Second Chances

& Trims didan tok me

posing frager at them

that money, she would be tabeled Heartless And if the rank the lead and handed it ever Herself, Liam couldn’t hot a click mi

“Emma, amlight Zoe pushed, getting more aggressive

In light of everyone, the Wilsons figured Emma would cave. But then, Maya whipped out another piece of paper “Well, here’s Emma’s score

eport”

Without even looking, Aria burst out laughing. “Emma, I told you. It’s no surprise you can’t keep up after coming straight from the boonies. But seriously, you gotta get your head in the game. Turning it in after just 30 minutes? You won’t ace anything with that attitude.”

Ana’s confidence had the crowd nodding along in agreement.

“She turned it in just 30 minutes? She’s totally worthless.”

“Can’t answer? Fine, but at least finish the whole thing. Handing it in early, where’s that arrogance coming from?”

“Why bring her back? She’s totally an embarrassment.”

But Maya cut them off. “Hold on, you’ve got it wrong.” She raised the report. “Check it out, in just half an hour, Emma scored 1592.”

Just 8 points off in writing. Everything else was a perfect score. 1592 points! Over 22 points higher than Aria, who usually topped the charts.

Aria staggered, thinking she must be hallucinating. “No way, that’s impossible. Nobody at Vark College has ever hit 1592. She must’ve cheated.”

Emma, previously silent, now stepped forward with a smile. “Seriously, Aria? You just said nobody at this school ever hit 1592. Then you accuse me of cheating? Cheating off who? You think I’d copy your measly 1570?”

Aria was so flustered, she was on the verge of tears. “I don’t buy it. You must’ve Googled the answers. You must’ve used your phone.”

Even Maya chimed in. “Vark College exam questions are all teacher-made. No online answers to Google.”

After all those years of studying, how could Aria not know this? She was clearly panicking, lashing out desperately. Emma’s scores shocked everyone, but Aria’s extreme reaction left them even more bewildered.

From his spot upstairs, Liam casually sipped champagne, observing the chaos below. Levi could see trouble brewing for Emma. Judging Liam’s demeanor, he asked, “Mr. Hall, should I head down and help out Mrs. Hall?”

“She seems to have it all under control,” Liam replied with a smirk.

Levi wiped his brow. It seemed Mrs. Hall had everything handled. 1592 points. Even for Levi, a top scorer in the state with 1580 in his time, that was impressive.

Downstairs, Aria insisted, “Dad, Maya, Emma cheated. There’s no way she could score that high. She…”

“Cut it out!” Mateo’s face was flushed with anger. “Do you want to make things worse? Shut up.”

Nora rushed to pull Aria away, but Mateo and Zoe’s expressions toward Emma stayed the same even after hearing her score.

Mateo shot Emma a suspicious look. “Explain it!” His tone hinted at his suspicion that Emma had pulled something shady.

Emma retorted, “What’s there to explain? Maya already confirmed there’s no chance of cheating. Maya, am I right?”

|||

O

12:47 Fri, 5 Jul

“Exactly, Emma couldn’t have cheated,” Maya asserted, halting Mateo’s schemes in their tracks.

“Okay, everyone, looks like there’s been a little hiccup in the family today,” Mateo started, hinting at ending the party early.

“Wait,” Emma interrupted Mateo, “let’s not end it here. Since everyone’s present, let’s settle the inheritance contract today.”

Mateo was seething with anger.

10%

Emma grinned. “Grandma’s spot-on. Aria’s got great scores and deserves to study abroad. But hey, mine are even better. Would be a waste

not to cash in for my education, right?”

Zoe jumped up, all riled up. “This is totally different,” she exclaimed. “Aria’s been top dog since forever. We still don’t know what your first place is even worth.”

“Well, Zoe, you’ve got it all wrong.”

“Yeah, they’re both Mateo’s daughters. Emma’s got a point.”

“Come on, Maya already cleared Emma. You are just playing favorites, plain and simple.”

The crowd’s fiery arguments quickly dragged the Wilson family’s reputation through the mud.

In that instant, a man spoke up. “Vark College tests are no joke. Cheating? Absolutely impossible. If a big shot like Mr. Wilson doesn’t know that, it’s no wonder your bank’s run dry, resorting to pimping your own kid for cash.”

Those words landed like a bomb, silencing the room instantly. The speaker was none other than Daniel who towered over the crowd with his height over 6 feet.

Mateo frowned. “Mr. Rivera, what are you getting at?”

“Did I miss the mark?” Daniel stepped forward from the crowd. “Wasn’t your plan to marry off Emma to Liam for that hefty 10 million dollar investment he promised?”

“Mr. Rivera, this is a private family affair,” Mateo retorted, unaware that Daniel was Stella’s brother, having been kept in the dark since Stella severed ties with her family to marry him.

“If the trust company is involved, it’s not just your family’s private affair anymore. Violating the trust’s terms will lead to consequences you can’t handle,” Daniel replied.

Mateo paled, understanding the immense power of global financial giants like Daniel. With enough capital to destroy the Wilson family, Daniel’s words were a clear threat after Liam’s warning shot.

Under the crushing weight of the situation, Mateo had no option but to publicly sign the contract, granting the entire 2 million dollars to

Emma.

In tears, Aria pleaded, “Dad, you promised that money was for my education. Why should Emma get any of it? She’s just a shameless country bumpkin who doesn’t deserve a penny!”