Chapter 462
For now, Roxanne handled most of the workload. After all, Mara needed to focus on studying and didn’t have much energy left for actual management.
Lenny Forbes quickly reported their dynamic to Mira.
A mocking smile played on Mira’s lips. “Idiots. They have a perfectly good opportunity for hands-on experience, yet they spend all day memorizing textbook rules. Does that even make sense?” But then again, that was where Roxanne’s cunning lay.
Seeing her daughter working so tirelessly, Lacey’s heart ached. She personally cooked nutritious meals for her husband and daughter every morning and evening, and even prepared lunches to deliver to their office.
One afternoon, when Lacey went to deliver lunch, she found Mara and Fiona already eating in the company cafeteria.
“Mara, why didn’t you wait for me to bring your food?” Lacey asked, confused. She wasn’t even late.
“Mom, I just didn’t want you to work so hard,” Mara said, stepping forward to take the lunchboxes from Lacey’s hands.
“As long as you’re healthy, this little bit of effort is nothing to me,” Lacey said, giving Mara an affectionate look.
Fiona chimed in, “Lacey, seeing how close you two are makes me so jealous p>
“Hahaha, our Mara is just so thoughtful. Fiona, there’s no need to be jealous. She’s your goddaughter too, isn’t she p>
“Yes, yes, she’s my daughter too p>
The three of them chatted happily, drawing envious glances from the employees eating nearby.
Lacey stood by with a warm smile, watching her beloved daughter eat. Taking care of her husband and daughter was an unparalleled joy for Lacey. She felt that fate had treated her incredibly well in this lifetime, blessing her with a considerate husband and a daughter who was obedient, sensible, and eager to learn. She felt like the luckiest woman in Mavaria.
It was just a pity about those rebellious, ungrateful children. Otherwise, she would be the luckiest woman in the world, not just in Mavaria.
Lacey insisted on watching Mara finish every last bite of her nutritious meal before finally leaving. Mara played the part perfectly, not wasting a single crumb of the food her mother had brought.
But the moment Lacey left the building, Mara glanced out the door and muttered to Fiona, “Ugh, she’s so annoying. I have to deal with her every single day p>
Fiona quickly shushed her. She looked around cautiously before saying, “Watch what you say. Walls have ears. I’m telling you, until you get her shares in your hands, you have to tread carefully. We can’t afford a single mistake p>
That bastard Ethan had already gutted seventy percent of the company. They absolutely could not let anything go wrong with the remaining portion.
Mara nodded solemnly. “I know, Mom p>
Ten days later, the college entrance exam results were released.
Early in the morning, Lacey woke Adrian up, insisting they check their precious daughter’s scores together after breakfast.
“Why are you making such a fuss this early?” Adrian grumbled. A few days ago hearing that Ethan had hollowed out the company triggered his heart condition, nearly sendin him to an early grave. He had just recovered yesterday, only to be bothered by his wife first thing in the morning.
“The exam results are out today. Don’t you want to know how she did?” “Oh, why didn’t you say so earlier?” Adrian’s face lit up at the mention of Mara.
The top news story of the day was that Mira had scored a stunning 735, securing her position as the top scorer in the province. Adrian and Lacey merely glanced at the headline before eagerly searching for Mara’s results.
Mara smirked. You got the highest score, so what? Even if I ranked dead last, Dad still favors me. Even your own mother revolves around me all day.
After several attempts, Adrian finally pulled up Mara’s score: 530. It was a full 205 points lower than Mira’s.
Yet, Adrian was still thrilled. “Over five hundred points! That’s not low at all. Don’t worry p>
In their minds, the ideal university for
Mara wasn’t a top-tier institution like Aethelgard University. Her score
was miles away from those
l.net”
requirements anyway. Instead, they had their sights set on Melvion University, ranked seventieth nationally. It was still a prestigious school, and Mara’s score might just be enough to get in. Furthermore, keeping her in Melvion City made it easier for them to groom her for managing the company.
“Mara, don’t worry. If you don’t meet Melvion University’s cutoff, I’ll have someone transfer your residency overseas, and you can apply as an international student. Then, all you’ll need to pass is a basic language proficiency test,” Adrian comforted her.
Mara’s lips curled upward. “Thanks, Dad p>
Then, she feigned dejection. “It’s all my fault for not doing better. Now you have to go through all this trouble p>
“It’s fine. Your dad is happy to do anything for our precious girl,” Lacey said with a smile.
“But… but Mira was the top scorer Mara tested the waters.
“Don’t even mention her. Even if that disgraceful brat ranked first in the world, she wouldn’t compare to a single finger on your hand,” Adrian snapped, unable to tolerate the comparison.
“Exactly. What’s the point of good grades if her character is flawed? Our Mara is much better,” Lacey added.
Adrian glanced at Lacey. Truth be told, his wife had been quite good to him. No matter what he did, a little coaxing was all it took for her to stand loyally by his side, always putting his needs first.
But his hesitation lasted only a
second before he dismissed it. Fiona
had waited half her life for him; he couldn’t let her suffer any longer. As for Lacey, he had spent most of his life with her, which was fair enough. When they divorced, he would just leave her a generous sum so she could live comfortably. That would settle his conscience.
Meanwhile, Mara thought to herself, life without those annoying pests was great. If
they could just kick this old crone out and bring her real mom back, it would be
perfect.