As those words left Gabby's mouth, the others were caught slightly off guard, their attention instinctively shifting toward Liam. He, however, remained as calm and unreadable as ever.
"Now this is about to get interesting," Dylan muttered under his breath to Max, a grin already forming on his face.
Meanwhile, Liam's gaze stayed fixed on the first-year in front of him, silently taking in her request.
A brief stretch of silence followed before he finally spoke.
"Are you, by any chance, the ranked one among your peers?" he asked calmly, his tone even, his eyes still on her.
The question made Gabby flinch ever so slightly.
'How did he know?' she wondered inwardly, her composure wavering for just a second.
"Y–Yes… I am the first-year ranked one," she answered, a faint stutter slipping through despite her effort to stay composed.
"I see," Liam murmured.
There was a small pause before he continued.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I refuse your request."
