Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

When the report landed on the floor, Mom's fingers jerked.Before she could bend down to pick it up, Uncle Donald snatched it and tore it into pieces."El, where did Walter get someone to make this?" he scoffed. "The workmanship is terrible. It's not even as convincing as the death certificate I personally made for you back then.""Bullshit!" I roared. My eyes reddened as I stared at the shredded paper scattered across the ground.Uncle Donald moved to Mom's side and sighed. "Because Walter faked his death, the media is turning on Ferguson Group. The stock price is already dropping, El. You need to fix this."He turned to me with a stern look."You almost had us fooled. Even a prank should have limits. Mike, tell your father to come out right now and prove in front of everyone that he's still alive.""Walter used to be the most reasonable person when it came to the bigger picture. How did he become like this?"Mom looked at me with nothing but disappointment in her eyes.

I stared at him in disbelief."Three years ago, he saw us in the mall where he worked as a janitor," Uncle Donald said casually.He seemed amused, as if recalling something entertaining. "He looked completely unhinged. He kept shouting that he was going to find your mother and demand an explanation."I balled my hands into tight fists."It took me years to get rid of him. I wasn't about to let him appear in front of your mother again, so I pushed him into the river."My heart skipped a beat."He tried to swim back up several times, but I smashed him down with rocks every single time, until his skull cracked open and the water turned red. He went still within moments.""Speaking of which, Ferguson Group is putting on a fireworks show tonight over that river to celebrate all the students passing their exams and a bright future ahead.""Those are all underwater fireworks, following my suggestion. For the sake of ultimate brilliance, the explosive force is strong enough to kill e

Mom frowned deeply.Donald stepped in front of her and sharply said, "Dozens of people drown in that river every year. What's all the alarm about? What does it have to do with us?"He shot a look at the man, trying to dismiss him.However, the man remained rooted to the spot.His lips were pale, as though he were choking on whatever he was trying to say.Mom noticed at once. "Go on."He swallowed hard and finally stammered, "The body... There's a pendant around its neck. It looks like the one Mr. Ferguson never took off."The air itself seemed to freeze.Mom's eyes widened with horror.Suddenly, the truth dawned on her—my cries, my breakdown, the countless occasions I had told her that Dad was dead, that he had perished in this very river.She shoved Donald out of her way and sprinted downstairs like a madwoman.Caught completely off guard, Uncle Donald crashed heavily to the ground.Camera shutters exploded around him. The reporters swarmed, capturing every second of his

Mom frowned at the elderly man approaching them."Who are you?"Uncle Donald's expression changed instantly. His eyes widened in shock."That's Professor Judas Riche, the chancellor of Oldingham University!"Professor Riche didn't spare him a glance. His eyes were locked on the operating room doors."I'm not just the chancellor," he said. "I'm also the head of the department he applied to."He paused before adding firmly, "And he will be the last student I personally take under my wing."The entire hallway fell silent.Uncle Donald's smile faltered for a second before he plastered it back on."With all due respect, Professor Riche, Mike cheated on the exam. His scores have already been invalidated.""My son, Drake Ferguson, is excellent too. He's always admired you. Could you perhaps give the spot to him instead?"Before he could finish, Professor Riche shot him a cold glance."You don't get to decide someone cheated on the SAT just because you say so, and you certainly don