I was in the middle of a crucial international conference when my younger brother’s call suddenly broke through. His voice on the other end was strained, tinged with a tremor, “Alex, someone stole my exchange student spot…” I rushed to the university, finding my brother cornered against the office wall, his eyes red-rimmed. A flashy jerk was pointing a finger at his nose, his face a mask of disdain. “Trying to compete with me? I’m Jaxon Hayes, from the influential Vance family of Sterlingwood City! My mom just donated an entire lab building to the university! Who do you even think you are?” Even Professor Davis, the course instructor nearby, chimed in, clearly siding with him: “Leo, Jaxon is the son of an important donor to our university. Just be sensible, don’t cause any more trouble for everyone.” I was about to step forward and argue, but the words “Vance family heir” stopped me cold. The Vance family of Sterlingwood? Since when did my mom have a third son besides me and Leo? I immediately dialed my mom’s number, a cold scoff on my lips. “Mom, when did you have another son behind Dad’s back?”
“What are you talking about?!” On the other end, my mom, Eleanor Montgomery, sounded caught between tears and laughter at the accusation. “Alex, you’re teasing me again. Besides you and your brother, where would I have any other sons in this life?” Hearing her firm denial, my suspicion instantly melted away. It made sense. My mom was famous throughout the city’s elite circles as the epitome of a devoted wife and doting mother. Her thirty years of unwavering devotion and tenderness toward my father, Richard Montgomery, made her “the kind of wife other high-society women were measured against.” It wasn’t news when women in our circle had affairs or kept toy boys, but everyone was certain Eleanor Montgomery would never be involved in such a scandal. “It better be that way,” I said coldly, hanging up the phone. I looked up at the arrogant blonde-haired punk. He was dressed in designer streetwear, his accessories piled on haphazardly, reeking of tacky nouveau riche. I reined in my anger, asking calmly, “Did you just say you’re a Vance family heir?” “Oh, another one? What, did the little one call in the big one?” He scoffed, crossing his arms. “Yeah, I’m Jaxon Hayes, the Vance family heir from Sterlingwood! What, got a problem with that?” “Oh. I get it, you’re trying to cling to our connections! Let me tell you, it’s too late! Besides my family, how many other Vance families in Sterlingwood are wealthy enough to be called an elite family? You two are just unsophisticated fools!” He finished, then turned to my brother, malice practically oozing from his tone: “Leo Montgomery, what good is your perfect GPA? What good is all that hard work, all that preparation for a year? My mom says one word, donates one building, and all your effort is worthless crap!” My brother lowered his head further, his knuckles white from gripping his fists so tightly. Seeing my brother’s subdued demeanor, I instantly understood. This Jaxon Hayes had probably been bullying my brother at school for a while. My dad always preferred to keep a low profile and wanted us to make our own way in the world. So, my brother and I were always discreet outside, never revealing our true background. Leo was especially introverted, pouring all his energy into his studies. I never thought this discretion would become a weakness others could easily trample on. I gently pulled my brother behind me, my gaze returning to Jaxon Hayes’s face, my voice chilling. “To my knowledge, all the application materials for the exchange student program, including the partner university’s approval, have already completed the process. Changing candidates now wouldn’t be by the rules, would it?” “Rules?” Jaxon Hayes sneered. He triumphantly pulled a stack of documents from his bag and waved them in front of me. “Are you talking about this? Leo Montgomery’s application materials? My apologies, but I held them back. They were never submitted!”
He smiled brightly, but his words were utterly vicious: “So, the final list the university submitted only had my name, Jaxon Hayes, from beginning to end. What good is all his preparation if it was never even seen?” With that, right in front of my face, he tore that stack of papers—the culmination of my brother’s countless nights of blood, sweat, and tears—into two! “Alex!” Leo cried out, his eyes instantly turning red. I watched those paper fragments flutter to the ground, and a surge of furious anger shot to my head. I’d seen shameless people, but never anyone so brazenly shameless! “You!” I was so angry my blood boiled, and a vein throbbed in my temple. “Me what, me what?” Jaxon Hayes casually threw the shredded papers onto the floor, grinding them with the tip of his shoe, a look of vindictive pleasure on his face. “Annoyed? If you’re annoyed, go tell your mom to donate a building to the school! Oh, I forgot, you paupers wouldn’t have that kind of money!” My temples pulsed with rage, and I clenched my fists. Professor Davis, who stood beside him, immediately sided with him: “Sir, the matter is quite clear. Jaxon Hayes’s mother has donated an entire lab building to our university, making a tremendous contribution to the school’s research development.” “After careful consideration, the university has decided to award the exchange student spot to the more suitable candidate, Jaxon Hayes.” That sycophantic grin on his face made my stomach churn. “Professor Davis, is it?” I turned to him, my gaze piercing. “My brother, Leo Montgomery, achieved the top GPA in his entire year for this exchange spot, participated in a research project that won a national gold medal, and has a near-perfect IELTS score.” “Please tell me, what does this ‘more suitable’ Jaxon Hayes have?” Professor Davis stumbled over his words, his face flushing crimson. Jaxon Hayes suddenly let out an exaggerated laugh: “What do I have? I have my mom! My mom is the matriarch of the Vance family, the CEO of Starlink Technologies! Having money is enough! Understand?” Starlink Technologies? Matriarch of the Vance family? I listened to every word that tumbled from his mouth, a cold scoff almost escaping my lips. The true power behind Starlink Technologies now wasn’t Eleanor Montgomery. “The Vance family of Starlink Technologies?” I feigned surprise, raising an eyebrow, my tone laced with confusion. “I think I’ve heard of them. A very powerful family, indeed. But how come I didn’t know the Vance family had a son named Jaxon Hayes?” My calm demeanor and skepticism clearly caught Jaxon Hayes off guard. In his mind, an ordinary person hearing the names “Starlink Technologies” and “Vance family” would either show reverence or obsequiousness. They certainly wouldn’t react with my probing curiosity. He paused, then bristled with indignation: “Who do you think you are, an outsider who needs to know about our Vance family affairs?” Professor Davis beside him immediately put on a stern face and lectured me: “Sir, please watch your words! Jaxon Hayes’s identity has been verified by the university. You are not permitted to spread baseless rumors and cause a scene here!”
“Verified?” I chuckled. “How was it verified? By his own word alone?” “Of course not!” Professor Davis pushed up his glasses, a haughty look on his face. “Jaxon Hayes’s mother, Ms. Eleanor Vance, personally spoke with our Principal over the phone, confirming the donation and Jaxon Hayes’s enrollment arrangements. Could Ms. Vance’s own words be false?” Hearing my mom’s name spoken by this man sent a sudden chill through my heart. On the phone just now, my mom’s reaction hadn’t seemed like an act. But now, the university professor was insisting with absolute certainty that she had personally confirmed it. Where exactly did things go wrong? Could it be… my mom was really lying to me? I looked at my brother’s pale face; he was clutching my sleeve tightly, his body trembling slightly with suppressed anger. I immediately shook off those wild guesses. This wasn’t the time for overthinking. No matter what, I couldn’t let my brother suffer this humiliation. I pulled out my phone and directly dialed the Board of Trustees. “I don’t care who you are, but what you tore up today wasn’t just an application. “You personally destroyed your eligibility to attend this university,” I said, staring at him, enunciating each word. “I’m calling the Board of Trustees right now to handle this. I want to see which holds more weight: your so-called donation, or the university’s rules!” Jaxon Hayes and Professor Davis’s faces changed simultaneously. They clearly hadn’t expected me, an ordinary-looking person, to have direct contact with the Board of Trustees. The members of the Board were wealthy and influential; ordinary people couldn’t reach them. Sweat started to bead on Professor Davis’s forehead. He wanted to snatch my phone but didn’t dare. Jaxon Hayes was both shocked and enraged. He was used to throwing his weight around campus, relying on his supposed status as a Vance family heir. He’d never tolerated such defiance. “You wouldn’t dare!” he yelled. “Who do you think you are, threatening me? Just you wait!” He glared at me viciously, pulled out his own phone, and rapidly punched in a number. When the call connected, Jaxon Hayes started wailing: “Dad, I’m being bullied! Right here in the university office! Get over here now! There are two arrogant jerks trying to steal my exchange student spot, you need to come back me up!” After hanging up, he seemed to regain his confidence, becoming smug and defiant again. “Just wait! My dad will be here any minute! When he arrives, I’m going to make both of you kneel and beg me!” Professor Davis looked troubled, glancing between Jaxon Hayes and us, wringing his hands, wanting to intervene but not daring to speak. I watched coolly, my faint trust in my mom starting to waver again. If this Jaxon Hayes had no connection to our family, where did he get the confidence to be so arrogant? If there wasn’t someone backing him up, I’d eat my hat. My brother tugged at my sleeve, whispering, “Alex, maybe… let’s just drop it. I don’t want to cause you any trouble.” I patted his hand, my voice firm: “This isn’t your fault, and it’s certainly not trouble. What’s ours, no one gets to take!” Just as my words fell, a man in a garish suit burst into the office.
The man’s eyes were shrewd and calculating, with a hint of vulgarity. “Jaxon! My precious son! Who dared to bully you?!” The moment he entered, the man rushed to Jaxon Hayes’s side, checking him over from head to toe, as if his son had suffered some unimaginable grievance. Jaxon Hayes, seeing his backup arrive, immediately pointed at me and my brother, embellishing the story with malicious glee: “Dad! It’s these two! This Leo Montgomery insists on taking my exchange student spot, and his brother is helping him, saying our Vance family doesn’t follow the rules!” At that, the man’s eyes widened instantly. “How dare they! In Sterlingwood City, someone actually dares to say our Vance family doesn’t follow the rules?” He scrutinized me from head to toe, his tone full of contempt. “My son setting his sights on this spot is your good fortune! What’s our family’s standing? And who are you? What do you have to compete with us?” He paused, his voice suddenly rising, filled with a mix of boastfulness and intimidation: “Do you know who I am? I’m Victor Hayes, husband to Eleanor Vance, the CEO of Starlink Technologies, Sterlingwood’s wealthiest woman! My son is the Vance family’s only heir! If you dare bully my son, you’re going against the entire Starlink Technologies! Know your place!” “Sterlingwood’s wealthiest… husband?” I looked at this completely unfamiliar face before me, and the cloud of doubt in my heart grew heavier. I didn’t recognize this man at all. My father, Richard Montgomery, was a military man; his posture was upright, and his demeanor was composed. He always disliked flashy attire and would never speak with such vulgar, thuggish language. Could it be… my mom really was keeping a toy boy outside? The thought sent a chill through me. The man continued, his voice harsh: “I’m making it clear right now!” He pointed at my brother, giving Professor Davis an order: “This exchange student spot absolutely belongs to my son, Jaxon Hayes! Anyone who dares to object is going against our entire Vance family!” “I order both of you to apologize to me and my son immediately!” Jaxon Hayes, holding his father’s arm, looked at us with malicious glee, adding fuel to the fire: “Dad, is just an apology enough? They were so arrogant just now; they should kneel and apologize!” The man patted his son’s shoulder with satisfaction and nodded: “Jaxon’s right. Kneel and apologize. Otherwise, this isn’t over today!” “You wish!” My brother trembled with rage. Though introverted, he had an unyielding stubbornness deep down. “Fine! Still tough, huh?” Jaxon Hayes was provoked. He pulled out his phone and made another call. “Mom! You need to get to the university right now! Dad and I are being bullied terribly! If you don’t come soon, your husband and son will be trampled underfoot!” He hung up, a look of assured triumph on Jaxon Hayes’s face. About ten minutes later, the office door was violently flung open. Seeing the person who entered, my brother and I froze in place.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297315”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply