The Wife You Buried Is Back from Hell novel Chapter 39

Niki listened intently, her face lighting up as if she'd just discovered a hidden treasure.

Danielle glanced at her. "Did you get all that?"

Niki nodded, her voice soft and sweet. "I think I got it all!"

—

When it was time for the competition, Niki and Raffy walked onto the stage together.

Danielle sat in the audience, her gaze fixed on Niki. She wasn't sure how much Niki had actually absorbed from their practice sessions. Honestly, Danielle didn't expect her to remember everything. If Niki could just grasp the basic concepts, that was already impressive enough. She certainly didn't expect a four-year-old to apply all those strategies flawlessly on stage.

The first round was a fast-paced Q&A, points awarded for each correct answer. The judge read out questions, and Niki was always the first to shoot up from her seat and answer. Raffy only managed to get a few turns, and even then, sometimes he stood up only to realize the answer wasn't coming to him. Frustration crept in—he shouldn't have spent so much time playing lately and skipping his review sessions.

Being beaten to the punch by Niki again and again left him feeling indignant.

There were twenty questions in the first round. Niki buzzed in for sixteen of them, nailing every single one without a mistake.

She swept the first round.

Niki practically bounced with joy. The math tricks her mom taught her really worked! She was so much quicker than before. If Raffy hadn't insisted on answering those four questions, she could've gotten them all.

In the audience, Millie frowned. "I thought Raffy was always top of the class. How's he missing such easy questions? Is he nervous?"

Alexander replied coolly, "It's normal to be nervous. Raffy's always been ahead of Niki." The implication was clear: if Raffy weren't rattled today, he'd be outshining Niki as usual.

Millie agreed, "That's true—he takes so many extra classes. I've seen his homework, he's always done so well."

The second round began: a written test. Whoever finished fastest—and most accurately—would win. The difficulty ramped up, especially since many of the kids were still learning to read.

The teacher turned to her. "Excuse me, the scores haven't all been announced yet."

Millie paused, a bit taken aback. "Oh, sorry. He just looked so nervous up here, I wanted to reassure him."

"You can step down for now."

"What?" Millie stared, confused. "But Rafferty's the winner, isn't he?"

"No," the teacher replied. "First place goes to Monica."

Millie gaped. "What? Are you kidding? Rafferty got a perfect score!"

Unfazed, the teacher said, "Please step to the side, ma'am, and let me finish the announcements."