The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 29

Meanwhile, in a much less glamorous corner of the campus library, Chloe was staring at the same competition flyer, her heart filled with a very different kind of ambition. She was a passionate coder, but she knew she was only average. She didn't have the natural genius of someone like Mark Chen. But she loved the challenge. Participating in the Blackwood Prize was a dream, a chance to test herself against the very best.

There was just one problem: the competition required teams of two. And everyone she knew was either too intimidated to enter or had already partnered up with a stronger coder.

She looked across the table at Evelyn, who was quietly reading a book, seemingly oblivious to the campus-wide frenzy over the competition. Chloe took a deep breath, her heart pounding with nervous energy.

"Hey, Evelyn?" she began, her voice barely a whisper.

Evelyn looked up, her expression calm and questioning.

"So, this is going to sound totally crazy," Chloe stammered, twisting a strand of her red hair around her finger. "But you know that Blackwood coding competition? Well, I really, really want to enter. Just to try. Just to say I did it. But you need a partner to register, and everyone thinks I'm not good enough, and..." She trailed off, her face flushing with embarrassment.

"I know we don't know each other that well," she rushed on. "And I know you're not a coder or anything, but... would you maybe consider being my 'plus-one'? You wouldn't even have to do anything. I'd do all the work. I just need a name on the registration form. It would mean the world to me."

Evelyn looked at Chloe, at the genuine, hopeful light in her new friend's eyes. She saw a pure passion that had nothing to do with money or status. Chloe just wanted to be a part of something she loved. In a world of calculation and ambition, Chloe's simple dream was a breath of fresh air.

A small, genuine smile touched Evelyn's lips. "Okay," she said simply.

Chloe's face lit up with pure, unadulterated joy. "Really? Oh my god, thank you! You're the best!"

Later that evening, they sat in their dorm room and filled out the online registration form. When they got to the team name, Chloe sighed. "All the cool names are probably taken. 'The Code Breakers,' 'The Algorithm Avengers'..."

"How about 'Team SC'?" Evelyn suggested quietly.

"SC? What's that stand for?" Chloe asked.

"Sterling Coders," Evelyn lied smoothly. The 'S' stood for Shadow. The 'C' stood for Chloe.

They registered as "Team SC," an unknown, two-person team in a sea of supergroups and campus stars. No one noticed. No one cared. They were just another name at the bottom of a very long list.

It was the difference between fighting five individual soldiers and simply knocking out the general.

Just then, Chloe's phone buzzed. It was a message from a friend in the student union. "DUDE!!! WHO IS TEAM SC?!?! LOOK AT THE LEADERBOARD!!!"

Chloe's hands trembled as she pulled up the public leaderboard. The screen was filled with the names of the top teams, all of them showing "Problem 1: In Progress." All except for the very top slot.

In first place, in bright, bold letters, it read:

1. Team SC - Status: COMPLETE.

A timestamp next to it showed their total completion time: eleven minutes and forty-two seconds.

In the official judges' monitoring room, the lead proctor was frantically talking into his phone. "No, sir, I'm telling you, it has to be a system glitch. We have a ghost team."