Chapter 363

The air in the room grew thick with tension as Harrison Whitaker responded without so much as glancing at the man who had spoken.

"What do you think?"

The man faltered, his confidence wavering.

What kind of answer was that? He had already voiced his opinion—wasn’t that what Harrison had asked for?

"Are you certain of your conclusion? Or is it merely an assumption?"

Harrison’s words left the room in a state of bewilderment. Murmurs spread as people exchanged confused glances.

"Judging by the answer sheets, quite a few of you shared the same opinion, didn’t you?" he pressed.

Silence.

The earlier heated arguments had already made it clear—there was no need to revisit the answer sheets.

Disagreement ran deep.

"And what about the rest of you?"

After one final round of questioning, Harrison straightened. "Let’s announce the results."

The examiner beside him gave a respectful nod before stepping forward. Ten names would be called.

Starting from tenth place.

Evelyn Carter’s breath hitched when Julian Mercer was announced as the second-place winner. She turned, meeting his gaze.

Julian was already looking at her. A faint, knowing smile curved his lips, his expression radiating quiet confidence.

As the ninth through second-place winners were named, the tension in the room became palpable. Only one spot remained—first place.

Success or failure hinged on this moment.

Then—

"Evelyn Carter."

A ripple of shock tore through the crowd.

"Her?! That’s impossible!"

Whispers erupted like wildfire.

Disbelief. Outrage. Skepticism.

Voices overlapped, hushed but sharp.

"The competition has been running for years—there’s never been anything this suspicious!"

"Didn’t she befriend Harrison’s daughter? This reeks of favoritism."

"Was she given the answers beforehand?"

"Why even hold a competition if the outcome is rigged?"

Nearly every face in the room twisted in resentment. None of them believed Evelyn deserved this.

None of them could accept that she—her—had bested them.

Then, a hand shot up.

"I challenge these results!"

Even with Harrison present, even knowing the decision was final, the man couldn’t contain his fury.

His finger jabbed toward Evelyn.

"Explain how she could possibly take first place. What makes her better than us? If this is fair, then prove it—otherwise, this competition is a sham!"