The Mafia Heiress's Comeback: She's More Than You Think novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42 Maren Took

Out Wilbur And Nadia

The shock wasn’t exclusive to Nadia; it enveloped everyone. Their faces drained of color, their expressions blank. Those who had previously dismissed Maren were now forced to confront a new reality.

“How can this be true? What has Maren possibly done to deserve this? We were meant to be the victors!”

Nadia’s voice cracked under the strain of disbelief.

“Who declared you the winners?” Alberto looked at her with a mix of surprise and impatience. “Did those

words ever come from me?”

At a loss for words, Nadia stood there, her mind racing. Wasn’t their victory apparent?

“I seem to have omitted something crucial earlier. The true victor of our exercise is Maren. She alone avoided elimination,” Alberto replied firmly, his voice cutting through the stunned silence.

Nadia felt as if the ground had dropped beneath her.

“Maren won, really?”

“How could this be? If she’s ranked first, then surely I must be considered the top student in the entire

academy!”

“But Mr. Chadwick himself implied it…”

Whispers rapidly circulated among the students./

Under normal circumstances, questioning Alberto’s decisions was unthinkable, yet given their long acquaintance with Maren, skepticism prevailed.

How could Maren, often dismissed as ineffectual, emerge as the standout? Was this some kind of scripted

drama?

“Mr. Chadwick, I’m puzzled. Could you clarify what Maren achieved? We should understand what distinguished her from us,” Nadia insisted.

Alberto picked up on the underlying resentment in her tone.

He observed Maren, noting her silence throughout the questioning.

It appeared the dynamics between the two were different from what he’d presumed.

Nevertheless, Nadia’s inquiry was legitimate.

“To see why Maren was declared the winner, just examine her attire,” Alberto suggested and moved aside, giving everyone a clear view of Maren.

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Remarkably, her clothing was immaculate–free of leaves, dirt, or even moisture. She appeared as though she had spent the day indoors, not in the dense forest.

While Wilbur and Nadia showed signs of their struggle with dirt marking their clothes, Maren stood apart in

stark contrast.

Amidst the collective shock, Nadia couldn’t hold back and said, “She didn’t venture deep into the forest, just

lingered at the edges. That’s why she’s unmarked.”

Her comment dismissed any notion of Maren’s competence.

“Exactly, we were deep in the fray, battling it out, which led to our quick dismissals. She just stayed outside

and avoided elimination. No big achievement there!”

Clearly, Nadia’s comment struck a chord with the other students.

Maren’s reputation as the most unsuccessful student at the academy was well–known, a fact familiar even to

students at the other two academies.

Yet, Maren, once the subject of their scorn, had now surpassed them all. Their disbelief was evident.

“What proof do you have for such an assertion?” Alberto’s earlier suspicions of a rift between Maren and Nadia

had crystallized into certainty, prompting him to abandon any pretense of courtesy. His tone turned decidedly

frigid.

Taken aback by his stern demeanor, Nadia responded defensively, “Mr. Chadwick, perhaps we’ve

misunderstood one another. It seems unjust. Winning by merely skirting the edge of the forest surely sets a

questionable precedent. Should we then hide at the slightest danger? Are we being trained as soldiers, or as

cowards?”

“That’s not a true victory; it’s equivalent to cheating!” another student said, supporting Nadia’s stance.

“Your way with words is quite sharp. It seems Rosaline is not very good at detecting deception in other people,”

Alberto said, glancing at Rosaline with a cold look.

Caught off–guard, Rosaline blushed. Having seen the surveillance footage herself, she couldn’t deny Maren’s

exceptional skills, surpassing Nadia and Wilbur combined.

Repeated criticisms from Alberto had already lowered Rosaline’s regard for Nadia, and it continued to wane.

Yet Nadia asked further, “Mr. Chadwick, on what basis do you consider Maren an exceptional soldier?”

The distinction between a student and a soldier was clear; excelling in the academy did not necessarily equate to soldiering skills.

Alberto, typically reserved and not one to engage in trivial disputes, felt compelled to address this misconception. “An intriguing question indeed. How did your elimination come about?”

Their elimination?

Both Nadia and Wilbur were confused. “The instructors eliminated us, which isn’t out of the ordinary.”

“Instructors?” Alberto responded with a hearty laugh, amused by their explanation.

Unaware of their actual opponents, they still boasted confidently.

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Chapter 42 Maren Took Out Wilbur And Nadia

“Jeff, could you come here for a moment? Were you responsible for these two being out of the game?” Alberto

inquired.

Hearing his name, Jeff approached. “Mr. Chadwick, I didn’t encounter them at all during the training.”