Chapter 137 Molly is Moved

Thea's speech wrapped up, and the crowd burst into applause. She stepped off the stage with a graceful smile and beamed at Maria. "I did it! Good luck, Maria."

Maria smiled back and walked up to the stage with a natural ease. As soon as she was up there, Thea noticed a familiar piece of paper in her bag. It was Maria's speech notes. Why didn't she take them?

Panic set in as Thea grabbed the notes, intending to rush them to Maria. But as she unfolded the paper, she saw it was covered in black scribbles, clearly defaced on purpose.

Thea was both anxious and furious. Maria's speech notes had been prepared in the design department, and everyone there knew they were going to the university for a presentation. Thea had a reasonable suspicion that someone from the department had sabotaged Maria's notes.

Didn't they realize this presentation was to recruit new talent for the design department? Or did they think that if things went wrong, the blame would fall solely on her and Maria? The more Thea thought about it, the angrier she became. She snapped a photo of the defaced notes and sent it to the design department's group chat, directly informing Joe.

If they were going to scheme behind their backs, she wouldn't hesitate to inform their leader. After all, messing with Maria was like messing with her.

Having done that, Thea watched Maria nervously as she stood on stage empty-handed. She resolved that if the presentation went south, she would share the responsibility with Maria. But as soon as Maria began speaking, her smooth delivery and engaging anecdotes replaced Thea's worry with a smile.

She knew Maria wouldn't fail. They were both going to succeed.

The presentation ended with thunderous applause. Maria smiled slightly and stepped off the stage, where Thea was waiting to greet her with unabashed praise. "You were amazing, Maria! You're incredible. I saw your speech notes—they were definitely sabotaged by those people in the department. I already sent it to the group chat."

Thea's face was full of righteous indignation. Maria smiled, not particularly bothered. Even if they investigated, what difference would it make? Their goal was to ruin the presentation, but they underestimated her resilience. Still, she appreciated Thea's support. As they chatted, the professor on stage began discussing Luminex Innovations' design department recruitment.

Maria and Thea pulled out QR codes for the recruitment brochure, encouraging students to scan and fill out their information. They stayed busy at the university until noon, politely declining the professor's lunch invitation. After packing up, they headed to the campus cafeteria. Dressed simply and wearing light makeup, they blended in perfectly with the students around them. Each went to pick out their favorite food.

Maria had just found a table after getting her food when she overheard a conversation about Molly.

"Molly's such a bitch, using some trick to hook up with Shawn. How dare she try to steal Shawn from Shirley? Shirley, should we teach her a lesson?"

Several girls looked at the tall girl in the center, Shirley Smith. Shirley was dressed in the latest designer outfit, her face full of arrogance. "Do whatever you want, just don't let Shawn find out."

The girls nodded eagerly. Maria's heart sank. Since picking up Kelly, she hadn't contacted Molly, not wanting to disturb her while she prepared her thesis. And wasn't Molly dating Clifford? Who was this Shawn?

"Maria, what's wrong? Why did you get so little food?" Thea interrupted Maria's thoughts, carrying a tray loaded with dishes.

Maria blinked in surprise at the array of plates on Thea's tray. "Thea, can you really eat all this?"

Thea laughed sheepishly. "It's been a while since I ate at a campus cafeteria. I got carried away. Besides, you can help me."

Maria met Thea's pleading eyes and sighed. "Thea, alright. I need to make a call."

Thea didn't ask who she was calling, respecting the boundaries between friends.

Maria stepped out of the cafeteria and called Molly. The phone showed it was in use, so she hung up and sent Molly a message before returning.

Thea was happily munching on fried chicken, her eyes sparkling. She waved Maria over. "Maria, come try this cheese fried chicken. It's delicious!"

Maria, preoccupied, only managed to eat two pieces before losing her appetite. Thea noticed and hesitated. "Maria, what's wrong?"

Maria thought for a moment and decided there was no point in hiding it. She told Thea what she had overheard. "Molly is my sister."

"Your real sister?" Thea's eyebrows furrowed. When Maria nodded, Thea's eyes lit up. "Maria, is Molly as pretty as you? Since you're sisters."

Maria paused, immediately guessing Thea's intention. "Molly probably won't agree to be your model."

Thea wasn't disappointed and smiled. "That's okay. You never know."

She gave Maria a playful wink. "I have you, and that's enough."

Maria fell silent, not wanting to discuss it further. Thea remembered Maria mentioning someone wanting to cause trouble for Molly. "Maria, I don't think telling Molly will solve the problem. That Shirley girl must come from a good family, and her friends are loyal to her. They're ruthless. You said Molly has a boyfriend. How is he?"

"He's good to Molly." Maria didn't know much about Clifford, only that he treated Molly well.

"What's his name again? Clifford? From the Perez family?" Thea's expression changed, but before Maria could ask, her phone rang. It was Molly.

"Maria, are you at our campus cafeteria?" Molly sounded surprised. Without a student ID, Maria shouldn't be able to enter. How did she get in?

"I came to give a recruitment presentation. Molly, are you on campus?" Maria asked, and there was a brief silence before Molly replied. "No, I'm not on campus right now. Do you need something?"

Maria's first thought was that Molly was out with Clifford. She didn't mention what she had overheard, especially since those girls were still in the cafeteria. "I'll message you."

Molly agreed, puzzled, and hung up after a brief conversation. Shawn handed her an open bottle of water, his charmingly roguish smile in place. "Weren't you just saying you were thirsty?"

Molly blushed, took the water, and drank a couple of sips before looking at Shawn. "You said you wanted to talk about the club. What's up?"

Shawn raised an eyebrow, his handsome face displaying a mischievous grin. "What's the rush? Let's eat first. What do you want?"

Molly was about to refuse, but Shawn anticipated it and cut her off. "No food, no talk."