Chapter 2

As I walked down the road, the same men who used to praise me now looked at me with mockery and contempt.

"Look! That's Arthur's grandson, the one who went to university," someone began. "But I heard he can't even give a proper toast. He's not even as good as his cousin, who only went to community college."

Another replied, "Exactly. What's the point of all that education then? He'll get eaten alive out in the real world without social skills."

"Calvin's the sharp one. He'll go a lot further than this bookworm ever will."

Their words stung, each one landing harder than the last. However, what hurt even more was how my own family treated me.

My mom had always cared deeply about appearances. Ever since I embarrassed myself in front of Alice, she had looked at me like I was nothing but a disappointment.

At dinner, Mom slammed her fork down, jabbed a finger at me, and yelled, "We put you through all those years of school, and you can't even say a proper thing in front of people?

"You just had to let Calvin clean up your mess! Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me?"

Dad felt sorry for me. But with Uncle Gary and Mom bearing down on him, all he could do was tell me to let it go.

I had no way to defend myself and could only swallow my grievances.

At first, I thought it was just a coincidence. But today, when Calvin said those specialized terms, I finally realized that he could hear my thoughts.

…

That night, Grandpa called Calvin and me over. A calculating glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "Tomorrow is my 80th birthday. Your Aunt Sierra and Uncle Roger are coming back from the city.

"They're the ones with real money in this family. Whether they decide to help us get ahead will depend entirely on tomorrow."

Then, he glanced at Calvin, his expression softening with affection. "Calvin, you've made something of yourself. Even Professor Sullivan speaks highly of you. Make sure you do well tomorrow."

But when his gaze shifted to me, his face turned cold.

"Jasper, you haven't been doing great lately, but at least you've got a degree."

Grandpa continued, "Tomorrow, both of you will prepare a speech. Whoever wins your Aunt Sierra over will have done this family a real service."

At that, Calvin shot me a smug look, already certain he had this in the bag.

My aunt, Sierra Meyer, was something of a legend in our small town. She had left home when she was young and supposedly made her fortune in real estate down south. Rumor had it that she was worth billions of dollars now.

But she had always kept her distance from the family. Aside from sending Grandpa money once a year, she rarely came back.

This time, however, she was bringing her entire family back for Grandpa's 80th birthday—something completely out of character.

Aunt Sierra also intended to assess investment opportunities back home. If things went well, she'd offer some support to the younger generation.

No wonder Grandpa wanted Calvin and me to prepare speeches. If we could win her support, we could cut years off our struggle.

There was no doubt Calvin would seize this opportunity.

My lips curled into a smirk. This time, I was going to give him a gift he would never forget.

…

The next day, the birthday celebration got underway. 50 tables were set up in a sprawling outdoor feast, and prominent figures from every nearby town were in attendance.

Aunt Sierra sat at the main table, surrounded by people trying to curry favor.

She looked around at the gathered family and sighed. "Even though our family came from nothing, we're doing well now. But that doesn't mean we can forget our roots.

"It's your grandfather's 80th birthday. So, tell me, can any of you put together a proper poem, or at least say something worth hearing?"

Aunt Sierra might have made her money later in life, but over the years, she had developed a taste for appearing cultured.

She loved being seen that way, and even more, she loved putting us on the spot whenever she got the chance.

When Uncle Gary heard that, an idea came to him.

"Sierra, why even ask? Calvin's the brightest kid around," he said with a smile. "Unlike someone who went to a top university and still can't string a sentence together.

"Jasper, you're a literature major, aren't you? Why don't you go up against Calvin?"

At first, Calvin looked a little rattled. He barely had enough in him to come up with a decent rhyme, after all.

But the moment he heard he'd be competing with me, his eyes lit up.

He rose to his feet and shot me a challenging look. "Jasper, since Aunt Sierra's in the mood, let's make things a little more interesting. You're the top student here, so don't go easy on me, alright?"

I lowered my head, pretending to be deep in thought, while composing a poem in my mind.

Barely a second later, Calvin spoke up, his voice dripping with excitement. "Since Jasper's still thinking, I'll go first and give it a try."