Semua Bab The Scholar and the Mafia Princess: Bab 1 - Bab 9

The day exam scores came out, the entire school was buzzing."Caspian's the national top scorer!"The students around me groaned in frustration. Everyone here had IQs over 140, true prodigies. But like me, we all came from poor families. From first grade, we'd been handpicked for sponsorship.They started with a hundred students, then the first round of selection cut down the numbers after the middle school exams. The state top scorers, along with regional champions, totaled forty. All of us were sent to Crownridge to spend three years at Crownridge High School, sponsored by the Sage family."Even if I had no chance, shouldn't Miles have taken first?" someone muttered. "Did Caspian cheat?""Maybe Aveline helped him behind the scenes! They've been dating secretly since freshman year. Otherwise, how could he score three points higher than Miles?"I glanced at my own score and felt a flicker of doubt. Something didn't add up.Last life, I had scored one point higher than Caspian. T

Aveline stared at me in disbelief before letting out a sharp, mocking laugh. "You? Study abroad? Your dad's broke, your mom's crazy. Where would you even get the money? Are you dreaming?""I'm not dreaming," I said evenly. "You and Caspian are getting engaged soon. My twelve years of standing in your shadow are finally over. I don't need the Sage Group to pay for my tuition. I can earn my own way. And you don't get to question my future anymore."A flicker of panic crossed Aveline's usually cold eyes. She jabbed a finger at my mom, her voice sharp and venomous. "Even if you manage to work your way through college abroad, what about your mom? Who's going to take care of her? Are you planning to throw her into some institution and leave her to rot? From what I know, your dad wouldn't lift a finger.""That's none of your business," I replied coldly.She stepped right up to me, her slender fingers gripping my chin. Her beautiful eyes were sharp and cold, like a snake ready to strike. "

Aveline took the invitation, her body trembling uncontrollably, eyes bloodshot as she stared at it.Clara was the only daughter of Crownridge's most notorious gang, the Dragonclaw Gang.In Crownridge, the Sage family led the law-abiding elite, while the Lark family controlled the criminal underworld—and the two had always been sworn enemies.How on earth did Miles become Clara's fiance?Fuming, Aveline slapped the person in front of her. "Why are you telling me this? I already knew! I don't need you to notify me!"A slow, calm voice came from behind her. "Aveline, is Miles all that important to you?"She looked up at him. "Caspian, I need to ask you something. That day at the hospital, when we were doing that in the patient's room, did you notice Miles' mother climbing onto the balcony?"Caspian, ever the liar, answered without hesitation, "My attention was completely on your beautiful body. Who cares about that crazy woman?"Aveline smiled faintly. "Good."Then, she lifted he

After Aveline left, Clara flopped into my arms, soft and fragrant."Miles, you're not going to forgive her, are you?" she asked.I pressed a kiss to her hair and said firmly, "Of course not. I saved your life, Clara. You owe me a lifetime of repayment."Years ago, Clara had an argument with her father and, out of spite, jumped into the river. She was a strong swimmer but pretended she couldn't move, splashing and crying for help. Unaware of the act, I dove in.In the end, she saved me. And somehow, I got all the credit for heroism.After that, she wouldn't leave me alone, relentlessly chasing me. However, my mind was always on Aveline.The morning the scores were released, Clara discovered I hadn't claimed the top spot. She'd already learned about Tobias and the others' bets—Tobias had put money on me being first, and he lost. Thanks to her one call, I barely survived. Otherwise, I would've been crushed.She even promised to sponsor me for Briarwood University, so I wouldn't emb

The crowd was stunned when a handful of private photos were hurled into their faces. As people picked them up one by one, they froze. The woman in every single picture was Aveline.Evander's face went pale. Realizing his daughter had completely lost control, he rushed onto the stage, grabbed her by the arm, and shouted, "Aveline! Enough of this madness! Are you trying to destroy what's left of our family's reputation? Do you still want anyone to marry you after this?"In the chaos, Tobias tried to slip away, but Clara's bodyguards caught him and tied him up right there in the audience.Moments later, the police arrived. They detained everyone involved—including Aveline, who was charged with disturbing public order.Before they led her away, she signaled to the police that she wanted a word with me. After all, she was from the Sage family, and they donated so much to the city every year, so the officers gave her the courtesy.With handcuffs glinting under the lights, she stumbled