After running the grueling bootcamp, the instructors finally got some well-deserved time off.
"But..." Priscilla trailed off, unable to put her finger on it, but Claire just seemed far too composed.
"Alright, you just have incredible mental fortitude."
Lily and Tabitha, who were seated directly behind them, exchanged a loaded look after eavesdropping on the conversation.
Both girls were feeling emotional about leaving, and Claire's stoicism only cemented their belief that she was an arrogant outcast.
She just didn't fit in with the rest of them.
"Maybe she's just borderline sociopathic," Tabitha whispered.
Lily scoffed. "Geniuses aren't wired like normal people. Her brain is probably just one giant textbook."
"Bootcamp was just another assignment for her."
Now that the assignment was checked off, she felt no emotional attachment.
They had pitched their voices low, assuming Claire wouldn't hear them.
Unfortunately for them, Claire's hearing was razor-sharp, and she caught every
word.
She couldn't be bothered to argue with them, simply closing her eyes and resting as they headed back to campus.
As the engines roared to life, Van led his team of instructors in a crisp, synchronized salute to the departing students.
The students sang cadences as the convoy of buses rolled out of the base.
At that moment, Van's tour as Chief Instructor officially concluded.
Upon arriving back at campus, Ethan Monroe asked around to see if anyone wanted to grab dinner together.
Since no one had plans that evening, dropping off their gear, showering, and meeting up for a meal sounded like perfect timing.
"Let's pass on that, Ethan. We're dead on our feet. Let's just save the class dinner for the night of the welcome gala," someone suggested.
Claire, who was fully prepared to decline, didn't even have to say a word.
Priscilla muttered under her breath, "I didn't want to go either. I'm exhausted. I just want my bed."
Claire shot her a thumbs-up. Great minds thought alike.
However, the moment Claire stepped off the bus, she spotted Owen.
Seeing her, he immediately started walking over.
Claire quickly waved a hand, signaling him to stay put.
While waiting in line to grab her luggage, she texted him.
"What are you doing here?"
Owen replied instantly. "Coming to pick you up. You've got a free day tomorrow, so I'm taking you home for a decent meal."
Padgett had been pacing the estate, endlessly agonizing over how much weight Claire must have lost.
Back when Yolande did her freshman bootcamp, she had dropped several pounds.
And she hadn't just lost weight—she had gotten seriously tanned.
When Tiffany brought Yolande to the main estate afterward, she had thrown a massive fit over her daughter's condition.
She had wailed about the torture Yolande endured, loudly declaring that she should have bought a fake medical exemption.
Her complaints were laced with bitter resentment toward the main family.
Tiffany had initially wanted to pull
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Padgett firmly believed the discipline would be good for her.
When Tiffany had violently disagreed, Padgett had told her that if she wanted to cheat the system, she could find her own corrupt connections.
He absolutely forbade anyone in the household from using their influence to get Yolande out of training.
Ironically, Yolande herself had never wanted to skip it and thought her mother was being overly dramatic.
When Tiffany later showed up complaining about the tan, it was just a thinly veiled accusation thất Padgett had failed to protect his granddaughter.
Now that it was Claire's turn, Padgett similarly refused to let her skip the training.
But that didn't mean his heart didn't ache for her!
The moment he knew Claire was returning to campus, he practically shoved Owen out the door to fetch her.
The task was supposed to fall to her oldest brother, but he was tied up with business.
Owen didn't mind the errand; he was an alumnus of the university, intimately familiar with every blade of grass on campus.