Chapter 3

Once everyone heard what had happened, they turned to look at Sienna with disdain.

"And she's supposed to be a scholarship student? Turns out she can't even get first place without someone buying it for her."

"Shh, keep your voice down. Be careful, or she'll get the scions to come after you."

Sienna was crying so hard that she could barely catch her breath.

With tears in her eyes, she snapped at Leo, "I haven't sunk so low that I need to buy my way into first place! You people are insulting me!"

With that, she turned around and ran off. Leo hurried after her and spent a long time trying to calm her down.

Meanwhile, Zander seethed with resentment. "That bitch, Daphne!'

Yale Graham, scion of the Graham family, leaned against a pillar in the hallway. "I have an idea," he said casually.

The corner of his mouth curled into a smile. A mischievous, malicious glint flickered in his charming eyes.

"Anyone can tell a bookworm like her has never been in love. Why don't I pursue her? Once she really believes I'm into her, I'll dump her. By then, she'll be too heartbroken to even think about studying, let alone getting first place."

The others exchanged glances, a knowing glint flashing in their eyes.

I had no idea what they were plotting.

…

After school, I went home and pushed open the three-meter-tall wrought-iron gate with its ornate design.

The second I stepped into the living room, a group of thugs in suits turned and stared at me in unison. Any one of them could scare a random passerby half to death.

The moment they saw me, their faces lit up with smiles.

"Well, look who's back. The top scorer is home!"

"Little genius! Let me take a good look at you. You've lost weight again. Is the food at school not good enough?"

I greeted them one by one.

"Hi, Mr. Wright. How's business been lately? Getting plenty of assassination jobs?"

Noah Wright, the heavily scarred man, threw his head back and laughed heartily. "Thanks to you, I landed seven contracts last month. I've been swamped."

"Mr. Levin, I heard you took down three rival gang headquarters last month. How are you holding up?"

Joseph Levin, the usually stern gang leader, broke into a huge grin, his face crinkling with wrinkles.

"Wow, you've got quite the network. Don't worry. I've still got plenty of fight left in me!"

After I finished greeting everyone, my parents finally squeezed their way through the crowd.

The two of them were sporting matching rainbow-colored hairstyles. Standing side by side, they looked like two oversized, walking Skittles.

"What on earth… is that look?" I blurted out, the corner of my mouth twitching.

Dad scratched the back of his head and gave me a goofy grin. "Your mom said it's called a 'Rainbow Pony.' Apparently, it's what kids love nowadays."

He beamed down at me. "Sweetheart, do you like it?"

I gave an awkward laugh. "It's… definitely unique."

Then I slung my backpack over my shoulder and said to my parents, "I'm going to study. Finals are in a month."

Dad sighed and then yelled at my retreating back.

"This kid's great in every way, except she studies too hard! She's nothing like us back in the day. We were busy fighting, skipping class, and dating every day!"

Mr. Wright smacked him on the shoulder. "Stop flexing. I'm sure you're secretly celebrating that you have a daughter who always ranks first."

The others chimed in, and the living room erupted in laughter.

I headed upstairs to my room.

…

As soon as I put down my backpack, my phone buzzed.

It was a Facebook friend request with a message that read, "I'm Yale Graham. Can we be friends? I think you're different from other girls."

I stared at the screen for three seconds, then smiled faintly.

I opened my bedroom door and shouted downstairs at the top of my lungs, "Dad! I'm going to date someone!"

The living room went dead silent.

Dad's eyes went wide, and his rainbow-colored hair practically stood on end.

"What? Which bastard is it?" he demanded.

Ignoring him, I slammed the door shut and accepted Yale's friend request.

…

For the next month, Yale started pursuing me.

Every morning, he'd leave a cup of warm milk on my desk. After school, he'd be waiting for me at the classroom door. On weekends, he'd take me out on dates.

During evening study sessions, he'd sit right next to me. He never flipped a single page of a book. He just sat there staring at me with an intensely affectionate look.

We were practically inseparable. He clung to me from morning till night, dragging me to all sorts of places every day. I barely had any time left to study.

Meanwhile, Yale had started giving Sienna the cold shoulder. Whenever she approached him with tears in her eyes, he brushed her off without a second thought.

Rumors quickly spread across the school forum.

"Yale's heart changed. He fell for the top student."

"Is the Cinderella story finally over?"

Sienna's supporters called me shameless behind my back, but I pretended not to hear them.

…

Finally, the final exams were over.

The day before the results were released, Yale asked me to meet him on the school rooftop.

When I arrived, Zander, Leo, and Simon Mercer, scion of the Mercer family, were also there. The four of them stood in a row, with Sienna standing right in the center.

Yale shoved his hands into his pockets and lifted his chin.

"Daphne, let's break up. The game is over," he said, his tone casual and arrogant.

He turned to Sienna, his voice softening. "See? Everything between her and me these past few months was fake. I was just toying with her."

Sienna broke into a smile through her tears, though she pretended not to care.

"Like I care who you like," she muttered.

Yale turned his gaze back to me, no longer bothering to hide his malice.

"Daphne, I never liked you. Every day I spent with you made me sick. I did all of this to keep you from studying. I can't wait to see if you're going to rank first this time."

He paused, his voice turning even colder. "Turns out you're just another vain, shallow girl. All it took was a little attention, and you fell for me."

He looked at me smugly, clearly expecting me to be heartbroken.

Instead, I burst out laughing.

"Is that so?" I tilted my head. "Fine, let's break up."

Yale clearly hadn't expected me to take it so calmly. He froze for a second, then scoffed, "Stop putting on a tough front. Once the results come out, we'll see if you're still laughing."

The moment he finished speaking, everyone's phones buzzed. It was a notification from the academic office.

"The results are out!" someone gasped.

Yale threw me a triumphant look before checking his phone. The next second, the color completely drained from his face.