Chapter 35 35
Scarlett's POV
Dr. Westbrook cleared his throat. His professional smile was gone. He looked embarrassed.
"I apologize," he said slowly. "There appears to have been a misunderstanding."
He turned to Zelda. His voice was gentle but firm.
"You are Miss Zelda Romano?"
Zelda stood frozen under the spotlight. Her face was white. Her hands were shaking.
She nodded. Just once. Stiff and mechanical.
Dr. Westbrook's expression shifted. Not angry. Just deeply uncomfortable.
"Then where is Miss Scarlett Romano?"
The room erupted in confused murmurs.
"Scarlett? Which one is Scarlett?"
"There are two Romano daughters?"
"Wait, who got the 1600?"
Madison's hand was still gripping my wrist. Her fingers went slack suddenly. Like all the strength had drained out of her.
I looked at her face. She was staring at Dr. Westbrook. Her mouth slightly open. Her eyes wide with horror.
She's figured it out.
Sophie and Ashley had gone pale. Both of them were looking at me. Then at each other. Then back at me.
They all know now.
Mr. Chen walked to the edge of the stage. He pointed directly at me.
"Dr. Westbrook, that's Miss Scarlett Romano. Standing in the back."
Every single head in the room turned.
I felt their eyes land on me. All at once. Like a physical weight.
My cheap navy blue dress. My plain shoes. My simple ponytail. No jewelry except the silver cross I'd just gotten back.
I looked nothing like someone who belonged at this party.
Dr. Westbrook's face brightened. He smiled.
"Miss Romano? The young lady in the back? Would you please come forward?"
The crowd was starting to part. Creating a path from where I stood to the stage.
People stepped aside. Their faces were shocked. Curious. Some looked skeptical.
I took a deep breath.
My heart was beating faster. Not from nervousness. This was something else. Anticipation. Excitement, even.
I started walking. Slow and steady. My footsteps echoed in the silent ballroom.
Every eye followed me. Every phone camera tracked my movement.
I passed Madison. She was still frozen. Her face white as paper.
I walked past Viviana. Her hand was pressed over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with horror.
I reached the stage. Dr. Westbrook extended his hand to help me up the stairs.
"Miss Romano, what an honor to finally meet you."
I took his hand. Climbed the steps.
Zelda was still standing in the spotlight. She looked at me. Her eyes were red. Tears threatening to fall.
For just a second, I almost felt bad for her.
Dr. Reynolds approached Zelda. Her expression was cold now. Professional but severe.
"Miss Zelda Romano, what is your SAT score?"
Zelda's voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Fourteen ten."
Dr. Reynolds nodded slowly.
"Fourteen ten is a respectable score. Many students would be proud of that achievement."
She paused. Let the compliment settle. Then her tone changed.
"But it's ninety-third percentile. We track approximately two hundred thousand students who score above fourteen hundred annually."
Her voice got colder.
"A fourteen ten would never qualify for NAEF recognition. Ever."
The room was dead silent. You could hear people breathing.
Dr. Reynolds took a step closer to Zelda.
"So why did you come up here when we called for Miss Romano?"
Zelda opened her mouth. No sound came out. She looked at Sal. At Viviana. Desperate.
No one came to her rescue.
Dr. Westbrook turned to face the crowd. His expression was serious now. Almost stern.
"Mr. and Mrs. Romano, we've been trying to reach you for days."
Sal stepped forward. His face was red. Sweating.
"I apologize profusely, Dr. Westbrook. There was clearly a miscommunication within our family. We've been extremely busy with business matters and—"
Dr. Reynolds cut him off. Her voice was sharp.
"Mr. Romano, with all due respect, this isn't a miscommunication. This is neglect."
The word hung in the air. Heavy. Damning.
She turned to me.
"Miss Romano, did your parents attend any of your school events?"
I looked at her. Her eyes were kind. Sympathetic.
"No, ma'am."
"Do they know which high school you attend?"
"No, ma'am."
"Do they know who any of your teachers are?"
"No, ma'am."
Dr. Reynolds nodded slowly. Her expression was sad now.
"Is this the first time they're hearing about your test score?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She turned back to Sal and Viviana. Her voice rose slightly. Not shouting. But loud enough that everyone in the ballroom could hear clearly.
"Let me make sure I understand this correctly. You threw an elaborate celebration at The Plaza Hotel. With live music, catering, hundreds of guests. For a daughter who scored fourteen ten."
She paused. Let that sink in.
"But you couldn't be bothered to open an email about your other daughter's perfect sixteen hundred?"
Another pause. Longer this time.
"Do you understand how insulting this is? Not just to Scarlett, but to academic excellence itself?"
Sal's face was purple now. His hands were shaking. He opened his mouth several times. No words came out.
Finally he managed to speak.
"I... we had no idea. This is entirely our fault. We sincerely apologize to Dr. Westbrook, to the Foundation, and to... Scarlett."
He couldn't even look at me when he said my name.
Viviana tried to save it. Her voice was desperate.
"We never received those emails! There must have been a technical problem with our server or—"
Mr. Chen stepped forward immediately. He held up his tablet.
"Mrs. Romano, I have the delivery receipts right here. All emails were successfully delivered to your domain. The registered mail was signed for by your household staff four days ago."
He turned the tablet around. Showed her the screen.
Viviana's mouth opened. Then closed. She had nothing to say.
Her face went from red to white in seconds.
This is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
Dr. Westbrook took a deep breath. He seemed to be gathering himself. Pushing past the awkwardness.
He turned to face the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, let me properly introduce the young scholar we're here to honor."
He gestured toward me.
"Miss Scarlett Romano. One of only five hundred eighty-three students nationwide to achieve a perfect sixteen hundred in the past decade. Currently being actively recruited by every Ivy League institution."
The applause started slowly. Uncertain at first.
Then it grew. Louder. More genuine.
I stood there in my cheap dress. I looked nothing like the glamorous celebration they'd been expecting.
But the applause kept coming.
The skepticism was turning into respect.
Dr. Westbrook smiled at me. "I must apologize for the confusion earlier. In my defense, I was told there was only one Miss Romano at this event."
He glanced at the Romano family. His expression made it clear whose fault that was.
Then he looked back at me. His voice was warm again.
"I hope you can forgive this rather awkward introduction."
"There's nothing to forgive, Dr. Westbrook."
I smiled slightly. Let the next words settle before speaking them.
"Truth has a way of revealing itself eventually."
I paused. Let that hang in the air for a moment.
The double meaning was clear. People shifted uncomfortably.
"I'm grateful for the recognition, regardless of how it came about."
Dr. Reynolds stepped forward. She was holding a beautiful crystal trophy and a certificate in a leather folder.
"On behalf of the National Academic Excellence Foundation, for exceptional achievement in academic excellence, we present this to Miss Scarlett Romano."
She handed me the trophy first. It was heavy. Real crystal. Engraved with my name and the date.
Then the certificate. I opened the leather folder. My name was printed in elegant calligraphy.
I bowed slightly to all three of them. A gesture of respect.
The applause was loud and sustained.
"Miss Romano, would you like to say a few words? Our scholars typically share their journey with the audience. I think everyone here would love to hear your story."
This is it. This is my chance.
My eyes scanned the crowd slowly. "Thank you, Dr. Westbrook." My voice was calm. "And thank you to everyone here tonight."
"I have to say, I'm grateful to have been invited to Zelda's celebration party."
Several people shifted uncomfortably. They understood what I was implying.
"It's not every day you get to witness your own family celebrate someone else's achievements while having no idea about yours."
The room was completely silent now. My tone shifted. Became more serious.
"Since I have this microphone, and since I have this audience, I'd like to take this opportunity to say something I've been wanting to say for a long time."
I looked directly at the Romano family. "I want everyone here to witness what I'm about to say. The Santoros, the Morettis, the Russos. All the Five Families. I want you all to hear this."
"I take full responsibility for every word I'm about to say."
All of them staring at me. The entire ballroom was holding its breath.