The Bride Who Said No: Escaping the Shadows of Yesterday

The report card made it crystal clear-Freya's test score was a big, round zero.

Luna was dumbfounded when she saw it. How in the world did Freya get a zero?

She remembered glancing over at Freya several times during the exam, and Freya was writing away like there was no tomorrow. Even if she did poorly, a zero just didn't add up. Especially since Freya had aced the first day of exams. How could her grades take such a nosedive overnight?

Something was off. Way off.

Luna didn't hesitate and called Freya right away, her voice full of urgency, "Freya! Did you see your test score? How did you end up with a zero? Did you turn in a blank sheet or what?" On the other end, Freya had already checked her results online.

Zero? It seemed Eloise was hell-bent on not letting her graduate. But maybe this was for the best. It proved her suspicions were right.

Meanwhile, over at The Sutton Group headquarters.

Kieran got wind of Freya's test score pronto.

He had seen Freya's answers for the second day. She nearly had a perfect score. Zero was out of the question.

"Jarrett, call the principal."novelbin

"Yes, Mr. Sutton."

Without missing a beat, Jarrett dialed the principal's number.

When the principal saw it was Jarrett calling, a wave of panic washed over him, assuming Kieran was on the warpath about Eloise.

He picked up immediately, addressing the caller, "Jarrett, does Mr. Sutton need me for something?"

""Are you aware?"

Jarrett was gearing up for a lengthy explanation, but the principal seemed to catch on quicker than expected.

Before Jarrett could even lay out the situation, the principal blurted out, "About Ms. Harwood's issue, we're.

already on it. Please assure Mr.

Sutton that Ms. Harwood won't face any undue hardship at our

nstitu

But if the Department of Education starts snooping around, Mr. Sutton might need to intervene."

Caught off guard, Jarrett asked, "Ms. Harwood? What happened with Ms. Harwood?"

The principal was equally stunned, "Isn't Mr. Sutton having you call about Ms. Harwood's cheating scandal? I thought..." Hearing this, Kieran's face darkened.

“What's going on? Explain. Now." Kieran grabbed the phone, his voice ice-cold, "Why did Freya get a zero on her second exam? And what's this about Ellie cheating?"

"A zero? Impossible! I've reviewed the paper myself! While it wasn't perfect, it was certainly above average!"

The principal, now sounding a bit

sheepish, added, "As for Ms.

Harwood... Well, her answers from the first day's exam matched the marking scheme too closely, leading to rumors spreading. The school forum was ablaze with it yesterday. But rest assured, Mr. Sutton, I've managed to quell the situation. It

should be fine..."

Kieran's tone grew even colder, "And you're telling me this now because?"

"I, uh, thought you knew, considering Ms. Harwood would have informed you..." The principal was at a loss for words.

"Send me Ellie's second exam paper. Now!"