Chapter 5

Just like the day before, Antonia chose to endure. Sitting at her isolated desk in her stained, uncomfortable uniform, she tuned out the lingering whispers and the cruel stares of her classmates.

She focused entirely on the podium, writing down every single lesson and listening carefully to the discussion, ensuring she wouldn't miss a single important detail.

She fixed her mind entirely on her most valuable goal—the very reason she was there in the first place. She refused to quit or let the bullying break her.

In her mind, she kept repeating a single comforting truth: Everything has to end soon.

She just needed to endure a little bit more for her family, for her dreams, and for her future. She firmly believed that for every hardship and piece of hard work, there would always be a reward.

Soon, she would gain the biggest reward of her life—lifting her family out of poverty and achieving the success she rightfully deserved.

No amount of wealth or power from Portia could ever strip away her determination to survive.

When the midterm results were posted on the department bulletin board, Antonia’s name sat proudly at the very top of the freshman list with a perfect GPA.

Portia stared at the paper, her manicured nails digging into her palms. She realized with absolute fury that physical humiliation and social isolation were doing nothing to stop Antonia.

The eggs, the water, the disgusting rumors—none of it had broken the freshman's focus. If anything, the bullying had only driven Antonia to study harder, cementing her place as the university's top scholar.

Recognizing that her current methods were failing, Portia decided to change her tactics. Crude pranks weren't going to work on a girl fueled by survival. She needed to strike where it would hurt Antonia the most: her scholarship.

The next day, the atmosphere in the lecture hall shifted from hostile to strangely quiet. When Antonia walked in, her desk was perfectly clean.

No paint, no water, no insults on the board. Instead, Portia was already seated at the front, watching her with a calm, chilling smile that was far more dangerous than her usual arrogant smirk.

Instead of turning the students into a violent mob, Portia began using her wealth to play a psychological game.

She used her family’s massive influence on the university’s administration to subtly alter the rules.

Later that afternoon, Antonia received an urgent email from the Scholarship and Financial Aid Office. The criteria for retaining her full academic scholarship had suddenly been changed, effective immediately.

The required maintaining grade had been raised to an nearly impossible standard, and her category now required a mandatory "community contribution" endorsement—a signature from the student council, which was entirely controlled by Portia and her elite inner circle.

Portia had stopped trying to break Antonia's spirit; now, she was using her institutional power to systematically trap her, forcing Antonia to choose between her pride and her family's future.

Antonia squeezed the printout of the new scholarship guidelines in her hand, her knuckles turning white.

She knew exactly whose signature she needed, and she wasn't about to let her family's future be stolen by a rigged system. Without hesitating, she marched straight to the student council office.

She pushed the double doors open to find Portia lounging in a plush leather chair, sipping an iced latte, surrounded by her usual entourage.

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence," Portia mocked, not even bothering to look up. "Lost your way to the cafeteria, freshie?"