Chapter 59 Didn't Even Graduate from Middle School
The crowd nodded in agreement.
"Isabella might not be an A-lister, but her appearance fees definitely aren't cheap!"
"We gotta get that money back!"
"Yeah, Isabella, maybe you should call the cops!"
Isabella felt helpless. She couldn't believe she had gotten herself into this mess.
She shot a venomous glare at Sophia and gritted her teeth, "I'll get the money back. I misunderstood you."
"No worries, I forgive you," Sophia said with a gentle smile, dimples appearing on her cheeks.
She tilted her head, enjoying Isabella's discomfort, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
"By the way, how did you end up at Stellar University? Not just anyone can come here."
Just as Sophia was about to leave, Isabella suddenly spoke up.
"What? She's not a student here? Then why is she here?"
"I think I saw her a few days ago too. I thought she was a freshman! She's not?"
"Is our security at Stellar University that bad? Anyone can just walk in?"
As soon as those words were spoken, Isabella's smile stiffened slightly.
If people really looked into it, Isabella wasn't a student at Stellar University either.
She forced a smile and tried to stay calm, "Yeah, you didn't even get into college, how did you end up here?"
After a brief pause, Isabella continued, "Sophia, if you want to go to college, I can ask my dad to pull some strings for you. But forget about Stellar University; you didn't even graduate middle school..."
Isabella wasn't making this up.
Before the Brown Family brought Sophia back, they had investigated her.
The investigation revealed that Sophia had lived in the mountains for years, hardly ever leaving.
In such a remote place, how could there be a school?
So, the entire Brown Family knew Sophia had never attended school.
This was also why Hayden and Olivia disliked Sophia so much.
Sophia replied, "Why not? I like Stellar University and want to be here. Why don't you ask Hayden to pull some strings and let me study here?"
"Sophia, stop talking nonsense! Stellar University isn't a place you can just buy your way into!" Isabella glared at Sophia angrily.
"Hayden managed to get you into Aurora Academy of Dramatic Arts, didn't he?" Sophia chuckled, raising an eyebrow.
Aurora Academy of Dramatic Arts was one of the best drama schools in the country, producing many award-winning actors and actresses.
Given Isabella's grades, how could she have gotten in?
Hayden loved Isabella and couldn't resist her begging, eventually spending a lot of money to get her in.
Isabella had been cultivating a "top student" image in the entertainment industry for years, but few knew her real grades were terrible.
Sophia never considered herself a kind-hearted person.
Her principle was simple: if they didn't mess with her, she wouldn't mess with them. But if they did, she would retaliate.
Sophia's words struck like a thunderbolt, and the people who had been praising Isabella suddenly changed their expressions.
Even Isabella's face turned pale.
She clenched her purse tightly, looking at Sophia with hatred in her eyes.
"I-I didn't, you’re lying!"
"You know whether I'm lying or not." Sophia stepped forward, whispering a few words into Isabella's ear.
Isabella's face instantly drained of color, her eyes wide with terror and panic.
Watching her frightened expression, Sophia's red lips curved slightly as she turned and walked away.
The onlookers were puzzled.
No one knew what Sophia had said, but they could see that Isabella's face had become very unpleasant.
It was as if she was scared, terrified.
Isabella stood there, her body stiff.
A chilling coldness crept up from her feet, making her shiver.
Flynn rushed over upon hearing the news and saw Isabella standing there, looking like she had lost her soul.
He frowned and gently patted her shoulder, "Isabella, you okay?"
Isabella snapped back to reality, quickly hiding the panic in her eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"What did Sophia say to you? Why do you look so pale?"
Isabella quickly shook her head, hurriedly changing the subject. "Nothing! She didn't say anything. Flynn, Mom asked me to check on you. You haven't been home in a while; she misses you."
Flynn was successfully distracted.
He suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Sophia in the coffee shop a few days ago and felt a bit sad.
Seeing that Flynn had stopped asking questions, Isabella breathed a sigh of relief.
When she excused herself to go to the restroom, Isabella quickly locked herself in a stall, gasping for breath.
Leaning against the wall, Sophia's icy words echoed in her ears.
"Being kept by a man in his forties... What do you think Benjamin would do if he heard that? I heard the last person who insulted him had their tongue cut out."
"Isabella, don't test my limits. Or you'll learn what it means to reap what you sow."
Isabella clutched her chest, trying to calm herself with deep breaths.
She desperately tried to reassure herself that Sophia was just bluffing.
How could Benjamin care about someone who had lived in the countryside for over a decade?
Benjamin was cold and ruthless; he wouldn't act impulsively for a woman.
Besides, she was about to become the daughter-in-law of the Martinez Family in a few days.
Benjamin couldn't touch her!
Meanwhile, Sophia had no idea that her few words had caused Isabella so much fear.
She walked into Alaric's office, placing a folder on his desk.
Alaric was so focused that he didn't even notice someone had entered.
After a while, Alaric finished his work and looked up to see Sophia resting her chin in her hands, deep in thought.
Alaric chuckled, "When did you get here? Why didn't you call me?"
When he was working seriously, he often got so absorbed that he forgot everything around him.
Sophia tilted her head, tapping the folder with her fair fingers, "The latest research data. Take a look. It's much better than the initial results."
Alaric's eyes lit up, and he quickly opened the folder.
The more he read, the wider his smile grew.
After a long time, he closed the folder, his face filled with excitement. "Sophia, can we start the next phase of research now?"
Under Alaric's gaze, Sophia slowly shook her head.
She leaned back in her chair, her posture relaxed yet confident. "Not yet. It's far from enough. The failure rate is still high. I want to be more prepared."
Alaric stared at Sophia, momentarily dazed.