Chapter 1

I locked my phone screen and watched as it went black. My fingers unconsciously tightened, crumpling the study abroad application form in front of me.

In the classroom, the students' chatter continued.

"Wow! Jemima Ford is fully aware of how attractive she is. I heard even matchmaking agencies have reached out to her!"

"Right? She just came back from studying abroad. She's also got a car and a house. She's pretty and rich."

"Look at Professor Dawson's expression. She's looking at Jemima like she's her future daughter-in-law!"

One compliment after another poured out from my classmates' mouths.

At the front of the room, Hannah Dawson kept nodding approvingly. She was beaming widely.

She concluded with satisfaction, "Very good. As expected of my prized student! You have a very clear plan for your future, Jemima. I'm sure the universe will align to make everything work in your favor. Soon, you and—"

"Wait!" I suddenly spoke up.

With my classmates watching on curiously, I stood up. My eyes locked onto Jemima's, and I plastered a fake smile filled with resentment onto my face.

I said, "Jemima, it looks like we have the same ideal type. Fortunately, I've already found a boyfriend, and his name is Elijah Sanders."

My voice grew colder as I continued, "Why don't I talk to Elijah about this later? If any of us happens to meet someone who fits your criteria, we can introduce him to you."

This provocation successfully angered someone, but it wasn't Jemima.

Like a protective mother hen, Hannah grabbed a box of chalk and hurled it at me.

There was a crash!

My ash brown hair was instantly dusted white.

Then came a furious tirade from Hannah. "Ivory, this is not the time and place to be showing off your relationship. Do you think you're worthy of Eli? If you know what's good for you, break up with him immediately!"

Countless eyes focused on me. I forced myself to suppress the sting in my eyes and not let my tears fall.

All this time, I had treated Hannah as my future mother-in-law with respect. Alas… I couldn't understand why she disliked me so much.

The class bell rang just in time to break the tension.

Realizing she had lost her composure, Hannah awkwardly shifted her gaze away from me. "That's all for today. Class dismissed.

"Oh, Jemi. There's a surprise waiting for you in my office. When you come over, you can show me how much scholarship money you've saved over the years, too."

"Jemi?" I repeated blankly. I froze as that nickname echoed in my mind.

In all the years I'd known Hannah, she had only ever addressed me as "Ms. Pearson" frostily. Every single word and action was a warning not to act recklessly in class just because I might become her daughter-in-law one day.

I yielded at every turn, but she just pushed further without regard.

Like clockwork, she'd interrupt every date I had with Elijah. Headaches, fevers, missing her son… She had used every excuse in the book.

I swallowed all my grievances in silence. It was because once we graduated, Elijah wanted to go abroad for an exchange program. He wanted me to go with him.

Hence, my less-than-pleasant interactions with Hannah would only last until graduation.

But today…

Taking a deep breath, I wiped away the tears at the corner of my eyes and looked at my phone, which had been vibrating nonstop earlier.

Half an hour ago, Elijah had sent me a message. He texted, "Ivy, your birthday's coming up. Let's go big at our usual place!"

I replied, "Okay. I'm on my way there."

After calming myself down, I packed the documents on my desk into my bag and went to meet him.

In the private room, I waited and waited, but Elijah still hadn't shown up when it was already quite late. I frowned slightly, my unease about to spill over.

The next second, the phone in my palm vibrated. There came a notification of an update on the campus forum.

Someone posted, "Shocking news! Two girls fought over one guy in an elective class today!"