The exams finally ended, and everyone began preparing to leave for home.
Just then, Melissa walked up to the girl who had secured the top rank.
"You're really lucky," Melissa said with a smile.
"Why?" the girl asked, confused.
"Because you get a chance to meet Jacob personally."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand," the girl replied.
"You're going to receive the scholarship, right? Congratulations!"
Melissa said, pulling her into a warm hug.
"Oh—thank you," the girl said softly.
At that moment, an announcement echoed through the school corridors. It was Jacob's voice.
"Will the top-ranked student please come to the principal's office? We're getting late."
"Go, go—quickly!" Melissa urged.
The girl nodded and walked away.
Just then, Julia approached Melissa.
"Listen," Julia whispered, "the principal's office is visible from outside. We can see everything through the big windows. Come on."
"No, we should go home," Melissa said hesitantly. "What if someone sees us? What will they think?"
"Oh, come on. We'll watch quietly. No one will notice," Julia insisted.
Melissa paused, then sighed. "Alright."
The two of them quietly moved closer, peeking through the large windows of the principal's office.
The girl gently knocked on the door.
"May I come in, sir?"
"Come in," Jacob replied.
She stepped inside and sat down on the chair across from him.
"So, you topped this year?" Jacob asked.
The girl nodded quietly.
"Alright. What's your name?"
She spoke softly, almost in a whisper. "Della."
"What did you say?" Jacob asked, leaning forward.
"Della," she repeated.
Jacob stood up, pulled another chair closer, and sat beside her.
"What was that again?" he asked.
"Della," she said once more.
Jacob slowly dragged Della's chair closer to himself, closing the distance between them, and placed his files toward her side.
"Della… Dixon," she added, her voice still low.
"Good," Jacob said. "You should also raise your voice to top level."
Outside, watching through the window, Julia whispered to Melissa,
"Didn't you say you're Jacob's manager's daughter? I mean Mr. Michael's? And that you come and go with Jacob all the time—that you two are in a relationship? Then what is this?"
Melissa snapped angrily, her voice louder than she intended.
"I didn't know she would come between us!"
In her anger, Melissa accidentally knocked over a flowerpot in the garden. The sound echoed sharply.
Inside the room, Jacob noticed. He immediately stood up and closed the window shutters.
"Look," Julia whispered, shocked. "He's started hiding everything now."
"There must be something going on," she added. "What if they're dating?"
Furious and hurt, Melissa turned away and walked off, her steps heavy with anger and disbelief.