Chapter 3 How Could You Lie

The moment those words left Fernanda's lips, the entire table came to a standstill, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief.

Erika, her patience fraying, brought her hand down hard on the table and demanded, "Country bumpkin, what are you even saying? My mom was kind enough to offer you this beef, and you have the nerve to be rude about it?"

Fernanda met their astonished looks with a mask of feigned innocence. "I was clearly referring to the beef," she said with a deliberate pause. "It's raw and quite frankly, it looks unappetizing. What else could I possibly mean?"

"You..." Erika's retort faltered, caught in her throat. Admitting that she thought Fernanda was insulting Michelle was out of the question.

With a slow, calculated blink, Fernanda went on, "Unless, perhaps, you think there's something even more gross on this table than the raw beef?"

At this, Erika's face registered sheer astonishment, and for a split second, her voice seemed to have deserted her entirely. Not a single word could she muster.

It was Michelle who broke the awkward silence, interjecting smoothly, "Fernanda, the dish you're referring to is called beef tartare. It's a renowned delicacy made from top-notch beef and a pasteurized egg, typically found in high-end dining establishments. Perhaps it's something you've not had the opportunity to try before."

Her voice subtly implied that Fernanda's simpler past might not have included such refined culinary experiences.

Fernanda allowed a mischievous smirk to play at the corners of her lips and replied, "Our ancestors honed an array of sophisticated recipes and techniques. They certainly didn't refine these culinary arts for us to regress to consuming raw meat as if we were lost in the wild."

Michelle's expression briefly betrayed a touch of discomfort, yet she managed to sustain a polite smile, nodding her agreement somewhat rigidly. "You bring up a valid point, I'll give you that."

"I agree. I'm not fond of beef tartare either," Robert added with a nod, his gaze settling on Fernanda with evident pride. "I've always preferred classic tastes myself. It seems Fernanda has inherited that from me."

Fernanda offered a subdued smile, delicately wiping her fork on a napkin after attempting the beef tartare, then resumed eating with a composed demeanor, seemingly unaffected by Erika's glaring resentment.

Michelle suddenly ventured a soft query. "Fernanda, which university are you attending these days? Erika is at Luminary University, one of the top schools in the country. What about you?"

At this, Erika's face morphed into a self-satisfied grin.

Robert's tone grew cooler as he intervened on Fernanda's behalf. "I've spoken to a few contacts back in Fernanda's hometown. Currently, she isn't enrolled in any university."

Michelle's eyes went wide, her voice cutting through the silence as she blurted, "What did you just say? Fernanda isn't attending any university? That simply cannot be! What will happen when the Harpers find out? Mrs. Harper had just mentioned a few days ago that they were planning a grand welcome party for Fernanda upon her return. If they learn she's not enrolled anywhere, it could be disastrous."

Robert intervened, his tone laced with irritation, cutting through Michelle's rising panic. "Enough. I will take care of Fernanda's education myself."

From the corner, Erika couldn't suppress a snicker. Imagining Fernanda managing to sneak into some low-ranked school through connections was downright amusing to her.

The Harper family, celebrating the arrival of what Erika considered a rural nobody, was an absurd thought. Fernanda's crude and graceless demeanor would certainly earn their disapproval the moment they saw her.

Erika found Bobby Harper quite charming, but his family's insistence on honoring their promise to engage him to Fernanda and pushing Robert to reintegrate Fernanda into their circles seemed ridiculously foolish to her.

She was convinced that the Harper family would never develop an affinity for someone as lacking in education as Fernanda.

The mood around the table grew tense as they discussed Fernanda's academic prospects.

Amidst the awkward silence, Fernanda herself reached for a napkin, dabbing at her lips gracefully. "I have already registered to take the entrance exam for Esaham University," she announced, her voice steady and clear. "Assuming all goes well, I plan to attend there in the near future."

Erika was caught off guard and, for a moment, was speechless before she burst into unrestrained laughter.

The idea that Esaham University, the most prestigious in the nation where seats were as coveted as gold, would allow Fernanda to take the entrance exam was laughable. Clearly, this was a lie.

Robert's demeanor hardened, his eyes narrowing with a frosty glare. He furrowed his brow in disapproval and said sternly, "Fernanda, how could you lie about being granted the opportunity to take the entrance exam for Esaham University? Was lying the only lesson you picked up in your little hometown?"

"Honey, calm down," Michelle interjected quickly. "Fernanda was only trying to impress you."

Turning to Fernanda with a soft, maternal expression, Michelle remarked in a soothing tone, "There's no shame in skipping college, Fernanda. You don't have to pretend or feel lesser because of it. We're family here, and we don't judge you on such matters."

Her words, though gentle, were saturated with disbelief, assuming Fernanda was fabricating her story.

Fernanda, without a word of defense, simply pulled out her smartphone. After a few taps, she pushed it across the table towards the center.

Everyone leaned in to see the display. Erika's laughter stopped abruptly as she stared at the screen.

Displayed prominently was Fernanda's Esaham University entrance exam admission ticket, complete with her photo and name in bold.

Snatching the phone, Erika's eyes grew wide as she inspected it repeatedly. Her anger boiling over, she tossed it away and exclaimed, "This can't be real! You edited this, didn't you?"