Chapter 168
“What good intentions? If they had actually treated her well, Mara wouldn’t have refused to acknowledge them p>
“But from what I know, they pampered her like a princess as she grew up.
Otherwise, how would she know how to play the piano?
When she first arrived, her academic performance was incredible, especially considering the rural education system she came from p>
“That’s because my daughter is naturally brilliant p>
“Mom, we have to be reasonable.
If they hadn’t invested their money in her, no amount of natural brilliance would have mattered p>
“You’re Mara’s own brother. Why are you always taking their side?
Even if they spent money, didn’t we leave them a massive payout? We don’t owe them anything p>
Ethan knew there was no point in arguing with her.
“Your blind, unprincipled spoiling is going to cause a disaster sooner or later p>
“That’s none of your concern p>
“Alright, I’ve seen her. The company is busy, so I’m leaving p>
Once Mara was discharged from the hospital, she was burning with impatience to find out how Mira was doing after being away from the Mercer family for months.
Her condition actually hadn’t been as terrible as the rumors claimed. The genuine critical window had only lasted a few days.
The multiple critical status alerts were merely a ploy. Taking advantage of Lucas’s absence, she had bribed a doctor and used a specific drug to trigger the symptoms.
It was all to force the family to track down Mira and drain her blood.
If Mira agreed, Mara planned to fake her symptoms a few more times to completely wreck Mira’s health.
If Mira refused, her relationship with the family would sour completely, ensuring Mira could never return to the Mercer household.
And once Mira lost the Mercer family’s protective umbrella, wouldn’t she be entirely at the mercy of Mara and Mr. Porter?
After a month away, Mara finally returned to school. Unluckily, it happened to be the exact day the monthly mock exam results were posted.
She remembered that the last time she was here, exactly a month ago, Mr. Harth had kicked her out of the classroom. She had sworn
ruthlessly that she would ensure he could no longer teach at this school.
Yet there he was, completely fine. Not only had he been commended by the school
administration, but he was also deeply beloved by the students.
Class One’s overall average across all subjects still ranked first among the six classes in the grade, scoring even higher than last month.
Meanwhile, she had been fighting for her life!
Setting aside her delayed studies, her physical health had taken a massive hit. If her family hadn’t relentlessly suppressed the rumors, her reputation would be entirely in ruins by now.
As she zoned out, she heard the teacher announce the scores. Shockingly, the vast majority of the class had improved their overall grades compared to last month.
Even the lackeys and mean girls who used to follow her around had seen significant improvements in their scores.
They sat relatively close to her. When she glanced over, a few of them actually covered their report cards.
“Heh, Mara, it was just luck. My grades didn’t really improve p>
They came from ordinary families; their futures depended entirely on their own hard work.
Hanging out with Mara had been purely transactional—they just wanted the free perks. They weren’t blind to her true nature.
Out of sheer jealousy, she had even forced her own sister out of their home.
Every student received their report card, except for Mira.
Mira felt a sudden wave of apprehension. Had she bombed the test? Was she about to be publicly But she remembered
reprimandefident about her
feeling fairy co
fauly
answers.
Mira wasn’t the only one thinking this. Several classmates shared her suspicion, and Mara was absolutely banking on it.
Under the desk, Mara clenched her fists tightly, praying viciously. Let Mira bomb it. Let her grades tank. If she drops, I can easily surpass her next month p>
Just as Mara was lost in her venomous fantasy, the homeroom teacher continued speaking. “For this mock exam, we have a student in our class p>