chapter660

"That's her! I'm sure of it! She's Lydia! I saw her picture when she won that big

academic award. She looked younger back then, but it's definitely her." Someone was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Wow, our national top scorer is actually this pretty? I can't believe it.

"How is it fair for someone to have both looks and brains?"

"Our school really scored big this year. We actually snagged the national top scorer. That's even better than Capital College or Oakwood College."

"I'm going to brag about this until graduation."

While everyone was gushing over Lydia, a clear voice broke through the chatter. "If Lydia's grades are so amazing, why did she have to hide them? She even went out of her way to do badly on her tests at school. She's so calculating. I don't want to hang out with her. Who knows when she'll turn on you."

Everyone turned to look. The girl speaking wore a flowing blue dress. Her long hair brushed her waist, and her features were striking. She stared at Lydia with open disdain.

"It's Rosie," someone whispered.

"Oh my god, she came to Capital Med School too?"

"The Gibson family isn't one to mess with. Let's just go check in and head to our dorms."

People who understood how things worked in the Capital quickly dropped their heads and stopped gossiping. The Gibson family was a big deal in the city, and Rosie, their youngest, was as pampered as they come.

"Right? I heard what she did really messed things up for her old school and her teachers," said another girl with Rosie. This was Maisie, another rich kid and Rosie's friend.

Rosie let out a snort. "If someone who always got the lowest scores suddenly aces everything, anyone would think she cheated. Maybe she had it out for her teachers and wanted to throw them under the bus. Whatever. Let's just keep our distance from her."

Maisie nodded. Totally. It's not like we know her anyway. Come on, let's go find our dorm. Rosie, I can't believe we actually got assigned to the same room!"

Rosie and Maisie's voices faded as they walked away. In the crowd, another girl, Sandy, tugged her hat lower and let out a soft laugh behind her mask. Lydia, you have way more people rooting against you than you think."

Before the semester started, Sandy had tried to stir up trouble at Smith Corporation. She'd gone there to demand her share from Lydia, but before she could make a scene, they tossed her out before she could get started.

She ended up waiting for Lydia outside after work, finally catching her alone. Lydia didn't back down though. She threatened Sandy, told her if she kept trying to take Smith Corporation's assets, she'd call the cops.

Sandy knew she was outmatched for now. But she wasn't going to just give up.

Once she finished her studies, once she became the personal apprentice of Miracle Hands, Lydia would have to show her some respect.

Lydia finished her registration, thanked Ronald politely, and headed to her dorm.

The dorms were assigned according to department, with four students to a room. Lydia was assigned to room 209. Since Cameron was a guy, he couldn't go into the girls' dorm, so Kylie took Lydia's suitcase and walked her in.

Lydia had arrived early, and with Ronald's help, all the paperwork had gone smoothly. She was the first one to show up in the room.

Capital Med School's dorms might not have been the fanciest, but they were decent enough for Lydia. There were four loft beds with desks underneath, giving each person a little space of their own for studying and living. Each girl had a desk, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and a shoe cabinet for their things.

Their room was on the sunny side of the building, so it got plenty of light and fresh

air. Besides space for drying clothes, there was even room for a few plants or personal decorations.