Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom novel Chapter 484

“Oh my god!”

“Holy crap!”

The three friends blurted out their disbelief, and then, in perfect unison, exclaimed, “Claire is unbelievable!”

They’d always known Claire was a genius; no one doubted she was destined for greatness. But never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that, at just nine years old, Claire would be singled out by the government and taken away to do scientific research.

A nine-year-old scientist? It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel.

Shock quickly gave way to pure elation.

York crowed, “Ha! I can tell people I’m friends with a real scientist. That’s gotta earn me some bragging rights.”

Zachary chimed in, “I knew it from the start—Claire’s been sharp as a tack since she was little. Now look, I was right all along.”

Daisy gushed, “Claire is amazing! I’m so proud to have her as my best friend. With her around, I’ll be untouchable in Cresthaven.”

Only Sean hung his head, lost in thought.

After a moment, he abruptly turned away.

York blinked in surprise. “Sean, where are you going?”

“Home. To study.”

The group fell silent.

Sean was deeply aware of Claire’s brilliance. Determined not to fall too far behind her, he’d spent the past four years studying like his life depended on it, skipping grades back to back.

Still, the gap between them felt insurmountable.

Claire had become a scientist, while he was destined to inherit the family business. No matter how big he made Foster & Co., he worried it would never be enough to measure up to Claire.

A wave of discouragement washed over him—something he’d never felt before.

He was afraid. Afraid that after all these years, the girl he’d been waiting for would fall for someone else.

What if she met someone at the research institute and liked him instead? What could he possibly do to compete?

Maybe, if he got into the National Defense Polytechnic too, he could close the gap between them, even if just a little.

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