Chapter 257 A Perfect Score
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“You distracted me back there by calling my name,” Naomi complained, unwilling to admit her own performance was the real issue.
Ruby was annoyed. “Fine, it’s my fault then. What a waste.”
She then shot a look toward Arabella and muttered, “Just watch–she’ll probably mess up any second now.”
If she and Naomi couldn’t pass, there was no way Arabella could. The fact that Arabella had lasted longer was sheer luck.
But as the minutes ticked by, the expressions on Naomi and Ruby’s faces grew increasingly sour–Arabella’s simulation was still running.
“Naomi… you don’t think she might actually pass, do you?” Ruby asked nervously, grabbing Naomi’s arm. By her estimate, Arabella should be entering the final maneuver sequence.
Naomi was wound just as tight, so tense she barely registered Ruby’s grip.
“Beep. Beep. Beep.”
A series of clear tones signaled the end of the simulation. Arabella had completed the assessment.
After reviewing the performance data, the evaluator’s face lit up. “Well, I’ll be. A flawless run!”
“Flawless? That’s impossible!” Ruby blurted out, completely stunned.
“In the history of this academy, only Lucas has posted a perfect score on this evaluation!” The evaluator looked at Arabella with impressed eyes–this was genuine talent.
Arabella herself was mildly surprised; she hadn’t realized a perfect score was such a rarity.
“Well, Lucas was my instructor. He’s an excellent teacher,” Arabella said modestly.
“Lucas has had plenty of students,” the evaluator chuckled, turning to Lucas. “Seems you’ve found a real prodigy. No wonder you personally vouched for her assessment slot.”
The more Ruby listened, the darker her expression became. Finally, she couldn’t contain herself. “No way! She must have cheated!”
“Excuse me?” The evaluator’s face hardened. “You were all present for the entire examination. Explain to me how one ‘cheats‘ on a monitored, logged simulation.”
This was a direct challenge to his professionalism.
“She never even showed up for campus training sessions–how could she possibly pass?” Ruby was convinced something was fishy.
“That,” the evaluator said, pausing briefly, “is not within my purview. My only concern is the result of the assessment she just completed, which was flawless.”
As he spoke, he stamped a bold “PASS” on Arabella’s evaluation form.
Seeing the word on her certificate, Arabella allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.
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Chapter 257 A Perfect Score
As for Ruby’s theatrics, she found them rather pathetic.
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Now that she had cleared the second–phase evaluation, she could progress to the next stage–actual flight operations. The thought of taking the controls of a real aircraft sent a genuine thrill of anticipation through her.
“Congratulations. I knew you had it in you,” Lucas said warmly, his eyes reflecting sincere pleasure. Only he knew just how diligently Arabella had practiced and how seriously she had prepared.
“Thank you,” Arabella replied with genuine appreciation.
“Let’s get lunch–my treat. A proper celebration,” Lucas invited.
Since it was nearly noon anyway, Arabella agreed. “Alright.”
Watching them about to walk away as if she were invisible, Ruby completely lost her composure.
“Wait! I’m filing a grievance! Her results have to be invalid,” Ruby protested, unwilling to let it go.
“Make another disruptive scene, and I will personally suspend your eligibility for the next assessment cycle,” the evaluator warned, his anger now evident.
Ruby doubled down. “I’m not being disruptive! Academy regulations state a minimum number of logged training hours are required before attempting this evaluation. She never logged hours here, so hers can’t be valid. She shouldn’t have been allowed to test at all.”
Finally, Lucas had heard enough.
He stopped and turned to face Ruby fully. “Her training hours are fully logged and certified. I personally supervised every session. Each one is documented in the system.”
“That’s impossible! You’re just covering for her. You’re lying,” Ruby accused hotly.
Lucas‘ expression turned icy. “Miss, this is a certified flight academy. We stand by our records and our trainees. If you are going to publicly question the integrity of this institution and its instructors, then I suggest you withdraw. This is not the right environment for you.”
If Arabella hadn’t been truly capable, she would have failed. Granting special favors would only endanger a student in the long run. -something this academy would never do,
“You’re telling me to leave?” Ruby was shocked into momentary silence by Lucas‘ words.
“If you lack faith in this institution’s standards, you do not belong here,” Lucas stated firmly.
Ruby’s legs seemed to weaken. Naomi quickly steadied her, patting her back. “Ruby, just breathe. Calm down.”
Then Naomi looked at Lucas, adopting a conciliatory tone. “Lucas, please, don’t take it to heart. She didn’t mean it like that. She’s just concerned about fairness for all the trainees, since none of us ever saw Arabella using the campus facilities.”
“That is not your concern. I supervised her training personally, and I am fully confident in her competency,” Lucas replied, his tone
still cool.
Naomi pressed gently, carefully choosing her words. “But… Lucas, you haven’t been coming to the campus for instruction lately either, have you?”
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Chapter 257 A Perfect Score
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“I have a fully equipped simulator setup at my home, which was more than adequate for Arabella’s training needs,” Lucas answered, raising a brow. “Does that address your inquiry?”
Naomi was inwardly stunned. So Arabella had been training at Lucas‘ home all along. No wonder they had never crossed paths at the academy.
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