Chapter 3

The weather was bad on both days that I had my postgraduate entrance exams. It drizzled the whole time.

A crowd gathered outside the exam hall. Parents clutched onto lunchboxes, peering anxiously.

I stood there, alone in the crowd. But I didn't feel the slightest bit of loneliness. After all, I knew I was fighting for myself.

Just as I was about to step into the exam hall, a red Porsche pulled over on the side of the road out of the blue.

The car door opened, and Cordelia emerged from the car, rocking a full face of makeup. On top of that, her designer purse and her big, wavy curls were a complete mismatch with the solemn atmosphere at the exam venue.

Next to her, Nathan held up an umbrella, carefully shielding her with it like an employee attending to his boss. When Cordelia spotted me, her eyes lit up suddenly.

Then, she strutted toward me in her heels. "Well, well. Who do we have here?" she exclaimed, her voice as sharp as nails on a blackboard.

"Did you come here alone? Nathan made the effort to give me a ride here. This is the mark of a responsible man."

Meanwhile, Nathan remained next to her, gazing at her with tender affection. He even gave me a sidelong glance, his eyes brimming with triumph.

I couldn't even be bothered to look straight at them.

"Excuse me. You're in the way."

Cordelia hadn't expected me to brush her off like that. Her expression darkened instantly.

"Kimberly, my advisor actually asked me to come by and help invigilate the exam, so watch it with your attitude. Even if you actually pass the exam—which you won't—you're still just going to be an average Joe.

"You'll end up working for somebody else anyway. Nathan, on the other hand, will soon be a civil servant. He's pretty much set for life in terms of his career."

Just then, Cordelia's phone rang out. So, Nathan jumped in seamlessly to rub it in even further.

"Delia's right, Kimmy. She was just looking out for you. You are too much of a loner, and you will only end up suffering once you get out in the real world. If you back down now, I will put in a word with Delia and get her father to arrange a low-level office job for you."

Did he even hear himself? How had I never realized just how nasty and stupid these two were before?

Cordelia's father was about to be arrested. Yet, she was still trying to lord her authority over me. I let out a cold laugh and stopped in my tracks.

"Nathan, you say you're pretty much set for life in your career. But I reckon you're not."

Nathan's face fell. "What are you trying to say? You're jealous of me, aren't you?"

"Me? Jealous of you?"

This time, I couldn't stop myself from letting out a laugh. "What would I be jealous of? Your prison diet in the future? That you'll be the son-in-law of a prisoner? That people will be talking about you behind your back for the rest of your life?"

"Shut up!" Cordelia suddenly screamed, her voice cracking with hysteria.

Her scream made everyone around her jump, and heads began to turn in her direction. Nathan, too, jumped in fright.

He pulled Cordelia back immediately. "Hey, Delia. What's wrong? Just ignore this madwoman."

Cordelia looked as white as a sheet. Through her trembling lips, she muttered, "Nathan… M-my dad… He just called me."

Nathan's heart sank a little, a sense of dread settling in his gut. "What did he say? Is he taking you on another vacation?"

Cordelia shook her head, and tears began streaming down her face without warning. "No. He t-told me… n-not to tell anyone. He's gonna lay low for a few days because someone reported him…"

An ear-splitting crack of lightning ripped through the sky.

Nathan almost lost his grip on the umbrella in his hand. His face drained of all color instantly. Cordelia's father was lying low for a few days?

He knew all too well what those words implied. His lips quivered. He wanted to say something, but he just couldn't make a sound.

When I saw how pathetic they looked, I felt absolutely thrilled. Karma really was a bitch.

"What's the matter? Are you freezing up already?"

I took a step closer to them, whispering in a voice that only they could hear, "Like I told you, we'll have to wait and see. This is only the beginning."

With that, I strode into the exam hall.

Behind me, I heard Cordelia wailing in devastation, "It's over. It's all over! It's all over for me if my dad goes to prison. What am I to do, Nathan?"

Nathan remained paralyzed on the spot, as still as a statue. I was certain he wasn't thinking about comforting Cordelia, even at a time like this. Instead, he was thinking about his job as a civil servant and whether his job appointment was still on the table.

He was such a pathetic man.

The bell rang out in the exam hall. I took a deep breath and settled down at a desk. As I smoothed out the exam paper before me and browsed through the familiar-looking questions, I felt a sense of ease flow through me.

In this life, victory was mine.