Semua Bab Bound to My Name, Doomed by My Brush: Bab 1 - Bab 9

On the day of the assessment, I took my seat with the rest of the art-track students.When the proctor handed out the test, I gave it a quick once-over. Page after page of questions stared back at me, and I couldn't make sense of a single one.I picked up my pencil, marked C for every multiple-choice question, then flipped the test booklet over and started sketching the Mona Lisa on the back.The proctor paused beside my desk and did a double take but ultimately said nothing.I was an art student, after all. No one in this room was surprised to see someone bomb the academic portion.Apparently, Jared was even more brazen in the other testing room. He put his head down and slept through the entire assessment, turning in all four sections completely blank.When the proctor tried to wake him, Jared merely rolled his eyes. "Would you quit bothering me? I don't need to take some stupid test."That afternoon, once the assessment was over, the PA system crackled to life."Hi, everyone

On the eve of the college entrance exams, light spilled from every window of the Hogan residence.A lavish catered party filled the house, with hundreds of guests gathered to celebrate Jared becoming the state's top scorer before he had even sat the exam.Fireworks lit up the backyard for hours.Dressed in a custom designer gown, Sienna approached Jared and held out the keys to a brand-new Ferrari. In her other hand was a custom diamond band."Jared, once the exam is over and you take the top spot, let's make our engagement official. What do you say?"Jared raised an eyebrow, then accepted both gifts. As the guests cheered and teased them, he slipped the ring onto his finger. "What's the rush? I haven't even taken the exam yet. But I suppose I can accept the gesture."The house rang with laughter as everyone celebrated a victory that hadn't happened yet.Meanwhile, I was living in a basement room near the school. I had moved out of the Hogan estate the day I signed the papers cu

Jared kept thrashing against the officers restraining him. "I'm the chosen one! I have a system that gives me perfect scores! Riley only recorded 8 points! He's worthless! He isn't even fit to stand beside me!"Realizing how bad things looked, Mom and Dad rushed forward, not to defend Jared, but to save themselves.Dad pointed furiously at me. "Officer, this is all his fault! He's a disgrace to our family! We cut him off months ago. We have the signed papers to prove it!""That's right!" Mom chimed in. "He isn't a Hogan anymore! We knew nothing about any of this!"Still clutching her stinging cheek, Sienna glared at me with pure hatred. "Don't look so pleased with yourself, Riley! You scored 8 points. No college would take you. You'll always be a worthless nobody, so what gives you the right to stand there acting superior?"I gave them a cursory glance, then reached into the canvas bag slung over my shoulder and pulled out an envelope.It was my acceptance letter to the Internati

By that evening, the story had taken over the Internet."The 8 Point Fraud: Hogan Heir Caught in Exam-Cheating Scandal" remained the number-one trending story for three straight days.Clips of Jared staring at his score flooded social media and spawned countless memes. "The 8-Point Genius" and "Perfect Score Jared" became two of the year's biggest running jokes.Shares in Hogan Industries plunged when the market opened the next morning. They continued falling for ten straight trading days, wiping out most of the company's value.Major partners terminated their contracts overnight, and the company's entire supply chain collapsed.Dad was formally charged with corporate fraud and several illegal financial schemes. According to reports, he spent his first night in custody crying.The Warrens didn't escape unscathed either. A detailed whistleblower report exposing years of tax evasion landed on the authorities' desk. After a nationwide boycott, Warren Group filed for bankruptcy and e