Seraphina acted oblivious and followed the waiter. As she passed their table, she paused, and her cold gaze swept across Kelly. It was a look that was both mocking and scornful. "An adopted daughter, huh? You're looking good," Seraphina said lightly, leaving the words to settle. Kelly froze as her mind tried to catch up to what she'd just heard. Carmen and Abigail, who sat beside her, wore equally unsettled expressions. Linara's face turned unpleasant. "What does she mean by that?" "Is that an insult? Is she mocking us for being friends with an adopted child?" Milly Tanner huffed, only to quickly realize her blunder. She hurriedly apologized to Linara, "Linara, I didn't mean to insult you.""I know." Linara smiled understandingly. Dora Barnes' gaze swept across the faces of Seraphina and her friends, seeming to notice something different. There's more to her words. "It feels like she didn't mean it that way," Dora said casually. "What was she trying to say?" Confusion clouded Milly's head. Dora turned to Kelly. "Kelly, do you know what she meant?" Linara panicked. I can't let more people know that I spread the rumors about Seraphina being adopted. She quickly spoke up before Kelly or anyone else could do so. "Don't be mad at her. That's just how Seraphina is. She didn't mean any harm." With that, she skillfully turned everyone's attention away from the matter. Dora dropped the subject while Kelly and the other continued their previous conversation. "Linara, you're too kind. How can you defend her after she insults you?" "You can't keep doing this. You're encouraging her.." Under the table, Carmen nudged Zack Lynn with her foot. "Zack, didn't you say you had a way to help Linara? Tell us, what's the plan?" Zack hesitated. His pride wavered after seeing how beautiful Seraphina was. Yet, Kelly saw right through him. "Zack, don't tell me you're switching sides just because she's pretty. Linara is our childhood friend." "If that's what you're thinking, we're not friends anymore." Milly's sweet tone was laced with threat. Zack sighed and lowered his voice. "I was in the office and happened to see the special admission results. Guess whose result I saw?" Dora's eyes widened. "Could it be hers?"Zack raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Bingo. And guess what her score is?" Everyone's curiosity flared. "Stop teasing. Hurry up and tell us." "Quickly spill the beans." Caleb kicked Zack lightly. He was intrigued by the girl's results. "Her score was unbelievably terrible. She only scored 280 out of 650." Zack shrugged in disbelief. Is it true that beautiful girls have lower IQs? "Pfft! Haha!" The entire table broke into laughter. The sounds carried all the way to the second floor. Screech! The sound of a chair violently kicking back had drowned out the laughter. Everyone's gaze shifted silently toward Shane.Shane's expression was cold and menacing. "Shut up." The words fell over the restaurant like a heavy silence.