

Larry was in the car. I hadn’t seen Shannon in class earlier and didn’t know where she was. As for Edwin, I didn’t care at all.

"Shannon and Edwin went home earlier in another car. Shannon is sick," Larry said without being asked.

"Sick with what?" I asked anxiously.

"I don’t know yet."

When we arrived home, Luna Eileen had prepared a large dinner. She said Alpha Will would be coming home today.

I shivered. The last time I was in the same house as him, something terrible happened.

Almost as soon as she said it, footsteps echoed from the front entrance. Luna Eileen hurried over with a wide smile. Alpha Will rarely came home, so his arrival made his Luna unusually cheerful.

Larry and I followed behind her. Not to welcome him, but because it was the same direction as the stairs to the second floor.

Shannon was coming down from upstairs, her face pale and her eyes red, filled with tears. I was about to approach her and ask how she was when—

Alpha Will’s voice boomed from the front.

I turned.

He was walking straight toward me, his face filled with rage. Behind him was Darren, equally furious.

A bad sense of deja vu washed over me. ’He’s not going to slap me again, right?’

But—

SMACK!

It happened again.

I didn’t fall because Larry, standing behind me, caught my body.

That bastard Alpha began shouting accusations at me.

"Stop embarrassing this family, you trash!"

"How dare you cheat and do unethical things just to get first place?!" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"You even bragged to people that you would steal others’ answers!"

"You seduced Alpha Harry’s son and used him! If the cooperation with the Black Pack is damaged, or worse, if it affects Adrian and Shannon’s engagement, I will not let you off!"

He pointed at my face, releasing pressure from his wolf, freezing my body and stealing my voice.

Maybe what I did with Richard was slightly wrong. He had been kind to me, and from an outsider’s view, it might look like I was using him.

But cheating?

That was absolutely not true.

I didn’t know where the strength came from, but I managed to speak.

"I didn’t cheat at all. That first place is the result of my hard work!"

Suddenly, Darren shouted from behind Alpha Will.

"Shut up, Clarissa!"

...