Where Petals of Vengeance Bloom

Chapter 500

She had barely spent a week resting at home before the president of Cresthaven Institute of Technology personally invited her back to give a speech to the

students.

Naturally, Claire had no reason to refuse.

What she hadn't expected, though, was to spot Mandy in the crowd after her talk.

It wasn't until much later that Claire realized she hadn't just changed her own fate in this life-she'd changed Mandy's as well.

Perhaps, in some mysterious way, she and Mandy had always been destined to become friends.

The first time Mandy saw Claire on TV, she'd felt an inexplicable sense of kinship. She longed to get closer to her idol, but Claire was a prodigy-enrolled in college at the age of five.

Mandy knew she wasn't a genius herself, but she never gave up. She poured her heart into her studies, consistently ranking first in her class year after year. She skipped grades whenever she could, and at fourteen, she was accepted into Cresthaven Institute of Technology, becoming the youngest top entrance scorer in

her year.

After Claire, Mandy was the second youngest student ever admitted to the institute.

school placed great

was to walk the same path Claire had walked. For now, she was Claire's junior, but one day, she

that hope, she applied to National Defense Polytechnic and succeeded. She finally

a pack of younger students, all eager to get close to her. Their eyes shone with admiration, and every outstretched hand clutched a notebook, hoping

out only one face in

into college? At

previous life, Mandy had gotten tangled up in Claire's troubles. She'd broken her arm for Claire,

was the gentlest soul Claire had ever known, and she'd raised her daughter to be just as kind. Everything that had happened

a distant hum as she stepped toward

the stage. Now, as Claire drew closer the distance between them shrinking

Claire really looking at

walking toward

was too nervous

why Claire's

cheeks

her brain

short-circuited.

blurted out, "C-could