Chapter 130 Chapter 130

Chapter 130 Chapter 130
She had tried so hard, for years, to be the center of attention, to be friends with the school’s elite… but now, after the scandal, everyone was abandoning her, one by one. First it was Robert Arbex, who wouldn’t even look her in the face anymore, and now Dandara and Bruno.
And what made her sickest was the fact that, without exception, they were all people close to Katherine Lutz!
Only God knew how much she would have to humiliate herself and scheme in the dark to make up for those social losses. According to her mother’s poisonous advice, she needed to become indispensable to those people, so they would depend on her out of pure financial or academic interest.
But when is that going to happen?! she thought, fury blinding her.
She kicked the leg of an iron chair in anger, the sound echoing through the empty room.
As she lowered her head, panting, her eyes locked onto a sheet of paper on the table beside her. There, written in vigorous, elegant handwriting brimming with a striking personality, was the name: Katherine Lutz.
An uncontrollable jealousy, burning like acid, welled up from the depths of her chest.
In that instant, her gaze swept over the rest of the document left on the table. Morbid curiosity overcame her anger, and she couldn’t help but reach out with a trembling hand, picking up the stack of papers to read.
They were the review materials for the National Chemistry Competition.
She flipped through the pages for a while, her brow furrowing deeper and deeper. The genius of those formulas overwhelmed her.
Naturally, this reminded her of the last time Katherine had shown up with miraculous review materials before the monthly exam. Back then, the materials were handwritten, and Nísia eventually discovered from the handwriting that the author was none other than the untouchable João Arbex.
This time, although the material was impeccably typed and printed, the logical structure, the aggressiveness of the solutions, and the undeniable brilliance screamed the same authorship. The style of thinking was identical.
João... the mighty João Arbex is wasting his time helping that bitch Katherine Lutz study for the Chemistry Competition! This realization hit Nísia like a sledgehammer. Her fingers clenched the edges of the paper until they crumpled. Jealousy gnawed at her from within, leaving her furious and on the verge of madness. Katherine had everything she desired: the talent, the connections, and the unconditional protection of the most powerful man in the country.
In the empty classroom, jealousy distorted Nísia’s features.
Her mother, Rosana, had been clear: that National Chemistry Competition was the golden opportunity for Daniel to forgive her and take her back into the mansion. If she were to be outshone by Katherine Lutz right now, she wouldn’t just lose her chance at redemption—she’d also be humiliated forever.
With hands trembling with anxiety and malice, Nísia picked up her cell phone. Glancing furtively at the door every second, she opened the confidential material on Katherine’s desk and began photographing page by page, absorbing the shortcuts and ingenious formulas devised by João Arbex.
I’m going to use your own trump card to crush you, Katherine, she thought, a venomous smile curving her lips as the sound of the camera shutter echoed softly.
At the same time, Dandara and Cauan Laser had already reached the ground floor, walking along the tree-lined campus path.
Cauan’s face was radiant, displaying a smug yet charming smile.
“So, Dandara? Where should we go on our first official date tonight?”
He had always been in love with her and had been trying to go on a real date for months, but the girl always rejected him with lame excuses.
Dandara rolled her eyes, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“I was only saying that up there to get away from Nísia! Don’t take it seriously, Cauan. Are you stupid or what?”
Cauan laughed. He’d already figured that would be the answer, but it didn’t hurt to try his luck. His smile, however, softened, giving way to a more serious and observant expression.
“Seriously now… why are you suddenly distancing yourself from Nísia so abruptly?”
Dandara frowned, kicking a small pebble on the path.
“I’m really confused right now; I don’t know what to think. Don’t you think she’s too… fake? It seems like she only lets us see the side of herself she wants to show. A perfect mask of a fragile girl. I used to think I understood her, that we were friends, but after what happened at the banquet… I’m not so sure anymore who she really is.”
Cauan lowered his gaze, kicking the same little pebble, remaining silent for a moment before saying with surgical precision:
“You’re talking about her trying to frame Katherine Lutz with that poisoned perfume, right?”
Dandara didn’t argue. It was a tacit agreement between the two of them. That had destroyed Nísia’s untouchable image.
The two walked slowly, side by side. After a while, Cauan broke the silence, his voice mature and pragmatic:
“Actually, you don’t need to beat yourself up over this. Nísia only wanted to get close to you to gain standing and status in high society, using your family’s influence. It doesn’t matter if she seemed sincere or not; the end always justified the means for her.
Dandara stopped walking and widened her eyes, shocked by the coldness of that analysis.
“Cauan! How can you say that so coldly?”
Cauan shrugged, his hands in his pockets.
"That’s the reality of our world, Dandara. People like us, born with a silver spoon in our mouths, have a hard time finding friends who don’t want something in return. Before, I didn’t say anything because I realized her interests were purely about social climbing, which is pretty normal in our circle. But… I didn’t expect her to be so cruel and calculating as to try to destroy her own cousin in front of everyone. That was sick.
Dandara sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping.
“Actually, over the last few days, I’ve been mentally going over all the horrible things Nísia told us about Katherine over the months. And now I wonder… how many of those stories were outright lies meant to turn us against her?”
Taking advantage of the moment of vulnerability, Cauan reached out and held Dandara’s small hand firmly.