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Bound to My Name, Doomed by My Brush

Bound to My Name, Doomed by My Brush

By:  Bear OutlawCompleted
Language: English
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Synopsis

Familial Bond

Plot Twists

Feel-Good Story

Bias

Male POV

Remorse Family

Family Emotions

I am the Hogan family's long-lost biological son, while Jared Hogan is the impostor who grew up in my place. Then, Jared unexpectedly acquires an "Academic Leech System". All he has to do is enter someone's name, and whenever he takes an exam, their score becomes his. He mistakes me for the other Riley Hogan, the STEM prodigy who has dominated Elmland High's district rankings for three straight years, and eagerly locks the system onto my name. With three months left before the college entrance exams, Jared spends every class scrolling through videos and every break playing games. He boasts that he could get into any prestigious college with his eyes closed. When I warn him that the exams are no joke, his fiancee immediately jumps to his defense. "Jared is a genius. What would some country bumpkin like you know?" My parents take his side, too. "Jared was born brilliant. Stop being jealous of him!" What none of them know is that Elmland High's famous Riley Hogan is a girl. She has already accepted early admission to Oaklum University and isn't taking the entrance exam at all. As for me? I'm just an art student who spends every waking hour painting. On score-release day, Jared invites the press to broadcast his results live, ready to unveil himself as the nation's newest academic genius. As I watch him bask in the cameras, I quietly tuck away my acceptance letter from Westbridge Academy of Art. So he wants to steal my score? Fine. He can have all 8 points. Consider it a graduation gift from me.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Autumn had painted Brookville in shades of gold and crimson when Noelle Shaw stepped off the plane. She grabbed her suitcase and walked out into the crisp air, a familiar sense of home wrapping around her.

A whole year had passed since she left to pursue a corporate training program overseas, and now, she was back just in time.

Her third anniversary with her boyfriend Xavier Harris was just days away, and she had been working nonstop to make it back early enough to surprise him.

She hailed a cab and headed straight for Xavier's office. The moment she walked through the front doors, Alice, the receptionist, gave her a look of total shock. "Ms. Shaw? You’re back? Are you here for the CEO's engagement party?"

Noelle's brow creased in confusion. "The CEO's engagement party? What are you talking about, Alice?"

"It's Mr. Harris's engagement party with your sister!"

"What?" Noelle's heart skipped a beat, and the happiness drained from her face. "Whose engagement party?"

Alice seemed to realize she had dropped a bombshell and nervously swallowed. "The CEO... and your sister..."

"Where is it happening?"

"The... Golden Oasis Hotel."

It felt like a punch to the gut. Noelle spun on her heel and rushed out. "Driver, take me to the Golden Oasis Hotel, please."

She had not even made it inside the hotel when she saw a huge photo by the entrance. There Xavier was with his arm around Winter Shaw, who looked stunning in her elegant dress. They were gazing into each other's eyes, lost in a world of love.

On her way over, Noelle was psyching herself up. Xavier was her boyfriend. He was hers! The idea of him getting engaged to her sister was just too bizarre. As she arrived, however, reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

She walked in just in time to catch Xavier whispering sweet nothings into Winter's ear, making her cheeks turn a rosy pink.

Noelle felt a surge of anger, her eyes blazing with fury.

How ludicrous it was. Her boyfriend of three years, the one she had been with through thick and thin, was now cozying up to her elder sister while she had been miles away.

Winter Shaw was mingling and toasting with the guests arm in arm with Xavier when she spotted Noelle. Her face drained of color, and her grip on Xavier's hand tightened without her even realizing it.

Xavier's eyes met Noelle's. He paused for a split second, then flashed Winter a comforting smile before walking over to Noelle. "Hey Noelle, did you come to celebrate me and your sister's big day?"

His voice, which was usually so warm and gentle, felt like a knife twisting in her heart. Noelle clenched her jaw. "Celebrate? Celebrate you stabbing me in the back? And Winter, really? Are you that desperate for a man? You knew he was mine, and you... you both..."

Before she could finish, a slap snapped her head to the side, leaving her cheek throbbing.

Holding her face, tears brimming in her eyes, she looked up in disbelief. "Mom!"

"Don't you dare call me 'mom' right now! What kind of daughter or sister acts the way you're acting? It's your sister's engagement, and you can't even be happy for her? Instead, you show up here to make a scene. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Jade Jones was fuming, her eyes shooting daggers at Noelle.

Noelle's heart clenched. "Mom, what are you even saying? Xavier's my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend? Xavier is your sister's husband. Why do you have to challenge your sister for everything? I’m so disappointed in you."

Noelle could not help but laugh. She stared at her mother, Jade, who had the nerve to twist the truth so blatantly. She turned to Xavier. "Xavier, come on. Tell us who you're really dating."

His brow creased, his gaze on Noelle filled with uncertainty. The firm grip he felt, however, brought him back to the moment. "Noelle, I'm sorry, but there's only ever been one person for me, and that's your sister."

Noelle's heart felt like it was being sliced open as she listened to Xavier's emotionless confession.

What a joke! What bitter irony!

"Xavier, you’d better get this straight: it's me who's dumping you, not the other way round." It took all her willpower not to lash out at the cheating couple. "I hope you two have a long, 'happy' life together," she spat.

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9 Chapters
Chapter 1
By the time school let out, rain was coming down in sheets.A Rolls-Royce waited by the curb, the family chauffeur standing beside it with an umbrella as my brother, Jared Hogan, approached.Jared glanced back at me and waved with a smug smile. "Sorry, Riley. There's only room for one. You'll have to take the bus. Mom and Dad said the exercise would do you good."I stood in the pouring rain for 40 minutes, waiting for the bus. By the time I got home, I was soaked to the bone.The dining table was covered with an elaborate feast—foie gras, lobster, black truffle pasta, and an expensive bottle of wine.Jared had already changed into a fresh set of designer loungewear. He sat at the table while my mother, Mia Corey, fussed over him, piling food onto his plate."Eat up, Jared. You have that assessment tomorrow. You need all the brainpower you can get."I stood dripping in the foyer. Not one of them even looked my way.I turned toward the stairs, but my father, Chris Hogan's, voice
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Chapter 2
On the day of the assessment, I took my seat with the rest of the art-track students.When the proctor handed out the test, I gave it a quick once-over. Page after page of questions stared back at me, and I couldn't make sense of a single one.I picked up my pencil, marked C for every multiple-choice question, then flipped the test booklet over and started sketching the Mona Lisa on the back.The proctor paused beside my desk and did a double take but ultimately said nothing.I was an art student, after all. No one in this room was surprised to see someone bomb the academic portion.Apparently, Jared was even more brazen in the other testing room. He put his head down and slept through the entire assessment, turning in all four sections completely blank.When the proctor tried to wake him, Jared merely rolled his eyes. "Would you quit bothering me? I don't need to take some stupid test."That afternoon, once the assessment was over, the PA system crackled to life."Hi, everyone
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Chapter 3
At Senior Assembly, the entire student body gathered on the field.As the school's supposed top student, Jared stood at the podium and delivered an impassioned speech."College entrance exams are nothing to fear. Once you find the approach that works for you, anyone can achieve the impossible."Take me, for example. I never stay up late studying or waste hours on practice tests, yet I still ranked first in the entire district."A wave of applause swept across the field.Jared paused, his gaze drifting toward a far corner of the crowd."Of course, if certain people insist on challenging a genius without knowing their own limits, they're only setting themselves up for humiliation."I knew he was talking about me. I simply didn't have time to care.Crouched at the edge of the field, I was busy putting the finishing touches on my submission piece. It would be the centerpiece of my portfolio for Westbridge Academy of Art. Every last brushstroke had to be perfect.Footsteps approach
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Chapter 4
On the eve of the college entrance exams, light spilled from every window of the Hogan residence.A lavish catered party filled the house, with hundreds of guests gathered to celebrate Jared becoming the state's top scorer before he had even sat the exam.Fireworks lit up the backyard for hours.Dressed in a custom designer gown, Sienna approached Jared and held out the keys to a brand-new Ferrari. In her other hand was a custom diamond band."Jared, once the exam is over and you take the top spot, let's make our engagement official. What do you say?"Jared raised an eyebrow, then accepted both gifts. As the guests cheered and teased them, he slipped the ring onto his finger. "What's the rush? I haven't even taken the exam yet. But I suppose I can accept the gesture."The house rang with laughter as everyone celebrated a victory that hadn't happened yet.Meanwhile, I was living in a basement room near the school. I had moved out of the Hogan estate the day I signed the papers cu
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Chapter 5
The total score was 8.The ballroom went dead silent.Jared's smile remained frozen on his face. He blinked. "What?"Certain he had misread it, he rubbed his eyes and leaned closer to the screen.8 points."No! That's impossible!" He shot to his feet and hurled the keyboard to the floor. "The portal's been hacked! Someone must've hacked it!"In his mind, he frantically called out to the system. A notification chimed in response."Searching the national examination database… One matching candidate found: Riley Hogan. Target's verified score successfully transferred: 8 points."Jared went rigid. He didn't understand what was going on.I set down the lobster, wiped my mouth, and walked toward the stage. "Those 8 points are mine. I marked C for every question and got lucky a few times. You can keep them. Consider it my graduation gift."Whispers erupted throughout the ballroom as reporters surged toward the stage."The supposed top scorer in the state got 8 points?""What exact
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Chapter 6
Jared kept thrashing against the officers restraining him. "I'm the chosen one! I have a system that gives me perfect scores! Riley only recorded 8 points! He's worthless! He isn't even fit to stand beside me!"Realizing how bad things looked, Mom and Dad rushed forward, not to defend Jared, but to save themselves.Dad pointed furiously at me. "Officer, this is all his fault! He's a disgrace to our family! We cut him off months ago. We have the signed papers to prove it!""That's right!" Mom chimed in. "He isn't a Hogan anymore! We knew nothing about any of this!"Still clutching her stinging cheek, Sienna glared at me with pure hatred. "Don't look so pleased with yourself, Riley! You scored 8 points. No college would take you. You'll always be a worthless nobody, so what gives you the right to stand there acting superior?"I gave them a cursory glance, then reached into the canvas bag slung over my shoulder and pulled out an envelope.It was my acceptance letter to the Internati
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Chapter 7
I looked down at Jared, dazed and drooling on the floor, and felt nothing.Mom scrambled toward me, reaching for my legs. "Riley, please! You have to save Jared! He's your brother! You're Westbridge's star student. You must know how to help him!"Five minutes ago, she had called me a curse and threatened to tear me apart. Now, suddenly, I was Riley again.I stepped back in disgust, out of reach of her grasping hands. Then, I took out my phone, opened an audio recording, and turned the volume all the way up.Dad's voice rang through the speakers, "Four points? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I can't believe someone as useless as you carries the Hogan name."Mom cut in, "Stop giving him money. No allowance, no meals. Let him go hungry for a few days. Maybe then he'll learn not to humiliate us."Dad spoke again, "Sign the contract. From now on, you'll wait on Jared hand and foot. That's all you're good for.""And if you refuse, get out," Mom added. "We don't care what happens to y
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Chapter 8
By that evening, the story had taken over the Internet."The 8 Point Fraud: Hogan Heir Caught in Exam-Cheating Scandal" remained the number-one trending story for three straight days.Clips of Jared staring at his score flooded social media and spawned countless memes. "The 8-Point Genius" and "Perfect Score Jared" became two of the year's biggest running jokes.Shares in Hogan Industries plunged when the market opened the next morning. They continued falling for ten straight trading days, wiping out most of the company's value.Major partners terminated their contracts overnight, and the company's entire supply chain collapsed.Dad was formally charged with corporate fraud and several illegal financial schemes. According to reports, he spent his first night in custody crying.The Warrens didn't escape unscathed either. A detailed whistleblower report exposing years of tax evasion landed on the authorities' desk. After a nationwide boycott, Warren Group filed for bankruptcy and e
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Chapter 9
A few months later, the court handed down its sentences.Dad received 15 years in prison, and all assets tied to his crimes were forfeited.Sienna was convicted on multiple charges and sentenced to 7 years.Every Hogan property and luxury vehicle was seized and auctioned off. Once one of the wealthiest families in the state, they now owed more than they owned.Mom was left bruised in debt. Her accounts were frozen, and she had nothing to her name.Every day at 4:00 am, she searched the streets for recyclable bottles and scrap metal, earning barely enough for bread and canned food.She had no choice. Jared could no longer care for himself, and she was the only one left to support him.Jared no longer recognized anyone. He had to be fed and helped with even the simplest daily tasks. Sometimes, he would sit for hours staring into an empty corner.Late one winter night, Mom was pulling a cart through the streets, collecting discarded cardboard.As she passed a shopping center, a n
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