The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1584

“If you’re feeling burned out, take it easy for a bit.” Mr. Lane’s voice was gentle as he studied her pale face. “You don’t have to keep yourself so on edge all the time. Just do your best, and something good will come of it.”

Honestly, the exchange student slot was already hers. There was no real need to stress this much. Mr. Lane had always trusted her abilities.

Why didn’t he just tell her outright? To be diplomatic, it was probably to keep the selection looking fair, to give MIT a proper explanation. But really, it was just an excuse to get her in through the right channels.

Do my best? Since when did Mr. Lane start telling her to relax? He used to be so strict with her. Now, suddenly, he wanted her to smile and chill out? Meanwhile, Shirley was tackling a next-level project. If Shirley could do that, then what about her?

Was this Mr. Lane’s way of saying it’s pointless for me to try harder? The more Karan replayed his words and thought about what had happened lately, the heavier her heart felt.

After a long silence, she slowly looked up, locking eyes with Mr. Lane. There was a flicker of resentment, but her face stayed perfectly neutral.

“Mr. Lane, I’ll head out now.”

He nodded. “Alright.” There was a sigh and a furrowed brow as he watched her drag herself out of the room.

Karan had always been the golden child, always on top. The moment a real challenge appeared, she struggled to keep it together. Maybe this was for the best, Mr. Lane thought. Let Shirley’s presence shake up Karan’s confidence a little. A bit of pressure might not be a bad thing.

Back in the lab, Karan’s gaze went straight to Shirley, who was busy polishing her fancy laptop at her desk. Jealousy and anger bubbled up all over again.

“Karan, you’re back.”

One of their classmates immediately hurried over, tugged her aside, and whispered, “What did Mr. Lane want?”

She didn’t stop there. “And don’t even get me started on that laptop,” she scoffed. “Someone said it costs over ten grand. People say she lives in a sketchy neighborhood and is way too broke to even buy clothes. How could she afford something like that? Unless Dr. Cole is footing the bill, I’ll eat my hat.”

Her words only made Karan’s mood collapse further. Her face grew even darker.

“If Mr. Lane and Dr. Cole are really pulling strings to help Shirley land the spot,” the classmate went on, looping her arm around Karan’s, her eyes sharp with calculation, “couldn’t you report them?”

Report? The idea echoed in Karan’s mind. Her lips pressed into a thin line. If she actually did it, she wouldn’t just ruin Shirley. Mr. Lane and Dr. Cole would probably get axed from the physics world altogether.

For a split second, with the image of Mr. Lane’s career destroyed in her head, Karan hesitated.