Chapter 4

The announcement sent a ripple of excitement through the hall.

In the confusion, I snatched my mother' s phone. Through the live feed, I screamed at the men on the other end to stop.

Seeing them pause, I breathed a small sigh of relief.

I pushed myself up from the floor, surveying the room.

This was not over. Not by a long shot. Every single person in this room would pay for what they did tonight.

I looked around. Everyone was already swarming around Chloe again, congratulating her.

"Chloe, you can finally turn things around."

"Chloe, now no one can ever taunt you about being the adopted daughter."

"With the Stone family inheritance, you' re finally a complete Stone."

"I don' t know what Grandpa was thinking, insisting on giving an inheritance to a useless person who only has Stone blood."

"But it doesn' t matter now. The inheritance is all yours, Chloe."

The congratulations were endless.

Chloe stood proudly in the center of the crowd, like a queen, basking in the praise.

When the applause died down, she raised her head and walked toward me.

"Ava, it' s finally time, isn' t it?" Her smile was full of mockery and disdain.

I finally allowed a real smile to spread across my own face.

"Yes," I said. "It' s finally time."

My smile seemed to trigger more insults from the crowd.

"She' s still smiling? She' s truly gone mad."

"She' s the Stone family' s notorious failure. Does she really think she can win the bet by acting crazy?"

Of course, everyone thought I was insane. Except for Chloe.

For a fleeting moment, a look of panic and unease crossed her face.

But before she could react, my ex-fiancé, Liam Miller, eagerly dropped to one knee in front of her.

"Chloe, let' s not let this crazy woman ruin our mood."

"We agreed that on the day your results came out, I would propose to you."

"Marry me, Chloe."

This sudden development ignited the crowd.

This wasn' t just a family party. It was a major event that would influence the future of the city's tech landscape. Besides the media, Chloe had deliberately invited many of our classmates to witness her triumph.

As Liam finished speaking, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Chloe squirmed shyly, playing the part of the modest maiden.

"Liam, we just turned eighteen. Isn' t this a bit too soon?"

"It' s fine, Chloe," my father chimed in, looking at Liam with pure appreciation. After all, Liam had just risked almost all of his family' s assets to help Chloe secure the inheritance. "You' re not an ordinary girl. A prestigious family like the Stones isn' t bound by such silly conventions."

"Hey, Ava," my brother said disdainfully from the crowd. "Why don' t you get lost? You' re just getting in the way here."

I sneered at the excited mob.

"Are you all so sure Chloe' s score will be higher than mine?"

Instantly, the banquet hall fell silent.

Then, a wave of even louder, more vicious mockery erupted.

"Is Ava hallucinating? Chloe is consistently ranked first in the city. Ava isn't even on the school's ranking list."

"If it weren't for the Stone family connection, Ava wouldn't even be worthy of being our classmate."

The taunts were endless, but I showed no reaction. I just stood there, waiting.

Perhaps sensing that the results were officially out, Grandpa re-entered the hall.

"When did you all learn to jump to conclusions before seeing the actual results?"

Grandpa's voice was not loud, but his single sentence completely silenced the excited crowd.

"Dad, isn't it obvious?" my mother grumbled, clearly displeased. "What's the point of confirming something we all already know?"

She received a cold glare from Grandpa, and then no one else dared to speak.

"Grandpa," Chloe said, fawning over him with a sweet smile. "Since Ava wants to see the results so badly, let' s just look at them properly."

Grandpa sighed, and his gaze on me was filled with concern.

I knew what he was worried about. He had always tried to take care of me over the years. I think, in his heart, I was the only one who was truly a Stone.

I nodded firmly at Grandpa, letting him know I was ready.

Then, the white-haired elder, whose every move could shake the entire city, calmly waved his hand.

A notary carrying a tablet slowly approached the center of the room.

"I will now announce the college entrance exam scores of the two young ladies and certify the results of the competition," the notary announced loudly.

Everyone held their breath, listening intently.

He slowly looked around the room, then spoke in a voice that everyone could hear clearly.

"Chloe Stone, total score 702, second in the state for science!"

The banquet hall erupted in deafening cheers.

My mother burst into tears of excitement, rushing forward to hug Chloe tightly.

"My precious daughter! You' ve finally made your mother proud!"

Liam eagerly pulled out his phone to transfer money.

"Chloe, this is three hundred million I just got from selling those data centers. Here, for your spending money."

My father patted Chloe' s shoulder, showing her off to the guests like a trophy.

"I told you all Chloe is the pride of the Stone family! If Father hadn't insisted on bringing that useless Ava back from the foster home, our family would have been thriving long ago!"

Chloe smugly glanced at me, the twenty-million-dollar necklace around her neck glinting in the light.

"Ava, do you see the difference now? You bet your inheritance, but you're just a stepping stone for me. You're nothing but a clown."

I smiled.

"So, you didn't hear the ranking?"

It was only then that everyone seemed to register that in the notary' s announcement, Chloe was only second.

Chloe seemed to realize something was wrong. A strong sense of unease finally washed over her face.

"So what if I' m second? Do you really think you' ll be first?"

Liam spoke without hesitation, defending his new fiancée. "That's impossible, she-"

But before he could finish his next sentence, the notary cleared his throat again and spoke calmly.

When he finished, the banquet hall fell eerily, terrifyingly silent.

"Ava Stone, total score 748, first in the state for science."

The notary paused for dramatic effect, then added, "And also the national top scorer for science in this year's college entrance exam."