Chapter 4

"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.