Chapter 2

First thing the next morning, I charged three premium journal subions to the card, along with a batch of imported textbooks and lab gear.

Seth strolled in, a drink in his hand.

"Harrison, you ran up over a dozen charges on the card last night?"

His voice was loud enough for Sydney, Sloane, and Sutton to hear.

Sydney set down her coffee cup.

"What did I tell you yesterday?"

I handed her the itemized statement.

There were no expensive watches and fancy cars, just specialized books and equipment.

Her harsh words died in her throat.

Sloane frowned.

"How much can a bunch of books cost?"

"I'm talking about out-of-print resources."

I checked out a spectrometer in my shopping cart.

The notification of the six-figure transaction chimed.

Sydney's expression turned grim.

"Did I give you permission to buy that?"

"You didn't say I couldn't."

"I took your silence as approval. That's the basic unwritten rule for adults."

Sutton smirked.

"You sure have no issues spending someone else's money."

"Of course. Why would I spend mine when I can spend yours?"

The assistant, Lexi Small, pulled up the deck on the projector to go over the upcoming brand strategy.

The picture of the boy under the magnolia tree popped up on the screen once more.

"Miss Sydney, we still haven't been able to locate him."

"Several A-list celebrities are willing to slash their rates for the campaign."

Sydney shot the idea down immediately.

"He is the muse for the whole collection. If we can't find him, we'll push the launch back."

Sloane stared at the photo.

"No one can take his place."

"The photo didn't even capture a fraction of his looks."

Sutton dropped the photo into her fan page.

"Bump the reward money up by another million dollars."

"I'll even present two cars as a reward to whoever finds him."

She remarked wistfully, "If I had a brother who looked like that, I'd hand him the keys to my entire garage."

I sat right next to them eating my breakfast while they fantasized about spoiling me rotten.

That was fresh.

Sutton shifted her gaze to me, her brows furrowing.

"Eating with your hood up and your cap pulled low is killing my appetite."

I put the rest of my breakfast wrap in a Ziploc.

"Appreciate the heads-up. Looks like lunch is covered."

Seth took my hand tenderly.

"Harrison, everyone's just hung up on the boy in the picture."

"You can't control what you're born with. No need to be jealous."

I turned my attention to the photo.

"I'm not jealous."

Why would I be jealous of the guy I see in the mirror every day?

Sloane shut off the projector in annoyance.

"It doesn't hurt to know where you stand in life."

"Just don't start trying to copy him out of jealousy."

I nodded.

"Sounds like a waste of money. It's not worth it."

Just then, Lexi delivered a folder.

"Miss Sydney, we have the list of the recipients for the Education Foundation grant."

"Mr. Harrison has been named Young Achiever of the Year, which includes a half-a-million cash prize, four years of research funding, and a research internship at the institute."

I set my fork down.

"When does the money hit my account?"

Sydney scowled.

"Do you ever think about anything other than money?"

"Four years of lab funding."

"Now, that's more valuable than half a million dollars."

Seth bit his lip.

"You have already made your mark in science and math. You're not short on opportunities down the road."

"I want to enter the National Young Artists' Exhibition. If I could exhibit my work as Young Achiever of the Year…"

He shook his head hastily.

"Never mind… I shouldn't even think about taking what's yours."

Sydney uttered, "Give Harrison twice the cash prize."

"The title and publicity should go to Seth."

The smile faded from my face.

"Why?"

"Don't you love money?"

"You're getting a million bucks. What more do you want?"

I pulled up the foundation's award guidelines on my phone.

"Winners are selected based on academic performance, competition results, and potential for future success."

"Which of those criteria does Seth meet?"

Sydney replied icily, "The foundation belongs to the Grahams. I make the rules, and I decide who gets what."

I showed her the public notice page.

"The submission portfolios are already published online."

"You can always set up a separate award for Seth."

"But you can't erase my name off my achievements and put his over them."

Sydney met my gaze.

"I'm offering you twice the payout."

"I like the money, sure."

"But I'm keeping the recognition too."

"What's mine stays with me."

Seth said, his eyes welling up, "Harrison, I didn't mean to take what's yours."

I snatched the grant form right out of his hands.

"Then keep your hands off."

The award list had already been published online.

As much as Sydney played favorites, she couldn't risk throwing away the foundation's credibility.

Ultimately, the award, funding, and internship would go straight to me.

Apparently furious that I'd talked back, she tossed a bunch of keys at me.

"You can have the luxury apartment just off campus."

"Just take whatever car in the garage."

I caught the keys.

"Are we transferring the property deed to my name?"

"What about the parking spot, insurance, and gas money?"

Sydney could feel the vein throbbing along her forehead.

"They will be covered."

My attitude changed for the better.

"Thank you, Sydney."

A family bond eighteen years late wasn't worth a dime.

Cashing out on the affection was pretty sweet, though.