Chapter 3

The comments called me a graduate from some no-name college, but in my last life, I had built the most advanced AI robotics company in the country and led the industry for decades.

I packed up my bag and got ready to leave.

Suddenly, the back door of the classroom slammed open with a loud bang.

A girl with a high ponytail burst inside. The metal studs on her black leather jacket scraped against the doorframe with a sharp clatter. A few streaks of pale gold hair slipped loose from her ponytail and swayed beside her face like flickers of sunlight, drawing attention to the small beauty mark under her eye.

It was Laura, the rebellious girl Horace had called his "true love" in my last life.

Her lashes trembled, fierce and angry, like a cornered animal ready to strike. She marched straight toward Horace.

"Horace! What the hell? Yesterday, you were holding me, saying we'd drop out and go build our own life. You said these damn schools weren't good enough for us. And now you're accepting Ashford University's admission? Were you just playing me?"

The whole classroom exploded in noise.

Every pair of eyes turned to Horace.

His face turned ghost white. The confidence and pride he had shown earlier vanished instantly, replaced by embarrassment and panic after being exposed in front of everyone.

He took an instinctive step back and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Laura laughed sharply, furious.

She suddenly kicked the empty desk beside mine. The crash echoed through the classroom, and the room went dead quiet.

She pointed straight at Horace, her hand shaking.

"You liar! You said we were leaving together. Now, you're betraying me for Sharon, aren't you?"

The more she spoke, the angrier she became. She lifted her leg and swung it toward Horace, as if she was about to kick him.

"Stop!"

A cold, clear voice cut through the room.

Sharon had appeared at the doorway without anyone noticing.

She rushed forward in a few quick steps and immediately placed herself in front of Horace, shielding him with her body as she blocked Laura. Her gaze was sharp, carrying the kind of quiet pressure only someone at the top of the class could give.

"What are you doing? We're at school!"

"Sharon!" Horace stood behind her, looking at her with soft eyes, almost basking in the protection she was giving him.

Seeing that only made Laura angrier. She pointed at Sharon and started yelling.

"You little pick-me! Horace only got tricked by your looks! Move!"

She tried to push past Sharon to grab Horace.

The whole scene turned chaotic.

Sharon blocked Laura while still shielding Horace behind her. The struggle went on until a teacher finally rushed over and broke everything up.

Sharon was still quietly comforting Horace when her eyes drifted across the mess in the classroom.

In the scuffle, my desk had been knocked slightly crooked. On the edge of the desktop was a small doodle I had drawn earlier out of boredom, a simple butterfly.

The lines were rough, but somehow stubborn.

Sharon's gaze lingered on it. Her brows slowly drew together in confusion.

"I feel like I've seen this butterfly somewhere before…"

Her voice was soft, but Horace, standing right beside her, heard every word. His whole body stiffened.

He followed her gaze, and when he saw the butterfly, a surge of panic seized him instantly.

In his last life, it was this "fake" he had never taken seriously who eventually took everything from him, including Sharon.

"Let's go, Sharon!" Horace practically barked the words, cutting off Sharon's thoughts.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door, desperate to end any chance of her paying attention to me.

The floating comments had briefly paused during the chaos, but now, they flooded the screen again.

[Damn, that troublemaker girl is completely unhinged. Horace, run!]

[Sharon is amazing. Total protective girlfriend energy. I love this!]

[Wait a second. Sharon just looked at Brian's desk and said the butterfly seemed familiar. What's that about? Did they know each other before?]