Reborn as the Villainess

Eleanor's two months of cramming had paid off in spades. The language exam turned out to be a cakewalk compared to the mock test she'd taken when she first arrived. She sailed through the questions without breaking a sweat.

The exam was scheduled for two and a half hours, but Eleanor finished in just an hour and a half. She spent another thirty minutes carefully reviewing her answers. Confident in her work, she handed in her paper a full half-hour early.

The proctor glanced at his watch, surprise evident on his face. While it wasn't uncommon for students to finish early during regular exams, it was rare for anyone to submit the University Admissions Testing ahead of time. After all, this exam could shape their future, and most students triple-checked their answers before reluctantly parting with their papers.

Plus, Eleanor had turned in her exam a full half hour early. It was quite unusual.

Feeling a sense of responsibility as an educator, the proctor spoke up. "Miss, there's still thirty minutes left in the exam

answers?" period. Are you sure you want to submit now? Don't you want to review your

Eleanor shook her head. "Thank you, sir, but that won't be necessary."

Seeing her determination, the proctor didn't press further. He nodded. "Very well. Please turn in your scratch paper, exam booklet, and answer sheet. Then gather your belongings and you may leave."Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Yes, sir," Eleanor smiled. As she stepped out of the exam room, she let out a deep sigh of relief.

The language exam was finally over. As long as she hadn't messed up this subject, she was confident she could ace the rest - like math - with her eyes closed. She could finally relax.

The campus was eerily quiet. After leaving the exam room, she didn't see a single other student around.

As it turned out, Eleanor really was the first to finish the exam. It was no wonder that the teacher had looked at her with such surprise earlier. But the moment she reached the door, regret washed over her. If only she hadn't handed in her paper early The clouds had parted, giving way to a scorching midday sun. Its rays beat down relentlessly, turning the schoolyard into a makeshift oven. Despite the sweltering heat, the school gates were packed with anxious parents waiting for their children. Amidst the sea of sweaty faces, two pairs stood out like sore thumbs. Vincent, decked out in a burgundy tuxedo of all things, stoically held an umbrella over Andrew. Not to be outdone, Oscar sported a forest green tux, looking cool as a cucumber while shielding Stephen from the sun's assault.

Eleanor stared at the scene, struggling to find words to describe it beyond "bizarre". Nothing else in her vocabulary seemed to fit the surreal spectacle before her.

Vincent's sharp eyes spotted Eleanor first as she approached the school gates. He called out excitedly, "Mr. Vanderbilt, look! It's Ms. Vanderbilt. She's coming out!"

His voice boomed across the area. Not only did Andrew hear it, but all the parents at the gate and even the security guards on duty turned to look in the direction he was pointing.

At that moment, Eleanor's mind raced with a single thought. 'Maybe I should just climb over the wall and run away!'

But before she could even take a step towards the wall, she was suddenly surrounded by a group of reporters with microphones. "Excuse me, you're the first student to leave the exam room. Could we interview you?"

Eleanor hadn't expected that being the first one out would come with the perk of an interview. She was taken aback for a moment, but almost instantly, her muscle memory from her previous life kicked in. She quickly composed herself and nodded with a smile as she replied, "Sure."

Eleanor was naturally stunning, with delicate features that seemed almost too perfect. As she faced the lens, an air of

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effortless grace surrounded-ber. The interviewer found himself momentarily spellbound.

Eleanor noticed his prolonged silence as he held the microphone. She blinked and asked politely, "Was there something else you wanted to ask?"

The young reporter's ears flushed pink as he snapped back to reality. "Oh, right. My bad, he stammered, inwardly kicking himself for getting so flustered over a high school senior.

Pulling himself together, he cleared his throat and posed his question. "So, did you find the language arts section difficult?"

"Not really," Eleanor answered honest.

"If you had to rate the difficulty level, what would you say is appropriate?" the reporter pressed.

"If the maximum difficulty score is 100, I'd say this test was about a 10," Eleanor said casually.

The reporter was left speechless. He couldn't help but think, "This pretty young lady isn't just beautiful on the outside-her confidence is stunning too!'

Though relatively new to the job, he had interviewed quite a few University Admissions Testing candidates over the years. Not one of them had ever dared to make the test sound so easy.

"Any message for the test makers?" he asked, curious about her response.

Eleanor paused, pressing her lips in thought. Then, looking directly into the camera with sincerity, she said, "Actually, I've got one request. For the reading sections, maybe skip the questions about the 'author's feelings' and 'main theme: Sometimes, writers just write for the heck of it. Not everything's a deep, philosophical journey."

The reporter.fell silent. 'Who raised this kid? She's got some serious guts.

As the interview wrapped up, Vincent swooped in with an umbrella, shielding Eleanor from the sun. He offered her a bottle of chilled juice. "You must be tired, Ms. Vanderbilt. Please, have a drink," he said thoughtfully.

"Thanks," Eleanor replied, taking a sip.

At that moment, Stephen, who had been standing nearby, approached with a smile. "How did the exam go?" he asked. Before Eleanor could answer, a tall figure suddenly stepped between them, completely blocking Stephen's view of her. "Ellie, let's go," Andrew said with a stern face. "The car's waiting with the AC on. It'll be much cooler in there."

Eleanor asked in surprise, "Felix isn't out yet. Shouldn't we wait for him?"

Andrew put an arm around her, shielding her from the bustling crowd of parents. His voice was cold as he replied, "Wait for him? Why? He's not blind. He can find our car just fine."

Eleanor fell silent, suddenly realizing that Andrew had been waiting outside just for her. A warm feeling spread through her chest. As she climbed into the car, she caught a glimpse of the nearby Bentley. Stephen was also getting back into his vehicle. 'Strange,' Eleanor thought. 'Wasn't he going to wait for Liam?'

Eleanor was always the first to leave the exam room for the remaining exams. The reporters waiting outside barely reacted when they saw her emerge. It had become the norm.

A young reporter joked quietly, "If we'd known you'd be the first one out for all these subjects, we could've had you record all the interview videos in advance. Then we wouldn't have to wait around like this."

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Eleanor could only respond with a sheepish silence.

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The other reporters gazed at her with admiring smiles, clearly impressed by her academic prowess. However, one figure in the crowd made Eleanor feel uneasy. Despite this person's attempts to hide it, Eleanor could sense the waves of hostility directed at her.

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