Miss Josefina: Nobody's Princess

Chapter 106

What the heck! The room erupted in a collective gasp.

Everyone had already been stunned to find out that Josefina was the valedictorian of the final exams, but the news that the Antonios had disowned Josefina a while ago took their surprise to a whole new level.

Did Billy have some kind of screw loose? Had he cast aside such an outstanding daughter and instead thrown a celebration for another who scored a measly 250 on her exam?

Someone asked, "So, what score did the real daughter of the family, Ruby, get?" Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

Fiddling with their smartphone, the class teacher replied, "I've just checked with her teacher. She scored two hundred and fifty."

The crowd was dumbfounded.

Billy's face ran the gamut of colors – from red to white to a queasy green – a portrait of pure fury.

And Ruby? Her complexion was ghastly. She had assumed all along that she was the valedictorian. The revelation that Josefina had outperformed her was a bolt from the blue!

How could Josefina possibly have scored so high?

Lauren was completely flabbergasted. She had invited Josefina here to humiliate her. She wanted Josefina to see just how exceptional Ruby was and realize that Ruby was her pride and joy.

And now? Ruby scored a 250??

Lauren couldn't stomach it. She swayed, feeling faint.

The class teacher, taken aback, turned to Josefina. "Isn't today your celebration?"

Josefina corrected him, "Teacher, you're mistaken. Today is not my celebration. It's Ruby's."

The teacher stood there, gobsmacked. "Celebrating a score of 250?" What was wrong with this family?

The teacher's remark felt like a punch to the Antonios.

The other teachers were equally puzzled. There was no celebration for the valedictorian but a party for the one who scored merely 250.

"What's there to celebrate about 250 points? Aren't they worried about becoming a laughingstock?" muttered one of the teachers under their breath.

The principal approached Josefina awkwardly. "My apologies, young lady. I mistook you for someone else."

Josefina responded politely, "It's not your fault. I never expected to be leaving the Antonio family."

Watching Josefina being surrounded and congratulated by the teachers, Ruby was seething with envy. With a pitiful expression, she implored, "Josie, did you mean to make a fool out of me?"

That accusation was all Lauren needed to lay the blame squarely on Josefina's shoulders. "You did this on purpose! Your biological parents are nobodies, and you just want to cling to our family, don't you? You dressed up so nicely just to show off your high score, right? Josefina, I can't believe you'd be so scheming!"

Billy chimed in, "Josie, even though you're not our biological daughter, we've treated you well over the years, haven't we? Why would you do something like this? This feels like retaliation."

Josefina looked up, her eyes cold and distant as she addressed Billy, "Did I ask you to send me away? Did I stop you from caring about my education and from ever attending a parent-teacher

conference on my behalf? Did I hide my exam registration number from you? Did I prevent you from checking my score in advance? Was it me who severed ties with the family?"

Josefina's questions hit home, leaving the Antonios defenseless.

She then turned to Lauren. "You sent the invite for today's banquet, didn't you? I'm dressed this way because my parents are celebrating my success. They've booked a table here too. Lauren, if you don't believe me, you can ask the manager."

Finally, Josefina addressed Ruby, "As for the exam registration number, Ruby, you, of all people, should know it, shouldn't you? Didn’t you bother to check your score before hosting this banquet?"

The penny dropped, and everyone realized that Ruby had deliberately tried to claim the title of valedictorian for herself.

Tsk, tsk, what an unseemly ruse!