Neither of us particularly enjoyed them.
hey’re important.”
Henry sounded offended.
“They always are.”
Jason muttered.
The governor ignored him.
“Open them.”
Curiosity won.
I opened mine.
Then blinked.
Twice.
Jason’s reaction mirrored my own.
“Wait.”
I looked at Henry.
“These aren’t invitations.”
His smile widened.
“Oh, they are.”
A pause.
“But that’s not the important part.”
I looked back at the card.
Nominee.
I stared.
Then stared some more.
Surely not.
Apparently yes.
I had been nominated.
For multiple awards.
Urban Development.
Historic Restoration.
Community Expansion.
+15 Bçnus
4/7
Economic Growth.
My eyes widened slightly.
The castle restoration.
The new residential developments.
The mining tourism project.
The infrastructure programs.
The projects we had started after arriving in Sum.
All of them.
Someone had actually noticed.
Jason looked equally surprised.
“What did they nominate me for?”
Henry laughed.
“Creating jobs.”
A pause.
“Providing security.”
Another pause.
“Expanding economic opportunities.”
That sounded exactly like Jason.
He looked mildly horrified.
Which only made me smile.
Then Henry casually added:
“You’re both losing anyway.”
Jason looked offended.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Excuse me?”
The governor grinned.
“My money is on Mrs. Sun.”
The answer was immediate.
Of course.
Of course it was.
15 8cnus
5/7
I grabbed the additional booklet included with the invitation. 1
Then burst out laughing.
Jason looked over my shoulder.
And immediately started laughing too.
Multiple nominations.
Best Educational Initiative.
Community Development.
Family Support Programs.
Youth Advancement.
Academic Excellence.
Scholarship Foundation of the Year.
The school hadn’t even opened.
Not yet.
Classes were still three weeks away.
And somehow Mrs. Sun was already receiving awards.
I could practically hear her accepting them.
Gracefully.
While pretending she had done nothing special.
Henry looked delighted.
“The scholarship program made international news.”
That surprised me.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one.
“The boarding school concept attracted attention too.”
A pause.
“Especially the university partnerships.”
I leaned back in my chair.
The more I thought about it, the less surprising it became.
Mrs. Sun hadn’t simply built a school.
She had built an entire pathway.
From kindergarten.
+15 8cnus
6/7
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