Semua Bab My Family’s Deadly Competition: Bab 1 - Bab 10

My alarm jolted me awake at 6 AM.Today was it. My third and final SAT.Victoria was setting out breakfast when I walked downstairs."Morning, sweetie." A huge smile lit up her face. "I made you a special power breakfast."Chloe and Mason had plain black coffee and bagels.But at my spot sat a thick, cloudy glass of juice."My special blend!" Victoria said proudly. "I bought the organic veggies at 5 AM. Added spirulina and maca powder too."Chloe rolled her eyes. "Mom, your favoritism is so obvious."Mason grumbled, "Why does Ava always get special treatment? She bombed two years in a row."I stared at the orange liquid. My heart raced."Mom, I just want coffee today." I reached for Chloe's mug.Smack!Victoria stopped me and snatched the mug away."No! This juice is good for your test. You have to drink it! Or else you aren't going to the exam!"The air froze.Chloe smirked. "Aw, is our smart Ava scared? Rejecting Mom's kindness?""Mom, what's actually in this juice? Why do I have to

I swallowed hard. "Was there anything wrong with the matcha?""Sorry, we didn't detect any abnormal substances. The sample only contained regular tea leaves and natural honey."I hung up and slumped into a patio chair.Nothing wrong.That meant it was all me. I just had terrible luck...But watching Mason celebrate inside, my doubts didn't fade.I knew exactly how dumb he was. Clubbing every night, utterly clueless about the test.There was no way he scored that high!Chloe and Brianna flashed through my mind.An insane idea started creeping into my head. I took a deep breath and walked back inside."I want a recount," I said loudly.The living room fell silent. Everyone stared at me."What?" Victoria frowned.I repeated myself.Chloe snorted. "Ava, are you delusional? Your score is canceled. What is there to check?""I'm not just checking mine. I'm checking Mason's."Mason's face turned beet red. "Why do you think I can't do it? Maybe I'm just gifted!"I was shaking all over. My voice

Victoria took a terrified step back.But she quickly steadied her breathing."I don't know what you're talking about.""That's fine. I'm not suing you today. I'm suing the College Board."I was the first rich heiress in the city to legally challenge my SAT scores. The room was packed with press and VIPs.It was even being live-streamed nationwide.Victoria blocked my way, furious. "Ava, stop embarrassing us! You scored badly, so now you're suing the College Board?"I nodded deadpan. "Yep. Just for that."She lifted her chin haughtily. She shot a look at her top-tier legal team, signaling them to attack.I stood at the plaintiff's table, facing dozens of HD cameras."Your Honor, today I will expose a massive academic and financial fraud within the elite class. Someone stole my SAT scores in a sick, twisted scam. They did this to divide a family trust worth hundreds of millions."Whispers broke out among the elites in the gallery.Camera flashes went off like crazy.Victoria shot to her

An hour later, the forensic document examiner finished the analysis under the court's watchful eyes.The expert held up the answer sheet and solemnly announced, "Forensic analysis confirms that the handwriting on the 1580-scoring answer sheet under Mason's name, including all scratchpad calculations and final answers, belongs entirely to Miss Ava.""And the zero-score disqualified paper submitted under Miss Ava's name actually matches Mason's handwriting."The courtroom was stunned, but the biggest shock was yet to come.I sneered and raised my hand. "Your Honor, I have one more secret to reveal."I walked to the stand and pointed a laser pen at the magnified answer sheet on the screen."At the final step of every complex math equation, I always draw a tiny Greek letter Theta in the bottom right corner. It's a habit from middle school. Like an artist's signature."The red laser hit the microscopic symbol perfectly."It's my own anti-counterfeit mark. No matter the situation, if I did t

The glass shard shook violently in Victoria's hand, cutting deeper into her skin. Blood dripped down her fingers onto the courtroom floor."You're insane!" she shrieked. "Do you want your mother to die right here?"Chaos broke out. Bailiffs moved in to stop her.But I raised my hand, stopping them.I strode over to Victoria and, under everyone's stunned gaze, snatched the bloody glass right out of her bare hand."What's the point of playing the victim now?"Without a second thought, I slashed the glass across my own palm.Blood instantly welled up and dripped onto the solemn judge's bench. It was a shocking sight.Victoria was dumbfounded. She had never seen me this cold-blooded.I held up my bloody hand and backed her into a corner."If there's even a tiny piece of you that cares about your daughter, tell the truth right now. Or I'll keep cutting until I bleed out!""Ava!" Victoria panicked, tears bursting from her eyes. "Don't! Mommy loves you! I did all of this to save the family bu