"What happened?"
"Did he get everything wrong?"
"Why are all the teachers looking at it?"
The girl who had been watching Matthew's paper leaned forward slightly.
Her eyes widened.
Matthew remained seated.
Calm.
Unbothered.
His finger continued tapping lightly against the table.
The teachers looked at the answer sheet again.
Then at Matthew.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
There was something almost unreal about the boy sitting before them.
He looked far too calm for someone whose paper had just caused several experienced teachers to gather around him.
And somehow...
He looked as though he had known exactly what was going to happen.
The teacher stared at Matthew's paper, looking almost personally offended.
"You got ninety-nine. You could have gotten a hundred."
A few students immediately reacted.
"Ninety-nine?" The first girl one of Sophia friends asked shocked
"Seriously?" The third girl that got 55 the second friend of Sophia said
" And he could have gotten a hundred did I hear that well" the first boy asked
"How is it possible Damm if that is just luck I need it" the second girl said
" Sophia got 85 and Matthew got 100 that is a whole big ass gap it seems Sophia would not be holding that first again" the fourth girl said her tone mocking
" What is there to mock about at least Sophia got 85 you that got 70 did Matthew not use a whole 30 mark on you " the foruth Guy said
" For a guy that got 49 Don't you have a lot to say for someone that can be removed any given time I know when to give in when someone is better than me unlike someone who acts like they are above everyone while acting like a fake saint thinking Matthew is relying on luck tsk this is not even the first time " the fourth girl mock.
Sophia expression was still calm with that sweet charming smile on her beautiful face though under her desk her finger had digged deep into her palm.
" You sure he didn't cheat though " the 2nd guy asked.
" Maybe he had done this question before" the third guy said
"Shut up must you guys act in a way that showed how dumb you are who can help spt are you talking againts the school system and security if anyone spies the ai system would detect it immediately it is one thing to lose it is another to be a sore loser " the teacher said then turn to Matthew
"You were so close. How can you fail such a simple question? What is this city's founder's name? It's so easy."
His disappointment was genuine. These questions were being submitted back to the Education Committee, and a perfect score would have earned Matthew a much higher reward.
"Oh, that? I'm not a native of Velmora City, nor am I from this country, so I don't know it," Matthew said.
"Even though no matter which country you're from—Aurelion or any of the other nineteen countries of Elysia—the history of every country, every major city, their founders, and so on is taught throughout all twenty countries. Especially since Aurelion is the capital country, our history is shared among all nineteen other countries. For any citizen of the twenty countries to fail a question like that, they'd have to be terrible at history to the point they would be owing the teacher Mark."
The female teacher glanced over his paper.
"But your history is good."
"But I'm not a citizen of Elysia either. Isn't that obvious? I'm here for a one-year study program, or less," Matthew said.
"Oh, I see." All the teacher said
That actually made sense.
The school had accepted foreign students before, but most of them stayed for no more than three months.
Staying for an entire year required considerably more paperwork, and the student's family usually needed substantial business interests in the country, with a headquarters located there.
For Matthew to be permitted to stay for a year while also having the freedom to leave whenever he wanted spoke of an unusually strong family connection.
Money.
Connections.
And more money.
"Does the school dean know? Or the dean of students? The dean of affairs?" the male teacher asked.
For a foreign student to be admitted was one thing. Allowing that student to join a club that represented the school in national and international competitions was another.
"The school owner made all the information clear to the principal. I was told to spread the information only to the highest authority," Matthew said.
"And the school owner already knows about the clubs and activities I've joined. He wished me luck. If there's anything I missed, you can inform me. I can pass the information to him so he can deal with it." Matthew added
The teachers fell silent.
The school was owned by one person, and all authority ultimately rested in his hands. He was also a core member of one of the Hidden Families.
And according to Matthew, the school owner himself was personally dealing with whatever problems he encountered.
The teacher's thoughts immediately settled on the same three things.
Power.
Connections.
Money.
"Just because you have the school owner's backing, you're still a foreigner," one of the boys said.
"Even with the school owner's backing, joining one of the top schools as a foreigner from another country isn't easy. You'd have to change your identity for that to happen," he continued.
"Don't worry. I have three national citizenships one from the nation I was born the second is here I was raised in and left when I was a child the third is not for you to know. You don't have to worry about how that's possible."
Matthew's voice remained soft, carrying the same elegant warmth as always.
Yet the boredom in his expression made the real meaning obvious.
Back off.
"Since the scores are out, the lesson is done."Matthew stood and walked away.
Sophia lowered her gaze.
She knew exactly what having three national citizenships meant.
Free access to three different nations.
And for someone to possess that kind of privilege, the backing behind them had to be extraordinary.
It wasn't simply about the Gray Families.
This was another level entirely.
Across the roughly 120 countries in the world, only around twenty families or individuals possessed influence powerful enough to extend across an entire nation.
The Nyx family.
The Knight family.
The Voss family.
The Wright family.
The Quinn family.
The Haye family, belonging to Ava and Luis's mother, Emily.
The Bennett family.
The Nathan Empire, belonging to Ava and Luis's father.
The Jackson family.
This are the top ten And a handful of other ten making it twenty.
Sophia's eyes remained lowered.
So then it seems Matthew Carter the Carter family is among them? Does Ava know is that why she is close to him would it not mean that his family is among the top ten if that is the case then....
Her expression remained perfectly calm, giving nothing away about what she was thinking.
Everyone's phone received a notification almost simultaneously.
The school's main group chat had just been updated.
Around the hall, students immediately pulled out their phones. Some were still discussing their club choices, while others had already started scrolling through the flood of messages appearing on the screen.
Then someone sent a video.
Curiosity spread almost instantly.
Students tapped it open.
The video began.
The girl who had disrespected Aiden earlier was on her knees, tears streaming down her face. Her school uniform was disheveled, her lip was split, and bruises covered parts of her face.
Her hands trembled as she picked up the electric clipper Sam had thrown toward her.
"Forgive me… I'm stupid."
Her voice shook.
She pressed the clipper against her hair.
"Forgive me. I'm stupid."
The buzzing sound filled the video as she began shaving her head.
Again.
And again.
"Forgive me… I'm stupid."
Some students stared at their screens in disbelief.
A few lowered their phones.
Some forwarded the videos to their friends as far it didn't go to anyone that wasn't in the school it was fine that was the rules.
Others continued watching with uncomfortable curiosity.
The video suddenly switched.
Her parents and siblings appeared next.
They were dressed only in their underwear, their heads completely shaved as well also kneeling .
Her father, a man who had always carried himself with immense pride, could no longer hold his head up.
His face was a mask of sheer terror and broken pride, tears cutting clean lines through the dirt and blood on his cheeks. He stared blankly at the floor, his shoulders trembling, completely stripped of the power he used to brag about he was dragged out from his company in his presence his company stock almost fell so fast it was bankruptcy at the highest record swallowing the pride he had to drag his wife and son here cause of his stupid daughter.
Beside him, her mother was weeping silently, her hands covering her bruised face in deep shame, unable to bear the camera's gaze she had nowhere to put her face and bruise pride how humiliating it was dragged from her circle of friends in broad daily light slap by her husband and taken here.
The girl's younger brother clench his teeth he was looking at his sister with killing intent his life is completely ruined now how would he countiue to swag around in his school,
The camera moved closer.
"Come on. Come on."
Sam's voice came from behind the camera.
"Look at your family."
The girl continued crying.
"Weren't you bragging about how powerful your family was?"
Sam laughed.
"My family is a Gray Family. So what?"
His voice carried a mocking edge.
"Don't you know that even among Gray Families, there's still a hierarchy?"
He gestured toward her family.
"Look at your family like this. Who's going to respect you in school now?"
He paused.
"From now on, you're an outcast."
Laughter erupted from the group.
Paul, Solomon, Prince, King, and Drake all burst out laughing.
The video switched again.
Aiden was sitting casually on a couch, one arm resting against the backrest. His expression was lazy, almost bored, as though the entire situation had nothing to do with him.
Then the video ended.
For a few seconds, the hall remained strangely quiet.
Then the comments began appearing rapidly.
"Damn, I know her family's main business isn't food and stuff, but is that really what she was bragging about?"
Another message appeared.
"I thought her family was a century-old political family. Or military. Or some old-money business family. Maybe a Nobel connection or strong ties to the underground world. Sigh… I expected more."
Someone else sent:
"Look at her bald head I can see my reflection lol."
" If I had a sister like that I would just kill myself"
" Look at his father small d*CK with a thing like that I suspect the children aren't his "
" Damm I didn't even see that let me go look again someone commented "
"May I not be in a state I drag my family down with me look at the poor mother "
The messages continued flooding the group.
Some students were already using screenshots of the girl's shaved head as stickers.
Others were discussing her family's actual background, while a few simply watched the chaos unfold without commenting.
Matthew's expression didn't change.
He watched the entire video without saying a word.
When it ended, he simply deleted it from his phone.
A new message appeared almost immediately.
Rick: Come to the Activity Hall. The ten groups are submitting the results for the members they've accepted.
Matthew glanced at the message.
Matthew entered the activity hall, and his presence immediately drew attention.
Students were scattered throughout the spacious hall in different outfits, some gathered around the displayed club lists while others sat on the seats arranged around the room, chatting with friends and comparing their choices.
Matthew, however, stood out almost instantly.
He wore a dark charcoal-and-black oversized plaid flannel shirt, left completely open over a loose white crew-neck T-shirt with a small black logo across the chest.
His ultra-wide black track pants flowed almost to the floor, the crisp white side stripes and embroidered "Viro" script making the simple outfit look effortlessly expensive.
White chunky sneakers balanced the oversized silhouette perfectly, while a black leather watch rested neatly around his wrist.
Simple.
Yet fucking irresistible.
Several girls who had been talking near the entrance lowered their voices as he passed. One of them nudged her friend, earning an annoyed glance before the two returned to their conversation.
Matthew ignored all of it.
He walked toward where Rick and Jay were standing beside the Legion Group's membership list.
"Our names were selected," Jay said to
Rick, looking through the list.
Rick leaned closer to inspect it.
The Legion Group already had twenty-five members. Since students weren't allowed to use it as a second choice, the group had already selected its original ten members before opening the remaining fifteen spots.
Matthew searched through the list until he found his own name.
He gave a small nod.
Accepted.
A loud voice suddenly cut through the surrounding conversations.
"The hell? Why am I not accepted?"
A girl pointed angrily at the list.
A few students nearby turned their heads. Others moved closer, curiosity drawing them toward the growing commotion.
"If you're not accepted, go pick another club," a female member with green hair said without looking particularly bothered. She was one of the original ten members and had been scrolling through her phone until the girl's shouting interrupted her.
"Do you think the Legion Group is somewhere you can stand around yelling like a monkey?"
Her pink-haired friend let out a quiet chuckle.
The rejected girl glared at them.
"Hey! My name isn't here. Why isn't my name here? My family standing and everything else fit the requirements!"She jabbed a finger toward the list.
"You weren't accepted. It's a simple fact. Even a baby understands that," the pink-haired girl replied lazily. "There are twelve boys and thirteen girls. The original ten members, including me, are already counted among them, and we only selected three additional girls."
She shrugged.
"So you weren't picked. Tough luck."
The girl's expression darkened.
"Do you know who I am? My sister is lora The Lora from the Ford family. Sophia's best friend. One of the top six students you shouldn't cross."
She stepped forward.
"Are you sure you want to get on my bad side?"
The green-haired girl's eyes narrowed.
"Are you threatening me?"
Before the girl could respond, another voice interrupted.
"She's not simply stating a fact."
The crowd shifted as another girl walked through them.
She had blonde hair, and the students instinctively made room for her.
"Why not remove someone and add her in?" the blonde girl said. "I know the rules. As for whoever made this group, they probably forgot about it anyway."
She smiled faintly.
"I'm the second-in-command, so what I say goes."
The green-haired girl's expression turned amused.
"Since when were you made second-in-command?"
The blonde girl's smile stiffened.
"I don't understand how someone can use another person's influence and reputation while still being proud enough to show it off." The green hair girl said.
Her friend standing beside her tugged lightly at the hem of her dress, silently urging her to stop while almost bursting out laughing.
The blonde girl ignored her.
"Leave some of the new members. You know all twenty-four of them have more influence than you."
She pointed toward the newer members.
"Get out and make room for her."
The rejected girl immediately pointed toward Matthew.
"Let him leave."
Several heads turned.
Matthew was standing a short distance away with Rick and Jay, his expression completely indifferent.
The blonde girl looked him up and down.
"You picked him because of his looks, didn't you?"
She looked toward the green-haired and pink-haired girls.
"He's a new student. He's only been here for a month. Leave while you can. I'm doing this for your own good."
"No."
Matthew's answer came without hesitation.
He didn't even look particularly interested in the argument.
Backing down would only make him an easier target, and Matthew had no intention of wasting his time dealing with people who mistook silence for weakness.
The blonde girl's eyebrows lifted.
"What did you say?"
"Are you deaf too?" Matthew asked calmly. "I said no."
A few students nearby covered their mouths to hide their laughter.
Rick stepped forward with a mocking smile.
"Back off. This is a group made for students to have fun, not somewhere for you to throw your pride as fat your body weight Fuck off."
His tone was so sweet that several students burst out laughing.
The blonde girl's face flushed.
Then another voice came from somewhere within the crowd.
"Joining the group is based partly on family status, right? Has anyone even heard of the Carter family before?"
(Sorry for late update guys but as I said since I didn't post yesterday I posted it today so this is today's own making it two chapters bye👋)