Chapter 98
Elated with their progress, the dance club members couldn’t hide their excitement.
This game’s as good as over. We’ve already won!”
“Cous them up—we’re at fifty–seven now. We picked up a ton just now?
“With so much time left, we will reach a hundred bottles. What’s the record again!TM
“Last year was sixty–five, but the record is ninety–right, from three years ago. I heard the whole class joined in that time–right after the sports festival, so there were tons of boodles“:
“Ninety–eight Oh,
Oh, we’ve got to
to break that recondi
dahis time!”
is a rare chance,” one of the dance club members crowed. “No one’s going to get an opportunity like this again, and no one will be able to beat
This is 7 cal triandr
While the dance club reveled in their apparent victory, the mood in Elma’s group was far less cheerful Stella and the other b though Eliana remained steady.
looked defeater.
Elana gave a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. We’ve g
got backup on the way
Elsie looked at her in surprise. “Backup?”
Stella’s eyes widened. “Wait, we have backup?”
“Of course Eliana replied calmly. She glanced at her watch. The timing should be just right. The bottle–collecting game had started at six o’clock. and the basketball game would end at seven o’clock.
Eliana had anticipated that Yulla might join the contest to clear her disciplinary record, so she’d prepared in advance. When Elsie first asked Eliana to help with the bottle–collecting game, Eliana canally mentioned it in the group chat Cameron and his friends had teased her, calling her the “bottle–collecting queen,” Jokes aside, they’d quickly agreed to join in.
The only catch was that they couldn’t come immediately. The game had started at six o’clock, but their basketball practice wouldn’t end until seven Do’clock. But as promised, they would be there soon.
Stella’s eyes lit up as the realization dawned on her. “Oh! So you called the club president and the others, didn’t you?”
Elsie was stunned. “Wait, the president is coming too?”
Eliana nodded. “They’ll be here soon–just hang tight.”
Nearby, a few dance club members overheard Eliana’s words and whispered,
“Did Eliana manage to call over those guys from the tennis club, including Landon“”
“That’s impossible. Those rich boys wouldn’t waste their time collecting bottles. Eliana must be out of her mind”
“Exactly. The tennis club guys have never participated in this game before. Why would they start now?”
⠀⠀ “There’s no way Eliana has that kind of influence,” one of them scoffed
“I don’t believe in either…
Wendy turned to Willow, thoughtful Int Adam also in the tennis club?‘
Willow nodded. “Yeah, he is.”
Wendy thought of Adam’s aloof, unyielding expression. She could hardly imagine Eliana managing to sway someone as unapproachable as him. When Wendy and Shane returned to the Hall family, they expected treatment similar to Adain’s since they all shared the same bloodline. But soon, reality hat while the family acknowledged their place in name, Adam was the true heir, the one with absolute authority.
If Adam was bome, no one dared to sit at the dinner table until he did. His authority within the Hall family was absolute, a reminder of his status that overshadowed everyone else. Compared to Adam, Shane’s position in the family was practically nonexistent. Wendy could see it all too clearly, leaving her simmering with frustration.
Wendy thought. If I wanted to inherit the family business, I’d have to take Adam down–an almost impossible task. Adam had no weaknesses, and the three friends who stood loyally by his side were powerful allies who would only strengthen his position in the future. Yet somehow, here was Eliana–aseemingly ordinary girl who had managed to break into Adam’s inner circle. I found it hard to believe.
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Chapter 98
Willow leaned over and whispered. “By the way, Eliana’s rumored to be sering Landon from the tennis clubs. That makes her our club president’s
rival”
cally! I had no idea.
Wendy raised an eyebrow, surprised “Really! 1
A nearby student overheard and said, “Yeah, but everyone knows Landon doesn’t keep girlfriends for long. It won’t be long before he dumps her: she’ll be finished when that happens. Let’s see how snug she is then”
Vulila looked worried. “But what if Eliana managed in bring them
Willow scoffed. “Relas, Yulila. Even if all four of them come, we still umber them. And besides, we’re all girls. They wouldn’t dare start anything physical. If they did, they’d only embarrass themselves.“
“Hait what if she brought even more from the tennis club? Vulila asked, still anxious,
Wendy frowned. “I doubt it. Aren’t all the tennis clubs guys from wealthy families! Eliana doesn’t have that kind of influence”
Willow nodded confidently. “Exactly. Those guys wouldn’t even bother performing at the Fall Festival. There’s no way they’d come here to pick up
bottles”
Hearing their logic, Yulila relaxed. Victory and the chance to erase her disciplinary mark felt practically guaranteed.
Another half hour passed, and the dance club grabbed another haul of bottles, pushing their total to eighty. The gap between them and Eliana’s team was widening quickly, and Yulila’s confidence grew with each bottle collected.
“At this rate, we’re just falling further behind,” Stella murmured anxiously, watching the dance club pull further ahead.
But just as she spoke, a large group from the tennis club appeared in the distance, making their
ir way over. Elvie turned, her face lighting up in surprise. “Look! Our club is here!”
Eliana glanced over, noticing them and a satisfied smile on her lips.
Thomas approached Eliana, chin lifted in a confident greeting. We’re not too late, right?”
Eliana smirked. “Just in time. Any later, and you’d have missed all the action
Elsie was genuinely surprised. She thought. ‘I had never expected the tennis club guys–known for their easygoing attitude and elite status–to lend a hand. I’d only turned to Eliana for help, not even thinking about asking the club directly. But now, seeing them here, I realized that enlisting Elina meant Id gained the best backup I could’ve hoped for
Across the way, the dance club members stared in disbelief.
“They showed up? Eliana managed to get them here?” someone whispered. “She must’ve pulled some strings with Landon. That’s the only way she could’ve pulled this off.”
Yubila clenched her fists, her expression darkening “How did Eliana manage that?”
Willow looked equally shocked, realizing that Eliana had far more influence within the tennis club than she had learned.
“Let’s not get discouraged, everyone! Willow called out, rallying her team. “They may have people now, but we’re still ahead in bottles. We’ve got a real shor!”
“Exactly” another member said. “This isn’t over yet.”
Since the last Fall Festival, the tension between the dance and tennis clubs had only grown. They had lost to them once before, but they were determined nor to lose again this time.
SEND GIFT
