the Daughertys didn’t care about an ordinary adopted daughter.
But what if the adopted daughter was the top scorer in the exam?
Then she became the family’s glory, a testament to successful parenting, and a symbol of hope for the future.
the Daughertys were delighted. They opened several bottles of rare red wine, arranged the time for the press interviews with me, and then retired to rest, slightly tipsy.
Only Cayden and I remained at the dinner table.
The light from the crystal chandelier cast an indistinct shadow on Cayden’s face.
He had inherited Mrs. Daugherty’s features, with a straight nose and deep-set eyes, making him appear as a handsome and carefree scion of a wealthy family.
But at that moment, he looked at me with those beautiful eyes, his dark pupils cold and icy:
"Destiney, you don’t think this means you can become one of us, do you?"
I stood up, politely returning the chair to its original position, and then leaned close to Cayden’s ear, whispering softly:
"Master, you should get a clearer understanding of the situation."
"Right now, it’s your parents who are actively wanting to become a family with me."
On the day I went back to school to collect my transcript, I saw Asia.
She stood in the shadows, looking at me with expressions of jealousy, confusion, and anger.
I knew that she had just seen the video of the Daughertys and me being interviewed together.
In the video, Mrs. Daugherty had her arm around my shoulder, while Mr. Daugherty spoke confidently to the host.
The host complimented him, saying he was both a successful entrepreneur and a successful educator.
At the end, the three of us took a photo together, looking like a perfect family straight out of a commercial.
This was something Asia had never experienced in her previous life.
She looked at me, saying in a low and resentful voice, "What trick did you use?"
I shrugged. "Just study hard, do you believe that?"
After saying that, I turned and left.
Asia certainly didn’t believe it.
But this was precisely the only solution.
I heard Asia say softly behind me:
"Even if you win the love of the Daughertys, it’s useless."
"Cayden loves me."
Well, isn’t the standard trope of a drama heroine to be with the male lead, even if her parents don’t support her, even if it means going against the whole world?
I wished her well.
However, ten minutes later, I encountered the idol drama’s male lead himself.
Cayden, followed by a group of cronies, blocked my path in the corridor.
By then, the teachers and students had all left, leaving the school building empty.
Even if I cried for help, no one would hear me.
Looking up, I felt a chill in my heart.
Even the surveillance cameras had been tampered with beforehand.
They were prepared.
Cayden stood in front of me, saying in a low voice, "Destiney, it’s time to wake up from your dream of a carp leaping over the dragon gate."
"Today, I’ll show you what happens to hypocrites."
As soon as he finished speaking, one of his cronies rushed forward, grabbing my hair and slamming me against the wall.
There was a loud thud as wall dust fell.
I saw stars from the pain, but somehow I found the strength to kick the crony in the groin with all my might.
A scream echoed as the crony fell to the ground, his face contorted in agony.
Cayden’s expression changed. He was about to command the other cronies to move in, but I suddenly pulled out a bottle of red wine from my backpack.
It was a bottle of wine that Mr. Gu had given me for a dinner party that evening, to share with my classmates.
At that moment, I smashed the wine bottle against the wall, sending red liquid and shards flying everywhere.
Then I held the broken bottle, pointing its sharp edges at the dozen or so boys.
"Come on!" I shouted.
My hair was a mess, covered in dirty wall dust.
Warm liquid ran down from my nose to my chin, it was blood.
