Kingswood University. Imperial Heights. Looking at the search results glaring back from her screen, Queenie's grip on her phone tightened. Her gaze drifted out the car window, lost in deep thought.
Meanwhile, at Imperial Heights. After returning home, Charlotte had drifted into a deep sleep. By the time she finally woke up, the sky outside had already turned dark.
She casually grabbed her phone from the nightstand and reconnected to the Wi-Fi. Just as she expected. Within ten seconds, an overwhelming flood of news alerts and messages swarmed her notifications.
After firing off quick replies to The Gates Family and The Blair Family, Charlotte skimmed through the rest and tossed her phone back onto the bed. Only then did she realize Anthony was nowhere to be seen.
Frowning slightly, she threw off the covers, slid her feet into her slippers, and headed downstairs.
"Charlotte, you're awake!" Helen greeted her cheerfully, immediately bringing over a slice of sugar-free cake. "Anthony just took a call. He should be in the study handling some business right now. Have a little cake to tide you over; dinner will be ready soon."
"Mhm." Charlotte took the plate with a faint smile. "Thank you."
She strolled outside into the garden, taking leisurely bites of her dessert. The rose bushes, maintained by a professional landscape architect, were blooming beautifully.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the main gates.
"What's going on?" Charlotte asked, taking a sip of water as she looked over. Two bodyguards were marching a slender girl toward her.
"Charlotte," one of the guards said respectfully. "We caught someone sneaking around."
"I've been obsessed with medicine since I was a little kid. But my family was completely broke, so after middle school, I couldn't afford to continue my education. That was until a few years ago when I was discovered by the Aurelia conglomerate. That's when I first encountered your research."
"I respected your academic brilliance and your vision. Your spirit deeply inspired me." As she spoke, Queenie sneaked another look at Charlotte, her tone ringing with absolute sincerity. "When I found out that Aurelia wanted to use me to infiltrate the medical association just to target Eldoria... I made a decision right then and there. I decided to play along and use them as a stepping stone to get into the association. I saw you as my ultimate role model. I wanted to improve myself and genuinely contribute to the medical field."
She knew that if she could secure the president's seat, she could stop Aurelia's malicious plans from succeeding.
Charlotte narrowed her striking eyes, studying Queenie with sudden interest. She seemed to be weighing the credibility of the girl's dramatic confession.
"Also..." Queenie bit her lip and lowered her voice. "The reason I was so hostile to you in the hallway earlier was because you confidently declared you were going to snatch the president's seat."

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