CHAPTER 1: THE SPONSORS FROM FAR AWAY

The whole school was gathered inside the covered court, seated in rows of wooden benches — noisy, restless, and barely paying attention to the announcements. The program was about to begin, and most students were wondering what the event was all about.

Among them was Mikaela Marquis. Seventeen years old and a senior high school student, if anyone asked about her academic performance, the answer was simple: she was far from being called “bright.”

Mikaela was the type who always received low scores in quizzes, regularly attended remedial classes, and often left her teachers shaking their heads in confusion whenever she was called to recite. Mathematics felt like a foreign language to her; Science was just a collection of complicated terms that never quite sank in; and History was something she forgot the moment the final bell rang. But despite her struggles in the classroom, she was never a bad person — she was simply… naturally not inclined toward studying.

And on top of that? She was incredibly lively.

She laughed loudly, talked often, and rarely stayed quiet even when teachers were already glancing in her direction. She was friendly, full of energy, and could strike up a conversation with anyone sitting beside her — even if it meant ignoring whoever was speaking at the front.

“Mikaela, could you please keep your voice down for a while?” her classmate whispered, covering one ear. “The guests might hear you.”

Mikaela just grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “This is taking forever! No one is speaking yet, so we might as well chat while we wait.”

Just then, the principal walked up to the microphone, and slowly, the noise across the hall died down.

“Good morning, students and teachers,” he began, his voice formal and loud enough to reach every corner of the court. “Today, we have very special visitors with us. They have traveled all the way from Russia, representing one of the most elite and powerful companies in the world — the Volkov Group.”

A soft murmur rippled through the crowd. Russia? That was thousands of kilometers away.

The principal gestured toward the long table set up on the stage, where several men sat beside the school officials. They were tall, sharp‑looking, dressed in well‑tailored suits, and carried themselves with a serious, authoritative presence. Beside them were translators and staff members, ensuring everything proceeded smoothly.

“These gentlemen,” the principal continued, “are here not just for a casual visit. Their company has chosen our school to be one of their beneficiaries. They will be providing free textbooks, school supplies, and financial support for students in need. But that is not all.”

He paused, letting the curiosity in the room grow.

“The Volkov Group is also opening a very rare opportunity. They are looking for students who will be given the chance to study abroad — fully funded, with all expenses covered, at their own institutions overseas. They have made it clear that this selection will not depend only on grades. They are looking for character, willingness to learn, and potential that does not always appear on a report card.”

Mikaela listened, but inside her mind, she simply dismissed the idea. Study abroad? Fully paid? That must be only for the top students. If I can barely keep up with my lessons here, how much more in another country? There is no way this is for someone like me.

She crossed her arms, leaned back in her seat, and went back to observing the people around her — still cheerful, still laughing at small things, and convinced that this whole program had nothing to do with her.

But what she did not notice was that while the officials were speaking, one of the men from the Volkov Group was looking out over the crowd. His sharp, observant eyes scanned across the rows of students, until they finally settled on her — the girl who was laughing, talking, and moving freely, completely unbothered by the formal atmosphere of the event.

To everyone else, she was just the loud, average student who never earned high marks. But to him, she stood out more than all the quiet, high‑achieving students combined.

And that was the moment Mikaela Marquis’s ordinary, unremarkable life began to shift toward a path she had never imagined.

To be continue...

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