Chapter 711
Sterling’s words left Celine deep in thought.
Liora, however, grew defensive. “Who could possibly compare to Mira? She’s an absolute anomaly. If we pushed ourselves like she does, we wouldn’t even survive p>
“Stop making excuses. You’re just lazy. If you spent a little less time partying, shopping, and vacationing, you wouldn’t be in this situation.
Look at Mira Mercer. She optimizes every single second of her day. If you learned even half her discipline, you wouldn’t be such sitting ducks p>
Sterling delivered the harsh lecture without skipping a beat.
“The girls just went through a terrifying ordeal, give it a rest,” Valerie chided gently.
“They’re doing incredibly well for themselves. At least they’re walking a straight path, attending a top-tier university, and maintaining excellent grades.
Just look at Chloe Brooks. That girl does nothing but coast through life and throw money at her string of boy toys.
You can’t expect them to match Mira. True geniuses are one in a million, after all p>
Valerie had a much more pragmatic view on the matter.
Chloe was Celine’s cousin on her aunt’s side. The family had money, but the daughter was a complete trainwreck.
“Mira was right. Back during our Leadership & Discipline Orientation, she told me I was too vulnerable and urged me to learn self-defense. I just couldn’t handle the grueling physical exertion, so I brushed her off.
Now look at me. It nearly cost me my life p>
A suffocating wave of delayed terror washed over Celine.
“As long as you realize that now, you need to stick close to Mira and learn from her.
I’m not saying you need to become as formidable as her, but if you keep striving for improvement, you’ll be just fine p>
Sterling’s tone softened slightly.
“Celine, even though you and Mira don’t go to the same school, keep in touch over the phone.
Remember, surround yourself with exceptional people, and you’ll become exceptional yourself p>
Sterling made sure to hammer the point home.
Liora sat in silence, feeling as though she was being implicitly called a failure.
Sterling had showered Mira with endless praise and gratitude, yet he had completely ignored her.
She had stayed up all night, terrified out of her mind for her friend, didn’t that count for something?
Swallowing her bitterness, Liora turned to her friend. “Celine, I need to get back to campus. I have morning classes p>
“Of course, go ahead. Celine needs to rest anyway so she can hopefully make it to her own classes tomorrow p>
Liora forced a tight smile.
Meanwhile, Mira hadn’t rested at all
after returning home. She took a
Revitalizing Essence pill and pushed
through the exhaustion to head.
straight to Aethelgard University.
“Mira p>
Before she even stepped into the lecture hall, Harvey Rivers and Elara Finn hurried
over.
“How’s Celine p>
Mira gave them an honest rundown of the situation, though she carefully omitted any mention of Sifas Lawson. She simply claimed that a
‘friend’ had pulled some strings to handle the rescue. ‘
Silas was a crucial piece of her underground network, and the fewer people who knew about that side of her life, the better.
Mira powered through her classes for the day, executed her required live-trading maneuvers, and finally headed home.
After a quick dinner and a hot shower, she collapsed into bed. It was only six in the evening.
Three hours later, the sharp ring of her phone jolted her awake. She glanced at the wall clock-nine at night.
It was Sterling Ward. “The police got to the bottom of the case, Mira.
You hit the nail on the head. That so-called ‘friend’ of mine was entirely involved.
I can hardly believe it. You really never know someone’s true face until the mask slips p>
“Take a breath, Sterling. I’m listening. Just tell me what happened p>
His voice was trembling with rage, and Mira was genuinely worried the man was going to give himself a stroke.
Sterling took a ragged breath to steady himself.
“He… he’s the one who leaked Celine’s schedule to the kidnappers. The mastermind
got greedy, roped him in, and they orchestrated the whole thing together.
His company took a massive financial hit recently, and when his cash flow dried up, he targeted my daughter p>
“But how did he know Celine would be off-campus yesterday afternoon p>
“He’s had people staking out the university gates for half a month. Yesterday just happened to be the perfect opportunity p>
He paused, the betrayal heavy in his voice. “We go way back. We’ve done countless business deals over the years, and always thought he was an honorable man. fo
When Celine moved to Aethelgard for school, I even asked him to keep an eye on her. I just… I never expected this.
I saw him at the precinct today. He was bawling, begging me to let it go and not press charges.
He claimed it was just a moment of desperation, that he never wanted to hurt Celine, and that he just needed the ransom to save his sinking business.