Chapter 4

A thunderous roar suddenly came from the sky. Drawn outside by the deafening noise, everyone looked up.

Three helicopters slowly descended. Someone seemed to notice something and pointed at the royal insignia on the helicopters, exclusive to the Alpha King.

They shouted, "Look! Those are the Alpha King's helicopters. They must be here to pick up Jada."

Others exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, I've never seen such a grand display before."

Another responded, "Well, I expected nothing less. Jada ranked first in the werewolf trials. She's the chief advisor personally chosen by the Alpha King. Naturally, she deserves a grand reception."

Everyone talked excitedly among themselves, firmly convinced that Jada had ranked first in the pack's trials. Even Jada hadn't expected the Alpha King to actually send helicopters to pick her up. A trace of bewilderment flashed across her face.

Dozens of reporters from various media outlets swarmed over, raising their cameras and thrusting microphones toward Jada.

They gushed, "Congratulations, Ms. Jada, on becoming the Alpha King's chief advisor. Could you share some of your study methods with us?"

The expression on Jada's face was extremely unnatural, but her guilty conscience was soon concealed by the envious gazes and enthusiastic applause surrounding her.

Holding the microphone, she gave the camera a sweet smile. "I was able to achieve first place in the werewolf trials not only because of how hard I studied, but also because of my family's support."

With tears in her eyes, she looked at our parents and brother behind her, portraying herself as someone who deeply valued her family. "Dad, Mom, Jerome, I never could have achieved what I did today without you. Thank you so much."

Everyone around Jada was moved by her vivid and emotional speech. Even Mom secretly wiped away tears from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, I stood in the corner and watched her performance silently. I wondered just how much longer she could keep up this act.

A reporter turned toward Mom and Dad. "I heard you have two daughters. Why do we only see one of them?"

Mom waved her hand dismissively, her voice carrying a hint of disdain. "My older daughter is lazy and only cares about having fun. Who knows where she's run off to? With her grades, she'll only be able to find some ordinary job at the end of the day.

"She's probably too embarrassed to come out with so many people here. Forget it. Let's not talk about her."

Dad chimed in, "That's right. Our older daughter doesn't talk much and isn't presentable enough for occasions like this. Just leave her be."

Jerome added with a laugh, "Janice can't compare to Jada in grades, looks, or personality. We don't need to worry about her. Jada is the star today."

I was standing in a corner not far behind them. All they had to do was turn around, and they would have seen me.

Nevertheless, they didn't.

In fact, they probably wished deep down that I would stay as far away as possible on occasions like this so I wouldn't embarrass them.

What they didn't know was that for all these years, I had deliberately kept my scores low on every exam. I had done it solely to avoid stealing Jada's spotlight.

I remembered the first exam I took after starting school. I had ranked first, while Jada had ranked dead last. When we got home, she cried to Mom and complained that I had secretly switched our test papers during the exam and that she should have placed first.

Mom, who had always spoiled Jada, believed her without question. She beat me on the spot, pointed at me angrily, and cursed me for being "vicious" and "despicable". It was as though she wanted to hurl every insulting word the world had to offer at me.

After that, she even deliberately stopped me from studying. Every day, she assigned me endless chores on purpose. She was terrified that I might secretly study and surpass Jada.

Eventually, I learned my lesson. From then on, I deliberately ranked last on every exam. That way, Jada wouldn't feel threatened, and Mom stopped deliberately making things difficult for me.

While everyone was talking, the helicopters landed steadily on the lawn in front of the banquet hall. Several guards dressed in royal uniforms stepped out.

They solemnly surveyed the crowd before announcing, "By order of the Alpha King, we are here to escort the person who ranked first in this year's werewolf trials to the Werewolf Administration, where she will serve as the Alpha King's chief advisor."

Mom was so excited that she almost didn't know what to do with herself.

She hurriedly brought Jada before them and said, "She's the person you're looking for."

Feeling too diffident to meet the guards' eyes, Jada could only force herself to say, "Yes, it's me. I'm the one who ranked first in this year's werewolf trials. I'm the Alpha King's chief advisor. Hurry up and take me with you."

The guard didn't do as Jada said. Instead, he took out a file and frowned deeply

He looked at the photograph in the file, then at Jada, who was standing before him. A skeptical expression appeared on his face.

Mom continued urging them impatiently from the side, "What are you waiting for? She's the one who ranked first in the werewolf trials. She's the chief advisor personally appointed by the Alpha King. Why aren't you taking her with you?"

Dad also grew anxious. "She may be wearing some makeup today, but she really is my younger daughter, Jada Spencer."

The guard froze when he heard this.

He put away the file and said with a solemn expression, "I'm sorry, but the person we're looking for isn't Jada Spencer. It's someone named Janice Spencer."