?Chapter 536:


    Trinity’s blood boiled as she read his reply. Before their falling out, Jeff had always been in her corner, but now, he was openly taking Elliana’s side, treating her with nothing but iciness. Though fury surged through her, there was nothing she could do about it. After a long pause, she forced herself to type, “Jeff, thanks for passing the message along.”


    Jeff didn’t bother responding.


    Trinity’s grip tightened, her knuckles turning white as her phone trembled in her hand. She consoled herself with the thought that in three days, her banquet would be her moment to shine. She would make sure that everyone who had dismissed her would be utterly blinded by the radiance of her triumph.


    Meanwhile, in Regal Grove, Elliana had some unfinished business to attend to before heading to Trinity’s banquet.


    “Elliana, shouldn’t we be throwing a party or something?” Jeff’s voice broke the silence, filled with energy.


    Elliana blinked at him, her expression t. “A party? For what?”


    Jeff stared at her as though she’d just suggested canceling oxygen. “Uh—hello? Your SAT score, of course! You aced it! Doesn’t that call for at least some confetti?”


    Elliana gave a short, unimpressedugh. “Hardly.” Before Jeff could form aeback, she stood up, brushing invisible lint off her jeans. “I’ll be locked in my room for the next three days. Studying. No visitors. No interruptions.”


    Jeff watched her retreat upstairs, mouth slightly ajar, confusion knitting his brow. Once she disappeared around thending, he turned to Lance. “She says it’s not worth celebrating. Does she not even realize how huge this is?”


    Lance gave a knowing shrug, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes. “It’s not that she doesn’t get it. It’s that it doesn’t register as important. Not to her.”


    “What do you mean?” Jeff demanded. “You know something, don’t you? You’re keeping secrets from me!”


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    “Guilty as charged,” Lance replied, his grin widening with theatrical ir. “Being Elliana’s chosen apprenticees with ssified intel.” With a dramatic swirl, Lance walked upstairs, leaving Jeff sulking behind, practically glowing green with envy. Why was Lance the one Elliana confided in?


    Jeff couldn’t believe it. Wasn’t he supposed to be the one who knew her best? Jealousy simmered beneath his confusion—an almost juvenile ache twisting in his chest.


    Oblivious to the quiet rivalry unfolding downstairs, Elliana sealed herself inside her room, shutting out the world with practiced ease. She tapped the activation node on the chip her mother had left behind, and the hidden archive flickered to life. She dove straight into the research—every file, every note centered around Psychephrenia. Her mother, Rita, had spent years studying the disease, devoting herself entirely to decoding its erratic patterns and devastating effects.


    One patient case stood out in the records—a woman named Alice. Alice hadn’t just participated—she’d trusted Rita. She gave blood samples without hesitation, meticulously documented her symptoms, and agreed to trial Rita’s experimental inhibitor. The results were astonishing. Alice’s episodes dropped in…


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