Chapter 3

The next day, I drove straight to the campus in the car courtesy of Sydney.

On my way out, I asked the butler for the gas card.

"Sir, the car already has a full tank of gas."

"It's bound to run out."

The Grahams went all out with the flowers, a tailored suit, and a full press crew for Seth.

The second he stepped out of the car, a crowd swarmed around him.

Meanwhile, the driver told me to slip out through the side entrance.

"Miss Sydney mentioned it'd be best if you don't show up in the same frame with Mr. Seth."

The message sent was loud and clear.

The family was ashamed of my looks, worried I'd tarnish the family name.

That didn't bother me, though.

The side entrance was way closer to the Financial Aid and Scholarship office anyway.

I stepped into the building, only for Seth to catch up and grab me.

"Why did you enter through the side entrance?"

Before I could answer, he started explaining to the students all around.

"Harrison is really self-conscious about his looks. He can't handle all the staring."

The gazes from the crowd turned judgmental.

"How ugly do you have to pull your hoodie up and baseball cap down in the dead of summer?"

"I can see why his family sent him away the moment he was born."

Seth hid a smirk in his eyes while pretending to defend me.

"Don't say that. Harrison's super smart."

Someone else chimed in.

"I bet he has zero friends, so he hits the books 24/7."

Ignoring the comments, I went straight to the Financial Aid and Scholarship office.

The administrator verified my ID and handed me the confirmation form.

"Harrison, your $600,000 grant award will be deposited within three business days."

"Is that net after tax?"

"Yes."

Signing my name felt remarkably lighter after hearing that.

I had barely tucked the documents away when several students blocked my way.

They showed me a viral post from the student forum on their phone.

"Small-Town Ugly Rich Boy, the State's Supposed Top STEM Student, Admitted on Merit, or Family Connections?"

The thread accused me of robbing regular students of their hard-earned scholarships and lab spots.

"You hide behind your hoodie. For all we know, you might not be the real Harrison Graham."

"It's not like rich families can't buy whatever fake paperwork, right?"

The issue was quickly brought forward to the department head.

To put the rumors to rest, the faculty set up an impromptu live placement test.

Sitting in the first row, Seth looked concerned.

"Don't stress, Harrison."

"No one's going to judge if you do badly."

The last three questions were advanced graduate-level material, far beyond what a freshman should know.

I turned in my paper with forty minutes to spare.

The professor, Huck Button, graded the paper there and then.

"A perfect paper."

"He even solved the last problem using two completely different methods."

All my doubters went dead silent.

The professor announced on the spot, "Harrison, report to the primary research lab as soon as the semester starts."

"Does it come with a stipend?"

Huck chuckled.

"Yes, and you'll be on the top pay tier."

Since they couldn't attack my intelligence, the students shifted their attention to my face.

"So what if he gets good grades?"

"It doesn't change the fact that he's ugly."

"He puts his focus on his academics because he has no social life."

Seth came to comfort me.

"Don't get upset, Harrison. Looks aren't the only thing that matters for a guy."

It sounded like he was sticking up for me, but all he did was confirm everyone's suspicions about my looks.

That afternoon, Sutton swung by campus for an esports club event.

Seth showed her the forum post while she was livestreaming.

Sutton panned her camera right over to me on purpose.

"He's covering his face, not because he's self-conscious."

"Harrison just doesn't want to give anyone nightmares."

The kids around burst into laughter.

The chat was spammed with demands for a face reveal.

Seth stepped in hastily.

"Come on, Sutton."

"Harrison is insecure enough. If we keep pushing him, he might not even come out of his dorms anymore."

Sutton, however, chased after me with her phone.

I halted my footsteps.

"Am I getting a cut of your stream revenue?"

"Are you even eyeing my income?"

"Well, I expect a cut since you're using me for content."

I tapped right into the platform's complaints portal.

"Pay up if you want to use my face for publicity."

Soon enough, her livestream cut straight to black.

Campus security even approached and demanded that Sutton stop filming.

Having been publicly humiliated, Sutton turned ashen.

"You threw your own sister under the bus over some money?"

"First off, you never acknowledged me as your brother."

"Second of all, I don't get exploited for free."

That night, a post mocking the Grahams' ugly heir for acting like a diva just because he was the state's top STEM student blew up online.

A call from Sydney came in right away.

Not even asking about the details, she ordered, "You're attending the college's charity donor dinner tomorrow night."

"You are to apologize to Sutton in public."

Sydney paused for a minute.

"Don't go showing your face around."

"Stop embarrassing the family."