Chapter 1

"Hello, sir. I'm calling from St. Mary Hospital. Your sister, Ms. Freya Cooper, has passed away at our hospital. Please come over as soon as possible to sign off the paperwork for her cremation. If you don't, we'll have to—"

The call was cut off before the woman from the hospital could finish speaking.

Six men, who were sharing a meal at a fine dining restaurant, had listened to the woman with an emotionless face. It was as if the deceased patient the woman mentioned was a stranger and not their biological younger sister.

"Hah! I bet this is just some new trick of hers to try and get money from us," said one of the men with handsome, sculpted features and hair that was dyed a pale grayish color. He was Liam Cooper, the youngest award-winning actor in Shinova and the deceased Freya's fifth older brother.

"That's right. When our family went bankrupt and we became homeless, it was Emmy who went abroad alone to work and earn money to support us! Freya disappeared without a trace. But now that she knows we've got money again, she's finding all sorts of ways to get money from us!"

Zachary Cooper, Freya's fourth older brother, declared.

He was the youngest academician at the National Academy of Sciences and lectured at the academy's research center. Meanwhile, Emmy, the woman he mentioned, was Emily Cooper, the Cooper family's adopted daughter.

When Lucy Parker, their mother, lost her daughter, Freya, she fell into depression. To lift her spirits, their father, David Cooper, adopted a girl from the orphanage.

As soon as Zachary finished speaking, one of the phones on the table started buzzing again.

Its owner was Xavier Cooper, the oldest of the six brothers. He was a handsome man dressed in a suit. Upon closer inspection, one would realize he was the figure who often graced the front covers of financial magazines. He was a genius in the business world. In less than two years, he transformed a failing business into one of the world's top five most successful businesses.

Xavier frowned but took the call anyway.

The same woman's voice rang out. "Hello, sir. I'm calling from St. Mary Hospital. I just called Ms. Freya Cooper's fifth brother, but the call was cut off. According to the information on Ms. Cooper's phone, you're her oldest brother.

"Is it possible for you to come by the hospital to either retrieve Ms. Cooper's body or sign the agreement to have her cremated? Her body has been kept at the hospital morgue for too long now. If her family doesn't come to claim the body, the hospital will have no choice but to dispose of the body.

"Please understand the difficult position we're in."

The staff member at the hospital tried to negotiate carefully. She had been working in this role for over a decade now, but it was her first time encountering such a family.

"Okay. I got it," Xavier replied. His deep voice startled the female hospital staff member, but before she could react, the call was cut off as well.

Edgar Cooper, the third brother, couldn't sit still. "What? Xavier, are you seriously going to go over there?"

Xavier wiped his hands with a wet towelette before getting up from his seat. "Yeah. I'll head over there and take a look."

Edgar knew Xavier wouldn't be changing his mind, so he rolled his eyes and got up. "I'll come with you."

While Xavier was indeed a shrewd and assertive businessman, he was often soft-hearted when it came to his younger siblings. Edgar thought he had to be there with Xavier to avoid letting that conniving Freya take advantage of Xavier!

Since two brothers were leaving, the remaining four didn't feel like continuing with the meal either.

"Let's go to the hospital too. I'd like to see how that woman got the hospital to fake this whole thing with her!"

…

Over at St. Mary Hospital, once the nurse found out they were Freya's brothers, she quickly led them to the morgue as if she feared they would change their minds at the very next second.

The morgue was cold and eerie. Although it was disinfected daily, there was still the persistent stench of rotting bodies.

All six men couldn't help but frown.

The nurse opened the door to a room inside the morgue. There were three beds there, but only one had a body with a white cloth pulled over it.

"Here's Ms. Freya Cooper's body. Would you be taking it away to handle matters yourself or would you like us to arrange for the cremation? If it's the latter, you'll need to sign the agreement paperwork and pay 200 dollars for the cremation fee," the nurse said.

Lance Cooper, the youngest of the six brothers, was so terrified by the sight of a dead body that he cowered slightly. "Is she… really dead?"

Snorting, Edgar rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward. "We'll just have to check for ourselves."

He was a medical genius who worked at a medical school. Being an expert who had successfully treated late-stage cancer patients before, it was a piece of cake for him to figure out if Freya was truly dead.

He yanked off the white cloth, revealing a ghostly gray face. It was Freya, and her body was so thin that she looked like a bag of bones.

Edgar and all five other Cooper men froze. It wasn't a trick. Freya had indeed died.

The nurse started to panic when she saw the men standing in silence. "How do you wish to handle the body?"

Her question brought them back to reality.

"We'll take the body with us and handle it ourselves. We won't be using the hospital's cremation services," Xavier replied.

Exhaling in relief, the nurse replied, "Of course, but please do take her body away as soon as possible. It has been here for three days now."

Recalling something, the nurse added, "Oh, right. Ms. Cooper's belongings are still in Ward 541. Please take them with you too."

When they entered Ward 541, there was an elderly woman in one of the hospital beds.

Upon seeing them, she smiled genially and exclaimed, "Oh! You must be Frey's six brothers. You look the same as you do on television! You're all so handsome."

Zachary was taken aback. "You know us?"

The elderly woman replied, "How could I not? Frey kept talking about you guys. She said you're all so accomplished. She sounded so proud when she talked about how you guys were her brothers."

Freya praised them?

"It's just such a shame that Frey had to pass on at such a young age. Her health was so frail for someone her age."

Thinking of something, the elderly woman took out a metal box from her bedside table and passed it to the brothers.

"I just remembered. Frey gave me this. She said she didn't have much time left, so she wanted me to help her transfer some money. Alas, an old woman like me is clueless about such matters. I was waiting for my grandson to come over so that he could do it for me.

"But since you're here now, I can just give it to you."

Xavier took the box, which was fairly light. It was an old cookie box that was fairly banged up. A lot of the paint had peeled off.

Chapter 2

Xavier opened the metal box. The first thing on top was a stack of bills tied up with a rubber band. Beneath it was a piece of paper with a bank account number and a tattered diary.

"Hey! Xavier, isn't this account the one Emmy uses to transfer money to us? Why does Freya have it?" Lance exclaimed in shock.

Xavier's expression remained neutral, but his fingers trembled ever so slightly around the metal box as a possibility flashed across his mind.

He took out the diary and started flipping through it, reading the neat handwriting.

"May 19th. The weather is sunny today. I heard that Xavier's company ran into some trouble and ended up losing 200 thousand. He must be so upset right now. How can I gather 200 thousand for him as soon as possible?

"May 30th. It's cloudy today. My brothers have used up all the funds for their living expenses, but I need to wait until the end of June before I can get paid for my part-time job. I wish my boss could give me a portion of it in advance."

"July 3rd. Zach sent me a text saying he missed me. I feel so happy, but I dare not take his calls. I called Emily instead, but she doesn't answer any of my calls now that she's gone abroad. I miss my brothers too."

…

Seemingly to save space, Freya had written the words as small as she could. Nevertheless, all of her emotions—her joys, worries, and sorrows—were recorded in the diary.

A few pages in were her financial records, the pages filled to the brim with numbers.

Initially, she single-handedly worked five jobs. The only time she got any rest was when she rode the subway to travel from place to place. She earned over 20 thousand in a month, but she only kept 50 dollars for herself. The rest was transferred to their bank account.

At the time, the Coopers had just gone bankrupt. It was also when Emily transferred money to them most frequently—basically whenever they needed money.

Back then, Xavier had only just founded his company and was having a tough time with the business getting besieged with all kinds of difficulties. When Emily found out, she immediately transferred him 200 thousand, thereby helping him through the crisis.

During that time, the brothers were puzzled too. Wasn't Emily abroad? How did she manage to keep herself so well-informed about their situation? However, they didn't think much of it, merely assuming that she was paying extremely close attention to them.

Later on, Scott Cooper, the second brother, went off to study design. Edgar entered medical school, Zachary started doing research, Liam joined the entertainment industry, and Lance continued with his education.

It was supposedly Emily who funded them all. She seemed to know right away whenever they needed money.

But now, the brothers were beginning to realize they had been mistaken. Could it be that it wasn't Emily who had been helping them all along? Instead, it was Freya, the one they scorned and held in contempt?

No! That was impossible! No matter how good at earning money Freya was, how could she possibly get hundreds of thousands at the drop of a hat?

Perhaps this was just one final trick of hers!

They continued looking through the diary. Soon, they found several documents all folded together. When they opened the documents, the words were hard to stomach.

Among the documents were various consent forms for the sale of a kidney and blood, as well as a consent form to be the test subject for clinical trials involving newly researched drugs. Freya's signature was on all of them.

This explained why Emily always refused their calls, claiming she was busy.

This explained why Emily seemed to find out about it the moment they needed money.

This explained why the money was always transferred to them from a local bank account…

Everything made sense now.

The sound of thunder rang out as a typhoon seemed to hit, plunging the world into darkness.

…

At the set, Freya slammed the romance novel she was reading, "My Six Brothers", shut, alarming her assistant.

"Do you think the author of this book is one of my anti-fans? Not only does the character have the exact same name as me, but she even dies in such a horrible manner! Also, are all six of her brothers fools? Aren't they supposed to be accomplished geniuses in their respective fields?

"Do such dumb geniuses exist?" Freya ranted, and she wasn't done yet.

"The author had the nerve to say it's a light-hearted book where the main character is doted on by everyone. Who's the one being doted on? That stupid Emily? Oh, and even the Freya in the book is a fool. Look at how she eagerly funded six older guys!

"What, did they lose their limbs or something? They couldn't earn the money for themselves?"

The more Freya talked about it, the angrier she became. Even her chest started heaving. In the end, she tossed the novel over to her assistant and instructed, "Throw it away. No, hang on. Burn it!"

Being an award-winning actress, Freya was a household name. Naturally, she had her fair share of encounters with people who despised her.

As she had always brushed them off with a laugh, she thought she would be tough enough to ignore whatever they did. She didn't expect a novel to piss her off this much.

Clutching the novel, Freya's assistant was somewhat startled. "What? Don't you want to read what happens later on? The six brothers are about to be re—"

Freya cut her off, fuming, "Why would I want to torture myself by reading even one more word of that book? That's enough. Come on. Let's go. It's going to be my scene next."

"Oh…" The assistant had no choice but to place the novel on the table temporarily before hurrying after Freya.

They had just exited the waiting room when the sky suddenly turned dark, and a typhoon struck.

Freya couldn't resist observing to herself how quickly the weather changed. She had just taken a couple of steps when she heard a shrill shriek. "Get out of the way, Freya! The billboard is about to fall!"

The wind was too loud, making it impossible for Freya to make out the words that were being screamed at her. At the very next second, she felt a searing pain. Instantly, everything turned dark.

…

"Freya? Wake up, Freya. What's the matter?"

The voice kept calling out to Freya, making her head hurt even more.

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't greeted by the sight of a filming set. Instead, it was… a brightly lit luxurious residence?

That was strange. Wasn't she on set? Where was this? How did she end up here?

Freya froze in bewilderment.

"What's wrong, Freya? What are you waiting for? Mom asked you to retrieve the mahogany box from her room. She wants it now, so you should hurry up and get it," said the dolled-up young woman in a teal dress standing next to Freya.

The young woman's perfume was too overbearing. Frowning, Freya stepped backward.

"Who are you?"

The young woman blinked innocently and replied, "It's me, Emily. What's gotten into you, Freya?"

Emily? Freya? A mahogany box? Wasn't this a scene from the novel, My Six Brothers?

Freya didn't understand why she had shown up here.

Ignoring Emily's startled reaction, Freya rushed to the pond nearby and checked her reflection. She had a thick fringe that hid most of her face. It was clear from her gaunt face that she was malnourished. She was also so thin that it seemed like a gust of wind could blow her off her feet. Even her clothes were drab and tattered.

The reflection looked like her but not her at the same time… Had she just transmigrated into the novel?

This scene occurred at the start of the novel, so Freya had read it. Emily told Freya, who had just arrived at Cooper Villa, to get a mahogany box from their mother, Lucy's, room, saying it was Lucy's bidding. The box contained a hairpin that Lucy's mother had left to Lucy.

However, when Freya brought the box over, the hairpin was missing.

Lucy was furious, and Emily's artfully crafted words made it seem like Freya had stolen the hairpin. It painted her as an uncultured young woman from the countryside who had sticky fingers. As a result, Lucy became thoroughly disappointed in Freya, her biological daughter.

Meanwhile, Emily became a little agitated due to Freya's prolonged silence. Nevertheless, keeping her plan in mind, she reined in her anger and continued with a smile, "The dinner is about to start, Freya. Mom is still waiting for you. She'll be upset if you cause a delay.

"You just came back to the Cooper family, Freya. If you make Mom angry now, you'll end up causing a rift between you two."

A rift?

Hah!

Freya secretly smirked at that. Since Emily, her so-called younger sister, was going to such great lengths to set her up, she had to make sure the act didn't go to waste.

While the Freya in the novel was a pushover who was easily bullied by everyone, she was nothing like that! It remained to be seen who would be coming out laughing once the dust settled!

Chapter 3

With this in mind, Freya put on a guileless expression and said, "Okay. You're right, Emily. I'll head over there right now. I won't make Mom angry."

If it was a show Emily wanted, a show Emily would get. Why would Freya, an award-winning actress, lose to a fake bitch like Emily?

Emily smiled happily, not noticing the change in Freya's expression. "Alright. I'll go back to the living room and wait for you, Freya."

She lifted the hem of her dress and walked off in a ladylike manner.

Staring at Emily's retreating figure, Freya smirked. The show was about to start!

However, Freya didn't head in the direction Emily had pointed out to her but walked off in the opposite direction instead.

According to what she recalled from the novel, an elderly man named Julian Wright, one of the attendees of tonight's event, would end up dying in the garden. This contributed to the Cooper family's subsequent bankruptcy.

The Wrights were a prominent family, and Julian used to be a general who served the nation. He was once awarded the title "General of the Army", the highest military title in the country.

Thus, he had enough power to influence the entire country if he wanted. However, he kept to himself and didn't like being taken care of—which was why he was in the garden alone.

Considering the time, Freya knew his death was about to happen soon.

True enough, when she got to the garden, she saw an old man sitting in a wheelchair and clutching his chest. It looked like he was in a lot of discomfort as he groaned in pain.

Freya hurried over and stroked his chest to give him some relief while asking, "Where's your medication, sir?"

Julian struggled to point at his pocket. His face had gone pale.

Freya hurriedly checked the pocket and pulled out a small bottle. She poured out two tablets and stuffed them into Julian's mouth.

Julian, who was slowly starting to close consciousness, didn't swallow.

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Freya looked up and spotted the tap that was used to get water for the garden. She hurriedly plucked a large leaf and used it to hold some water before gently feeding the water to Julian.

With the help of the water, the pills went down Julian's throat, and his complexion slowly started to improve.

Freya also managed to take a good look at Julian. He had a solemn, dignified appearance that indeed made him seem like a general.

When he regained full consciousness, he didn't thank Freya. Instead, he looked at the leaf she was holding and glanced at the tap nearby before chiding sternly, "Hey, young woman. How could you feed me water from a tap?"

Freya was speechless. The novel's description of Julian as being an eccentric man was indeed entirely accurate. Even at a time like this, he was still focusing on the water of all things.

"Does that matter when your life was at stake? For the sake of keeping you alive, I'd even feed you the rainwater from the gutter, let alone water from a tap!" Freya retorted as she pulled herself up straight, her gaze gleaming with wisdom. It was as if the light in her eyes could brighten the darkest of situations.

When Julian heard her words, he stiffened. He was reminded of a scene from the battlefield in his younger days.

As he and his comrades stood out on that seemingly endless expanse, their platoon leader had looked at them in the same way and declared, "For the sake of staying alive, it doesn't matter what we have to eat, even if it means eating the grass around us!"

After a brief moment, Julian asked tremblingly, "What's your name, girl?"

"I'm Freya Cooper," Freya introduced herself.

Upon hearing her name, Julian pondered for a while. Then, his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "Oh! You're her, the Coopers' daughter!"

Freya was dumbfounded. She had only just returned to the Coopers, hadn't she? Why did it seem like Julian knew her?

"Yes, yes. What a wonderful young woman you are," Julian said, growing fonder of her by the second. "Why did you come out here instead of staying in the living room?"

Freya innocently explained, "Emily asked me to retrieve a mahogany box for Mom, but I… don't know my way around."

She spoke with just the right amount of embarrassment. Julian, who now had a favorable impression of her, became indignant on her behalf when he spotted her sheepishness.

He snapped, "What's wrong with these Coopers? Don't they know you just came back to the family? Why are they making you run errands? Don't worry, I'll come with you. I've been here a few times now, so I know my way around the place."

Having accomplished her goal, Freya smiled happily and said, "Thank you."

…

On the way back to the living room, Julian carried the mahogany box while Freya pushed his wheelchair for him. They had become rather comfortable with each other in just a short amount of time.

As soon as they got to the entrance of the living room, they heard some commotion and even heard someone mentioning Freya's name.

Freya's eyes, hidden beneath her fringe, gleamed as she smirked.

Had the stage been set already?

With a calm expression, she bent down and said softly to Julian, "Wait here. I think I hear Mom and Emily calling for me. I'll go in and take a look."

Before Julian could say anything, Freya took the wooden box and went into the living room.

Just as it had been written in the novel, Emily was standing next to Lucy, looking rather fretful. "Don't worry, Mom. Freya should be back soon."

Lucy, who was standing beside Emily, was dressed in a pastel-colored dress with her hair up in a bun. She looked like an elegant and sophisticated woman. Freya froze in place, her eyes turning red as she stared at Lucy. She couldn't help but tremble.

Lucy looked exactly like Freya's own mother, who had passed away due to liver cancer in Freya's own world before she got the chance to say her final goodbyes.

"Mom…"

Freya was rooted to the spot. She dared not move forward, fearing that everything she saw was a lie.

Lucy felt a pang in her heart when she saw Freya standing there with tears streaming down her face. No matter what happened, Freya was her flesh and blood. She waved Freya over, saying warmly, "You're here, Frey. Come over."

Freya pressed her lips together to stop herself from throwing herself at Lucy and sobbing her heart out. She slowly walked up to Lucy.

It was her… It really was her mother…

On the other hand, Emily narrowed her eyes as her manicured nails polished in red dug deep into her palms. What was going on? Hadn't she privately warned Freya not to call Lucy "Mom"? What was happening now?

Freya had to refuse to address Lucy as her mother for Lucy to not feel any motherly love toward her! Now that Freya was doing it, Lucy's attitude had softened too!

Emily was furious about this! Everything had been proceeding as she had planned. She couldn't let it all go to waste!

Thinking of this, she took a deep breath and put on an innocent expression. "You came just in time, Freya. You scared Mom and me earlier. It's my fault for not keeping a closer eye on you. You only just came to Cooper Villa. We wouldn't want you to get lost."

Freya caught the insinuation, of course. Emily was making it sound like Freya was an outsider.

"By the way, Freya, where's the hairpin you brought over for Mom?" Emily asked.

Freya took a deep breath and composed herself, burying all of her emotions. The show had to go on.

Chapter 4

Freya passed the box to Emily, saying, "It's here."

When Emily reached out to take the box, she had a malicious smirk on her face. Even though it was barely noticeable, Freya spotted it right away.

Alas, one of the worst crimes a person could commit while acting was letting their true emotions show!

"Oh, my goodness! Why is the box empty? Freya, where's Mom's hairpin? Did you lose it?" Emily exclaimed in the most exaggerated way possible, her shrill voice echoing in the living room.

Instantly, the bustle in the living room stilled. All of the wealthy, important figures who had been chatting in the living room immediately looked over with curious eyes.

Emily continued to exclaim frantically, "Emily, did you take Mom's hairpin? She inherited it from Grandma! How could you take it without saying anything? You have no idea how important it is to Mom. Stop messing around. Hurry up and return it to Mom right away!"

She made it seem as though it was a foregone conclusion that Freya stole it.

Unsurprisingly, everyone who heard what Emily said started eyeing Freya disapprovingly.

"It's to be expected. Those who grew up in rural areas often engage in petty thievery."

"I know, right? So what if she's related to them by blood? They've never met before. I bet she doesn't care about the Coopers at all. Even an adopted daughter would be more considerate of the family."

"My, my. I can't wait to see what kind of drama unfolds within the Cooper family."

Such comments rang out here and there, but Freya didn't panic when she heard the scathing remarks. She calmly raised her head and looked at Lucy, saying, "I didn't take it, Mom. Emily asked me to bring the box over for you, so I did as told.

"There was a maid in the room when I went in, so I'm sure nothing could've happened."

Though she didn't raise her voice, it was assertive enough that everyone in the living room heard her clearly.

"But it's a long journey from the room to here. What if you came up with a malicious plan along the way? No one would know," Emily retorted, refusing to let the matter slide.

The words "malicious plan" were far too harsh. Even Lucy frowned at that notion. Although Freya felt unfamiliar to her, having only returned to the family not too long ago, Freya was still her own daughter. She didn't feel good about having someone accuse Freya of such deceit.

Lucy shot Emily a reproachful look, but Emily, who was giddy with the thought of soon succeeding in her plot to set Freya up, didn't bother to pay any attention to Lucy's reaction.

Just then, a wizened yet stern-sounding voice rang out, breaking the silence. "Are you implying that I would steal your family's belongings?"

The crowd separated, allowing Julian to pass through. Patrick Letterman, a military officer, was pushing his wheelchair for him.

The guests recognized Julian too, of course. They knew he was a retired General of the Army. Moreover, the Wrights were far more illustrious than the Coopers. They were one of the top elite families in the country. Why would Julian steal something?

Emily certainly didn't expect Julian to stand up for Freya. Her expression turned a little awkward as she tried to say ingratiatingly, "We weren't talking about you, Mr. Wright Senior…"

"Not about me, huh?" Julian scoffed. He slammed the cane he held on the floor, making his anger known.

"I was the one who brought that box over. She didn't even touch it before entering the living room. If something has gone missing, then it means I took it, doesn't it?" Julian snapped.

Emily knew the Coopers couldn't afford to offend the Wrights. Her face instantly paled.

Meanwhile, standing in the corner alone, Freya lowered her head and smirked.

After confronting Emily, Julian looked over at Freya, who had her head hung low. She looked like a meek little pushover who was used to getting mistreated. He immediately felt his heart aching for her.

He was just about to speak when he spotted a glaringly red mark on her arm. His voice turned loud as he asked angrily, "Who pinched your arm? Is this how the Coopers treat you?"

Freya blinked in confusion. It was only after she saw the red mark on her arm that she recalled how Emily had pinched her earlier.

Having been a military general who held a powerful position for a long time, Julian was used to being blunt. He showed no intention of beating about the bush, not even for the sake of the Cooper family's dignity.

Freya found him rather adorable. She said consolingly, "It's fine. It was just an accident. The mark will disappear in no time."

Lucy was right here in the living room. No matter how annoying Emily was, Freya didn't want to cause trouble for Lucy.

However, Julian refused to accept that. He banged his cane on the floor once more before demanding, "Pat, give that brat a call. Tell him to come over right away!"

Patrick, who was standing behind him, replied, "Huh? But Mr. Wright said he has an important meeting today—"

"A meeting? To hell with the meeting! What's the big deal about a meeting when someone's bullying his fiancée? Tell him to get his butt over here now! At once!" Julian hollered in fury.

Patrick was dumbfounded. Julian was referring to his grandson, Daniel Wright, and Patrick had no recollection of Daniel having a fiancée.

Freya was equally speechless. Why was Julian setting her up with a random stranger?

Naturally, Patrick dared not disobey Julian's order. He took his phone out and made the call.

Moments later, the call connected, and a deep, attractive voice rang out. "What is it, Patrick?"

"Well…" Patrick glanced at Julian, whose face was red with anger. "You need to come over to Cooper Villa. Mr. Wright Senior… uh… wants you here. He isn't feeling too well."

Daniel rubbed his forehead as he asked, "Wasn't he just fine at noon today?"

"He suddenly started feeling uncomfortable."

"Alright. I got it. I'll come over right away," Daniel replied.

After taking the phone away from his ear, Patrick exhaled. He dared not inform Daniel about Julian wanting Daniel to stand up for his future bride. Daniel would probably strangle him the next time they met.

"Mr. Wright will be here soon, sir," Patrick informed Julian.

At last, Julian's expression improved somewhat. "Hmph. At least that brat still knows his place."

Then, with a jovial smile, he turned to Freya and said, "Don't worry, my dear. If the Coopers treat you poorly, you can just move in with us Wrights. That bratty grandson of mine needs a bride.

"He has a bit of a temper, is quite cold toward other people, and has a bunch of other annoying habits, but he can take a beating. You won't have to put up with any sort of mistreatment anymore. You can just hit him whenever you want, so long as you don't kill him."

Patrick's lips twitched. Why did Julian make someone as accomplished as Daniel sound like… some hooligan off the street?

The rest of the guests in the living room were dumbstruck as well.

Julian had to be referring to Daniel, of course, who was currently in charge of the Wright family's business and assets. He was the president of Wright Corporation, which meant he could easily cause a huge financial crisis for Shinova if he wanted.

Even the president of Mochiulia, one of the most powerful countries in the world, showed Daniel nothing but respect.

Meanwhile, Emily had also widened her eyes in shock when she heard what Julian said. She nearly choked. What was the deal here? Was there something wrong with Julian's taste? Why was he taking a liking to a country bumpkin like Freya?

Freya was probably the calmest out of everyone in the living room.

Chapter 5

Freya hadn't finished reading My Six Brothers. She only read a bit of the start, so apart from Julian, she didn't see any mention of another Wright. Since Daniel didn't make an appearance, she presumed he was an insignificant character.

Everything was fine as long as she didn't get involved with the male lead.

With how big of a commotion it was, the Coopers had to do something. Lucy and her husband, David Cooper, had no choice but to apologize to Julian, saying that it was just a small spat between the sisters. They also instructed Emily to apologize to Freya.

Emily couldn't bring herself to apologize to Freya, someone she looked down on, in public. So, she dragged Freya off to the garden instead.

Clenching her fists, Emily stood in the garden and took three deep breaths before spitting out through gritted teeth, "I'm sorry, Freya. I was too immature. Please don't hold it against me."

Freya looked around. They were in a remote part of the residence, away from everyone else. She mused at how concerned Emily was with maintaining her own dignity. It must've been hard to find such a deserted spot to make the apology!

That being said, considering the location, it would be such a waste of Emily's efforts if Freya did nothing.

Sneering, Freya calmly raised her hand and slapped Emily's face, which was currently adorned with an insincere look of apology. "This slap is payback for falsely accusing me of stealing, Emily."

Before Emily could react, Freya slapped her left cheek hard. "And this one, Emily, is because you're an ungrateful bitch who bites the hand that feeds you!"

She clearly remembered why the Coopers went bankrupt so soon. Emily had gotten involved with a guy who worked for Cooper Corporation's business rival. At a crucial point in time, she stole the family's backup funds and fled abroad.

Ordinarily, Freya wouldn't have bothered to hit Emily. However, Lucy looked too much like her mother from her original world. The thought of how Lucy had fallen into depression and died from it later on in the novel made Freya feel a suffocating pain wash over her.

Emily was shocked to the core. After coming back to her senses, she lunged at Freya to rip her apart. "You bitch! How dare you hit me? I'm going to kill you, you fucking bitch!"

Although Freya was skinny, she had picked up a number of combat techniques throughout her acting career. She knew how to get the upper hand in a fight.

She swiftly blocked Emily and stopped the attack before grabbing her by the hair with a growl. "If you want to continue staying with the Coopers, keep your claws to yourself. Don't even think about pulling all those dirty tricks of yours. Otherwise, I don't mind having a deceased younger sister."

Her reddened eyes were filled with the hostility of a murderous beast. Terrified by the look on her face, Emily started trembling, "You… You…"

Scoffing, Freya shoved Emily away. She couldn't wait to take out a pack of wet tissue from her pocket and carefully clean her hands. The fact that she had touched Emily disgusted her.

Over at the southeastern corner of the garden, a man inadvertently witnessed the scene that played out between the two young women. His handsome face was graced with the slightest hint of amusement, his lips curled. Freya's vicious methods somewhat resembled his own.

He was still in the middle of a call, and the voice continued to exclaim urgently, "Are you not here yet, Mr. Wright? Mr. Wright Senior is getting angry again!"

Pulled out of his thoughts, Daniel schooled his expression back to neutrality before replying, "Got it. I'll be there in a moment."

Meanwhile, after receiving two slaps, Emily ran off while clutching her face. She had most likely gone in to report Freya's actions to the Coopers.

Freya simply snorted at that. She couldn't care less. After elegantly tossing the piece of wet tissue she had used, she looked up and met a pair of deep, chilly eyes. They were so intense that they seemed capable of sucking one's soul.

Her brows creased ever so slightly. She knew the man before her must've seen her slapping Emily. Thus, she slowly raised her hand and made a fist with it before making a slicing motion along her neck with her thumb.

Evidently, she was threatening him. Then, she didn't even bother to wait for his reaction as she headed back to the living room.

Daniel's eyes gleamed with amusement. He couldn't help but chuckle.

Did someone just threaten him?

…

As soon as Freya got back to the living room, she saw Emily hugging Lucy and David while wailing, "Look, Mom, Dad! Look what Freya did! She slapped me! It hurts so much…"

"Hah! Making such a huge sobbing fuss over a bit of pain? No proper young lady from a good family would act like you! To think that I didn't even make a sound when I got shot in the leg three times!" Julian declared imposingly.

"Well…" Even if David and Lucy wanted to console Emily, they dared not speak up now.

As soon as Julian finished speaking, he looked away and abruptly scoffed like a petulant child. Banging his cane again, he demanded, "Get your butt over here now, you brat!"

Daniel came over, looking sophisticated in his suit. "Grandpa, Patrick said you're feeling unwell. Should I take you to the hospital?"

Freya was startled. Daniel looked familiar… He was the man she encountered in the garden!

She felt as though her head had been struck by a ton of bricks. She was doomed! Daniel, Julian's grandson, now knew that the image of a fragile young woman she had crafted in front of Julian was a lie!

"Come over here, my dear," Julian said while waving Freya over.

Taking a deep breath, Freya walked over with a stiff smile. "Yes, Mr. Wright Senior?"

Daniel raised a brow. She looked a lot more docile than she did in the garden earlier—like a hedgehog that had flattened all of its quills.

"Dan, I once told you that you had a marriage agreement with a daughter of the Coopers, right? Here. This is your fiancée. You two should get acquainted now."

Everyone, including Daniel and Freya, was rendered speechless.

Daniel looked at Julian with an emotionless expression. "Why didn't I know about this, Grandpa?"

Even Lucy and David were clueless. "Could it be that you're mistaken, Mr. Wright Senior?"

Snorting, Julian retorted, "Do you think I'm lying to you? Over a decade ago, Sherman lost to me in a game of chess, so he agreed to let his granddaughter marry into my family. What now? Are you guys trying to renege on the deal?"

A deal made following the loss in a game of chess? Did that even count as a marriage agreement?

"Well…" Lucy and David exchanged glances, both looking rather disbelieving.

David's father, Sherman Cooper, was an old war buddy of Julian's. The two often played chess together, and it was common for them to make bets that the loser had to honor. That being said, it was the first they heard of such a bet being made.

Furthermore, Sherman was currently abroad receiving medical treatment, so they couldn't verify the situation with him yet.

Daniel stuck his hands in his pockets and eyed Freya in amusement. "Grandpa, it seems to me that Ms. Cooper isn't too pleased about the arranged marriage. She looks rather reluctant."

The smile on his face… made Freya want to smash him to a pulp! She was pissed, knowing that he did it on purpose.

Lucy looked over at Freya in concern. "Frey, do you accept this marriage?"

"I…"

Chapter 6

After taking a deep breath, Freya was just about to respond when a loud shout beat her to it. "I don't agree with it!"

Emily, who had been so racked with jealousy that she nearly ripped her dress, lit up the moment she heard this voice. Lifting her head, she squealed in joy, "Xavier!"

Xavier? Xavier Cooper?

All six of the Cooper brothers didn't like Freya, so they all went about their respective days, be it heading to school or work. Not a single one of them came over. Moreover, the novel's description of Xavier mostly focused on how much he doted on Emily.

Freya figured Xavier must've come to stand up for Emily. Frowning, she figured it was best to keep her distance from him, so she carefully crept backward.

Xavier had rushed over as soon as his plane landed. The moment he entered the house and spotted Freya's slender figure, he finally released the breath he seemed to have been holding throughout the long plane flight and the ride back to Cooper Villa.

Thankfully, he had made it back in time! Thankfully, everything was still alright! Everyone was still alive!

Xavier's arrival gave Emily a boost of confidence. With reddened eyes, she ran over to him and tugged on his sleeve to whine out her complaints in between pitiful sobs. "You're finally here, Xavier! Freya hit me, but Mom and Dad don't care about me at all…"

Ever since Xavier stepped into the living room, his eyes had been fixed on Freya. Thus, when he abruptly heard Emily saying that Freya slapped her, he frowned and stopped in his tracks, repeating, "She hit you?"

Assuming that Xavier was checking on her, Emily hurriedly nodded and pushed her hair out of the way so that he could see her stinging cheeks. "Look at my face, Xavier. Freya was so cruel! She keeps bullying me…"

Sure enough, Xavier's expression changed when he saw Emily's swollen cheeks. He yanked his sleeve out of Emily's grip. She was caught off-guard and stumbled due to his forceful action.

She wanted to blow her top, but seeing as how Xavier was storming over to confront Freya, she held back.

Daniel, who was enjoying the spectacle, frowned. His expression turned grim as he quietly came forward, positioning himself so that he could stop Xavier if he intended to hit Freya.

David and Lucy were also worried and wanted to stop Xavier from approaching Freya.

However, Xavier rushed up to Freya and hugged her tightly, his eyes misting over. "Frey, you're still alive! This is great… Everything's great…"

Freya was utterly nonplussed. Wasn't he here to take revenge on Emily's behalf?

Amid her daze, Xavier picked up her hand and studied it with a pitying expression as he mumbled, "You're so silly. We have plenty of staff on hand. You could've asked them to do it for you. Why did you hit her yourself? Does your hand hurt? Shall I take you to the hospital?"

Even Freya was thunderstruck by what was happening, let alone Emily.

Something was off about the way things were going. Wasn't it written in the novel that Xavier doted on Emily to an extreme extent? Why was he showering his concern on her now?

The sight of this also filled Emily's eyes with jealousy. Her expression was all twisted up menacingly.

What did Freya do to deserve this? It was one thing for her to receive Lucy's and David's attention, but Julian also came forward to protect her, and even Xavier, who had returned, seemed to have become an entirely different person.

Emily couldn't let things carry on like this! Xavier was her only hope. She couldn't lose his support.

"Xavier! I'm Emmy, not her! Didn't you call me yesterday saying that you'd come back today to stand up for me?" Emily screamed at the top of her lungs.

Frowning, Xavier shot her a cold glare. "What's with all the screaming? The family spent so much money on etiquette lessons for you. Did you not learn a single thing from them?"

Xavier felt good after rebuking Emily.

He had just been reborn! In his previous life, the family had gone bankrupt, leaving them homeless. It was Freya who supported them financially, allowing them to claw their way back up the ranks of society. But now, after all that, he got to come back to the start before everything had happened!

Fate was giving him a way to make up for his regrets. This time, he was going to do everything he could to protect Freya.

Meanwhile, Emily stared at Xavier in disbelief after hearing the way he admonished her. Her eyes pooled with tears as she stood there looking hurt. "Freya was the one who hit me, Xavier. She hit me first!"

She knew full well that whenever she put on a hurt, aggrieved expression, Xavier would immediately feel bad for her.

Alas, she was fated to be disappointed this time. The icy look on Xavier's face didn't budge at all. "Frey is such a thoughtful and mature young woman. She wouldn't hit someone for no reason. You must've offended her somehow."

Xavier was imposing enough that no one present dared to refute him.

"How could you? I hate all of you!" Emily screamed. No matter how much of a proud, overbearing personality she had, she was still a young woman. She felt humiliated at the way she was being chastised in front of a crowd, so she stomped her foot and ran upstairs.

Freya silently tried to pull her hand away from Xavier, but he continued to clutch it tightly. His hands seemed to tremble ever so slightly. She made a few tries to no avail.

"Xavier, aren't you… going to go upstairs and check on her?" Freya asked.

By now, Xavier's expression had morphed into one of pure gentleness, with no shred of his earlier ferocity in sight. He stared at Freya softly and stroked her hair, saying, "There, there. Don't be scared. I'll always be on your side and protect you."

Freya was dumbfounded. Something felt off.

Before she could wrap her head around the situation, Xavier turned away and walked over to Julian, greeting politely, "It's nice to see you, Mr. Wright Senior. It's been quite some time. You look as spry as ever."

Julian simply responded with yet another scoff, calling Xavier a petulant child.

However, Xavier ignored it and continued, "I heard you jokingly mention some kind of marriage agreement earlier. Frey is still young. There's no reason for her to rush into marriage."

Freya was only 17. She was still a minor! On the other hand, Daniel was already 23 years old. That made him extremely old in Xavier's eyes. How could such an old man be good enough for Freya?

Julian frowned at that. "What's this? Are you Coopers trying to renege on the bet you lost?"

Xavier calmly replied, "Mr. Wright Senior, arranged marriages have fallen out of fashion. Young people these days prefer to seek out a partner themselves. Furthermore, my sister is young. It's a bit too soon for her to get engaged, let alone married.

"She also needs to focus on her studies. We can't possibly let anything affect her chances of getting into college, right?"

Julian's frown deepened. Xavier, Sherman's oldest grandson, was a shrewd man alright. With just a few words, he managed to ensure that he got his way.

After he had put things that way, Julian couldn't possibly protest any further. If he did, he would seem like a bullish old man who was trying to exert his dominance on the younger generation!

He was so pissed that his neck turned red.

Using his cane, he poked Daniel and cleared his throat disapprovingly before glaring at Daniel. His gaze seemed to say, "Hurry up and say something, you brat! If you make me lose her as my future granddaughter-in-law, I'll break your legs!"

Chapter 7

Taking the hint from Julian, Daniel smirked and said, "Mr. Cooper is right. It'd be rather impolite of us to insist on this matter."

Since he was being rather agreeable, Xavier nodded and replied, "Thank you for understanding, Mr. Wright."

Freya exhaled a sigh of relief as well, her tense shoulders finally relaxing. She didn't want to get married immediately after transmigrating into this book—especially not to Daniel, who was clearly someone who shouldn't be trifled with!

Considering how she had threatened him in the garden earlier, she had no idea how he would treat her if she married him.

Daniel also noticed that Freya, who was partially hidden behind Xavier, was relieved by his response. A meaningful smile emerged on his face.

He was in no rush. He had to ensure that the little hedgehog willingly flattened her quills to reveal her most vulnerable side to him.

…

When Freya came downstairs the next day, everyone was seated at the dining table and waiting for her.

The moment Emily spotted Freya, she called out to her with a warm, inviting expression—though her eyes were still rather swollen. "Good morning, Freya."

Although Freya frowned when she heard Emily's friendly tone, she nodded in response anyway.

Xavier waved her over, saying gently, "Come sit beside me, Frey."

This time, Freya nodded obediently.

Xavier placed a peeled hard-boiled egg on her plate before saying, "Have an egg, Frey."

However, Freya eyed the egg with a frown of disgust. What she hated the most in the world was hard-boiled eggs, especially the yolk!

Back in her original world, she had to eat hard-boiled eggs every day to keep to a low-calorie diet and maintain her figure, so much so that she was now repulsed by them.

"Did you sleep well last night, Freya? Mom told me that your room was decorated just like mine. I'm not sure if you can get used to it. If there's anything you don't like, just let me know. I'll change it for you," Emily offered helpfully.

The insinuation in Emily's words and tone made Freya frown too. Her mood was ruined by both the egg on her plate and the fool sitting at the table.

Emily was making it sound as though Freya was merely her replacement. What a childish thing to do!

That being said, Emily seemed lively and spirited once more, as if she had forgotten all about what happened yesterday. Freya figured she must've won over David and Lucy again, so she wasn't a total fool, after all.

Freya was David and Lucy's biological daughter. No matter how much trouble she caused, they wouldn't send her away again now that she was back with the family. But the same could not be said about Emily.

She was adopted by the family, and they had done more than enough by raising her all these years. If she didn't keep David and Lucy happy, there was no telling what might happen to her in the future.

Remaining with the Cooper family meant that Emily could continue living a life of luxury as the carefree daughter of a wealthy family.

If she did leave the family, she would become a normal person, the kind that had to go to work hard for a living. Perhaps she would only manage to rent a small apartment for herself.

Meanwhile, Lucy was an innocent, pure-hearted woman. She didn't pick up on Emily's veiled implication.

"If you need anything, Frey, just let me know," Lucy said.

Freya disliked Emily, but she did like Lucy. Her expression softened when she heard Lucy's concern for her. "Don't worry, Mom. I slept well last night."

Lucy was relieved to hear that. "That's good."

"By the way, Freya, Mom and Dad wanted to ask you which high school you're thinking about attending. Some old classmates of mine are attending Furham High right now. If you go over there, I'll ask them to take care of you," Emily offered, her eyebrows lifting pointedly.

Furham High was one of the more average high schools in Azlodan. While it didn't have a bad reputation, it certainly wasn't known for excelling in anything either.

However, Emily's words made Xavier frown. How could his biological sister attend such an average school?

"No, don't attend Furham High. They don't have good facilities there. I'm acquainted with the principal of Pomoro Academy, Frey. I donated the money they needed for their science lab building. You can attend Pomoro Academy instead," Xavier said.

Pomoro Academy was well-known in Azlodan for being a high school for the elites. All of the students came from either wealthy or influential families, but most were only attending school to get a graduation certificate. Their grades didn't matter since they would head abroad to further their education.

Freya knew that Xavier meant well, but now that she had the extremely rare opportunity to redo her life, she desperately wanted to get a good education. She didn't want to just squander her time away.

"I don't want to attend Pomoro Academy, Xavier. I want to attend Oakdale High School," Freya firmly declared.

Everyone at the table widened their eyes.

Oakdale was known for being where all the brightest minds gathered. 98% of the graduates from Oakdale went on to attend good universities. Because of their stellar record, everyone wanted to get in.

However, Ethan Perez, the principal of Oakdale, was also known as a stubborn man who did things by the book. He didn't allow anyone to rely on anything but their academic achievements to get in.

Even the only son of the state governor had to get into the school by passing the entrance test first. If he had done poorly, he would've been denied entry too!

"Well…" Xavier was a little conflicted.

After sneering, Emily remarked out of fake concern, "But Freya, you can't attend Oakdale just because you want to. Back then, Lance and I spent an entire year studying until midnight just to pass the entrance test."

Emily's boastful tone was unmissable. In reality, she had barely managed to get into Oakdale.

"Also, the college entrance exams are in two months. You'll be under a lot of pressure if you study at Oakdale. You won't be able to take it."

After hearing everything Emily said, Freya looked up and said with blatant scorn, "Is that so? You two are rather dumb, then."

"How dare you!" Emily was so outraged that her neck turned red.

While her results were nowhere near excellent, everyone always said she had a bright future ahead of her whenever they heard she was attending Oakdale. This was the first time she heard someone calling her dumb.

Ignoring Emily's anger, Freya set down her cutlery and said, "I've made up my mind, Xavier. I'm going to Oakdale. Don't worry. I'll get in on my own merit."

Since she seemed confident, Xavier nodded and said, "Okay. I have faith in you. But still, don't feel too pressured. I have more than enough money to support you financially. You can even just spend the rest of your life having fun without ever working."

He wanted nothing more than to provide for Freya and cater to her every need for the rest of her life to make up for the regret he felt in his previous life.

Ever since he was reborn, he started avoiding all the projects that led to Cooper Corporation's bankruptcy in his previous life. Moreover, he also had the experience of starting a company, so he was certain he could ensure that the Coopers didn't go bankrupt this time around!

However, Freya didn't know what he was thinking. Her lips twitched when she heard him talk about wanting to support her financially. Recalling how the Coopers' bankruptcy had been described in the novel, she thought to herself, "There's no telling who's going to be supporting who in the future."

Freya's confident proclamation about wanting to attend Oakdale didn't merely stem from wanting to knock Emily down a peg or two—more importantly, she was genuinely assured in her abilities.

In her original world, she was known in the entertainment industry for being an incredibly intelligent celebrity. However, she didn't manage to attend college back then.

To make up for that, she studied as much as she could and ended up getting a doctorate from a renowned university, thus proving that she did indeed excel academically.

Chapter 8

Freya didn't think that a high school entrance test could be harder than the thesis she had to do to get her doctorate.

During the ride to Oakdale, Emily was smiling haughtily the whole time. She knew about Freya's previous academic record. Freya had attended an ordinary high school in the countryside, and her results were less than average there.

How could someone like Freya even think about attending the same school as her?

She thought Freya was being utterly delusional and looked forward to seeing her get humiliated.

On the other hand, Freya couldn't be bothered to decode Emily's thoughts. She closed her eyes and rested.

Both young ladies remained quiet. Only Xavier was furiously texting his assistant.

"So? Have you gotten it done? Did Oakdale's principal agree to make an exception and let her in?"

"No, Mr. Cooper. He refused to do so."

"He refused? Does he think the offer to donate a building isn't enough? I'll give him three more, then! No matter what, he has to accept Frey!"

"Mr. Cooper, the principal won't agree no matter how many buildings you donate. The senior year students are about to take the college entrance exams in two months. He refuses to take the risk and allow a student who might lower their overall average…"

"How ridiculous! If he affects Frey's zeal for her studies in any way, I'll make sure Oakdale gets razed to the ground!"

There was nothing Xavier's assistant could say to that.

Cooper Villa was fairly close to Oakdale, so they arrived at the school quite quickly.

After getting out of the car, Freya felt as though she was being greeted with the vibrancy of youth. Her heart, which had always been rather calm in both her original world and this one, leaped with excitement. She couldn't help but smile.

How good it was that she could finally do what she dreamed of doing before.

Although Ethan, the principal, was adamant about not making an exception, he was still wary of the Coopers' wealth and influence. He was waiting timidly at the entrance to greet them, and he even prepared a special room for Freya to take the exam in peace.

Six subjects were tested in total—two languages, math, and three subjects each from either the science or humanities stream. The highest score for math and language was 150 while the others were 100 each. That gave a total score of 750, and the passing mark for Oakdale's entrance test was 600.

Freya barely read the questions before she started filling up the answers.

Jack Hill, the teacher in charge of supervising her exam, was stunned by her speed. Was she not even going to do the calculations for the math questions? Did she figure out the answer simply by looking at the question?

Freya was given four hours to complete the entrance test, but she set her pen down after just an hour.

"I'm done. I want to submit my answers now."

Jack was stupefied. "Aren't you going to do the rest of the questions or maybe check your answers?"

Smirking, Freya replied, "Thanks for checking, but it won't be necessary. That should be enough to get me in."

Jack collected the answer booklet with a frown and checked it, only to find that it was half-empty. How could she possibly score enough to get in?

Xavier also noticed that Freya's answer booklet was half-empty. Thinking the questions must've been too hard for her, he said assuringly, "It's fine. So what if you don't get into this rotten school? I'll find you an even better one."

Ethan was speechless. Did Xavier have to say that in front of him?

Meanwhile, Jack was speeding through the answers. At first, he thought Freya had no hope of getting into Oakdale, but the more he read, the more thunderstruck he became. Despite only completing a small number of questions, she got every one of them correct—for every subject too!

In the end, when he added the scores up, she got exactly 600—no more, no less.

It was obvious that she had done it on purpose. If she had completed the entire test for every subject, she would be one of the top scorers of her year.

A student who had such control over achieving the exact grade they wanted was far scarier than a high achiever!

Clutching the answer booklet, Jack came back to Freya and said, "You did very well, Freya. You've hit the minimum score required. Would you like to join my class, Class B?"

The senior year students were split into four classes—Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class D—based on their grades. The best class was undoubtedly Class A.

Freya gave Jack an apologetic look before replying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Hill. I want to enter Class A."

Her dream wasn't merely to enter Oakdale High. She wanted her name to be written high up on the score sheet, just like it had been in her previous life!

Ethan swiftly smiled and agreed, "Yes, of course. You can join any class you want, Freya. Mr. Hill, inform Ms. Campbell at once that a new student will be joining her class."

Although students were usually segregated into classes based on their results, it was obvious that Freya had deliberately scored the bare minimum. She could easily be the top scorer of her year if she wanted to. In Ethan's eyes, she was a gem of a student!

"Yes, Mr. Perez," Jack replied a little despondently.

He had taken a few steps before turning back around to caution Freya gently, "Ms. Campbell has a bit of a temper. If she ever makes you feel upset, feel free to join my class. Our doors will always be open for you!"

Nodding, Freya replied, "Thanks, Mr. Hill."

Meanwhile, Xavier was still clutching the answer booklet in shock. Did Freya just complete these answers? Despite only doing half of the test, she scored 600 in total already. Didn't that make her a genius?

"Get this framed and hang it up in my office," Xavier instructed as he tossed the answer booklet over to the driver who had come in with him.

Inwardly, he was giddy over how remarkable Freya was. She was even considerate enough to put all her answers together so that they could be seen in one go! What a thoughtful sister he had.

Freya's lips twitched. "I don't think that's necessary, Xavier."

Company presidents often decorated their offices with famed works of art or precious artifacts. It was incredulous to think that Xavier's office would have a test answer booklet hung up instead.

However, Xavier remained calm. He didn't think there was anything wrong with his decision. "Don't you worry about this. The driver will come by to pick you up after school. When you get home, I'll throw you a proper celebration!"

Freya gave up with a sigh.

…

At the staff office, Hailey Campbell's expression turned icy when she saw Freya coming over to report to her.

"You're Freya Cooper, the student who barely got the passing score for the entrance test?" Hailey questioned.

Freya nodded and replied respectfully, "Yes, Ms. Campbell."

Hailey gave Freya a once-over with a scornful expression. She couldn't believe how influential the Coopers were. They even managed to squeeze someone who barely passed into Class A! What did this mean?

It meant that Freya would lower the entire class' average score, thereby lowering their position among the four classes! She couldn't understand why Ethan would agree to do such a thing, especially when the college entrance exams were right around the corner.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she poured all of it out on Freya.

"Do you know what Class A's average score is every year? It's 680 out of 750! It has been that way for five years! I just ran the calculations. Thanks to your score of 600, the average will go down to 660! Do you know whose average score is 660? Class C! We're supposed to be Class A!"

Hailey screeched as she slammed her hand on the table from time to time.

However, Freya wasn't affected by Hailey's fury. She eyed Hailey calmly and said, "What if I can get the class' average score up to 700?"

Hailey snorted before retorting, "You think you're the only one who knows how to talk big? 700, you say? Fine. If you get 700 in the next assessment, I'll make you the class representative."

Chapter 9

Still calm and unperturbed, Freya glanced at the surveillance camera nearby before saying, "I hope you remember that, Ms. Campbell. Please don't go back on your word."

Hailey rolled her eyes. Alas, no matter how reluctant she was, she couldn't go against Ethan's arrangement. She had no choice but to lead Freya to Class A.

The moment she and Freya entered the class, the students broke their initial silence and started whispering among themselves.

"Who's she? Is she a transfer student?"

"You're kidding. We're only two months away from the college entrance exam. How is she going to achieve anything? She's going to fail. Besides, what's with that fringe of hers? It's so thick. She's wearing such a huge pair of glasses too. I can't even see what her face looks like."

"Hah! I bet she's ugly. Why would a pretty girl hide her face?"

Hailey frowned in displeasure when she heard the students making a commotion. She slammed her hand against the table and snapped, "What's with all the noise? Quiet! This is a transfer student who will be joining our class."

Then, she turned to Freya, who was standing behind her, and said, "Go on. Don't just stand there. You can have one of the empty seats at the back of the class."

Hailey didn't even bother to introduce Freya to the class, and her tone was dripping with disdain the whole time.

Nevertheless, Freya didn't care. She was even happier to save her breath instead of having to introduce herself to her classmates.

Her eyes swept across the classroom, but she was briefly startled when she saw one of the students.

The male student's face shared a striking resemblance to hers. He had sculpted features and brown hair. He was also the top scorer for the year, and no one had overtaken him before. At the moment, he was crossing his arms and eyeing her with obvious contempt.

Freya figured he was Lance, the original Freya's sixth older brother. She didn't care about his hostility toward her, of course. She looked around and chose a seat near the window in a quiet corner of the classroom.

As soon as she sat down, her phone buzzed in her bag. She took it out and saw a voice message from Xavier. Without giving it much thought, she clicked on it, and his deep, crisp voice swiftly filled the classroom.

"I'm heading off now. Have a good day at school, Frey. You and Lance are in the same class, so if there's anything you don't know, just ask him. He's your older brother."

Lance? Her older brother?

Upon hearing what had been said, all the students turned toward Lance in shock. Was he and the newcomer siblings?

Lance's expression darkened at once as he immediately refuted it, "What are you looking at? I only have one younger sister, and that's Emily! Just because someone's last name is Cooper doesn't make her a part of my family!"

Emily was right! She had told him that Freya was a scheming person, and now, Freya used this method to inform everyone that she was his sister and a daughter of the Cooper family. He could see what she was up to from miles away, but he refused to let her get her way. He wasn't going to admit she was his sister!

Meanwhile, Freya was rendered speechless by his childish retort. How did she know why the volume ended up being so loud? In any case, it was Xavier who said it, not her. Why was he getting mad at her instead?

Nevertheless, she didn't think it was necessary for her, someone who had already lived for over two decades, to hold a grudge against a teenage boy.

Without bothering to explain or deny what Lance said, Freya simply texted her response to Xavier before turning her phone off and slipping it back inside her bag. Then, she took out her textbooks and got ready for class.

Since there was no gossip, everyone turned back to the front in disappointment.

Just then, the class bell rang.

Hailey reprimanded coldly, "Don't bring your phone into the classroom ever again. There'll be a mock assessment in a few days. In the last one, Class B was only five marks away from having the same class average as us. All of you had better be on your toes this time.

"If I find out that any one of you ends up dragging the class down, don't blame me for kicking you out of the class!"

It was painfully obvious who she was referring to, even if she didn't mention Freya's name at all.

"Take out your practice test paper. We'll discuss the final question."

Freya remained calm as ever, ignoring Hailey's remarks. She twirled her pen and tilted her head as she watched Hailey explain the question on the blackboard upfront.

Alas, Freya overestimated herself. In less than ten minutes, she was already frowning and losing her patience. How was it possible for Hailey to take so long to explain such a simple question? Wasn't the answer clear within seconds of reading the question?

Moreover, Hailey was teaching the class the most convoluted way of solving the question when there was clearly a much simpler way to do it!

After forcing herself to pay attention for five more minutes, Freya couldn't take it anymore. Rubbing her forehead, she took out a textbook for another subject to do some studying of her own to avoid falling asleep in class.

She wasn't worried about her science, math, and Enolian language subjects. While she was getting her doctorate abroad, her field of study had involved math, physics, and business—and all classes had been conducted in Enolian.

But she was a bit more lacking when it came to Shinovian. She needed to focus on memorizing the ancient texts and poetry that were often tested in the exam. Luckily, she had been exposed to quite a lot of historical information during her acting days, so it wasn't completely foreign to her.

After figuring out where she stood academically, Freya finally relaxed. As long as she focused on improving her score for Shinovian, things wouldn't be too bad. She wouldn't have a problem achieving a total score of 700.

Lance saw Freya flipping through one book before proceeding to another like a curious child. All the books were brand new, with not a single word on them. The sight of that made him roll his eyes.

He didn't know how Xavier managed to convince Ethan to make an exception by taking in a completely hopeless student, even placing her in Class A, no less.

Freya was even worse than Emily! Although Emily was in Class D, at least she had gotten in on her own merit, unlike Freya, who was not only not paying attention to the class but was even doing it so openly.

Lance thought it was such a huge waste of Xavier's efforts. He couldn't put up with it anymore, so he took a deep breath and berated her coldly, "Can't you pay attention in class?"

Freya frowned at the way he interrupted her while she was memorizing a poem. "Can't you keep quiet in class?"

"Why, you!" Lance was furious. It was the first time someone snapped back at him so bluntly. What a waste of his kindness that was!

Just then, an irate voice barked from the front of the class, "Why are you talking in class, Freya? Stand up and answer the next question!"

Hailey was glaring at Freya. She had been watching Freya the whole time and was willing to ignore Freya's lack of attention in class if she kept to herself. However, she didn't expect Freya to even shout at Lance, her top student. Thus, she couldn't hold back anymore.

Once Lance heard Hailey demand that Freya answer a question, the anger he felt from the way Freya retorted swiftly dissipated.

He looked away haughtily and scoffed as if to imply Freya had better not even think of asking him for help.

Freya stood up emotionlessly and glanced at the question on the blackboard before responding right away, "The answer is one over the square root of two."

Instantly, the class fell into a strange silence.

Chapter 10

Even Hailey, who had been prepared to give Freya a harsh tongue lashing if Freya failed to provide the answer, had to choke her words back down.

Frowning, Hailey glanced at the answer.

Freya's answer was right!

Only the teachers had access to the practice test papers. The students couldn't get their hands on it. Could it be that Freya had figured out the answer simply by reading the question?

That was impossible! This was the final question! It could take a student 45 minutes to work out the solution on paper, let alone by heart! How could Freya have found the answer just by glancing briefly at the question?

There was only one possibility!

"Did you secretly use your phone to look up the answer? Don't tell me you're going to bring your phone to the exam hall with you and look up the answers then too! Don't bother playing any of those tricks of yours.

"This is Class A. We're not one of those rubbish classes you used to be in," Hailey snapped, her tone sharp and scathing.

Her gaze was also extremely hostile. The more she said, the more she believed she was right.

After hearing what Hailey said, Freya's expression turned stormy, and her gaze turned steely as well. She didn't come to Oakdale to stir up trouble. She only wanted to fulfill an old dream of hers.

However, she didn't expect to encounter a teacher who wasn't a kind mentor but an unreasonable demon disguised as a human.

"Where's the evidence, Ms. Campbell?"

Freya's confident, unrelenting manner startled Hailey. "What evidence?"

Smirking, Freya replied, "Evidence to prove that I used my phone to look up the answer, of course. Since you were rebuking me so righteously, Ms. Campbell, I'm sure you must've seen me using my phone. You can prove I did it, right?"

"Why, you…" Hailey was stumped. She had no evidence, of course. It had merely been an assumption of hers.

Thankfully, the class bell rang, breaking the awkward standoff between the two.

Hailey scooped up her books in a huff and glared at Freya before storming out of the classroom.

All of the students in the classroom were in an uproar after what they had just witnessed.

"Whoa! You dared to confront the witch! You've got guts!"

"The witch always likes bullying students with poorer grades. She often rebukes us and even calls us names! She keeps trying to gaslight us. She's about to make us all spiral into depression."

"That's right! Well, we finally got some vindication today, even if it's only by proxy."

The students all crowded around Freya in admiration as they praised her for her actions.

Freya knew they meant no harm, so she didn't mind their proximity. Smiling, she replied, "I was just stating facts."

Good teachers deserved respect, but teachers who abused their power and bullied students didn't deserve to be called teachers at all. They certainly didn't deserve any respect.

Just then, the male student in glasses who sat in front of Freya abruptly turned around and asked, "Freya, judging from the expression on the witch's face just now, you must've answered the question correctly. Can you explain it to us?"

Freya nodded and said, "Sure."

She picked up a pen and a piece of paper before giving a detailed explanation of the question and its answer.

Three minutes later, her classmates around her all had looks of realization. Some even started shaking Freya's hand as they thanked her exaggeratedly.

"You explained it so well, Freya! It's so clear and easy to understand. Whenever the witch explains a question, I have to spend so long studying it to finally understand what she said, but I got what you taught in just one go!"

"Same here! It feels like a quick lesson from you has awakened a part of my brain!"

Freya was amused by them. Her frown relaxed, and her expression turned a lot gentler. "If you want, you can come to me whenever you come across a question you don't understand."

In the past, she didn't focus on her studies and exams. Thus, she never got to experience the pure and simple friendship among classmates.

Over in the entertainment industry, friendships were merely pretenses to keep up appearances. One never knew when one would get stabbed in the back by someone who was considered a friend.

It was impossible to receive unconditional trust from someone or be liked for no reason, without any kind of mutual benefit involved—unlike now.

While Freya and the students around her chatted and laughed cheerfully, someone else looked so gloomy that it was as if the apocalypse were upon him.

Lance tossed his pen onto the desk, and it ended up leaving a black line across the paper that was filled with numbers and equations. Alas, he kept crossing out the answer he got. He tried to change the formula but to no avail. The more he looked at it, the more frustrated he got.

How did Freya get the right answer? Why couldn't he get it no matter how hard he tried?

This question could almost be considered a part of advanced math that wasn't covered in high school, but she solved it after merely glancing at it. How on earth did she do it?

Regardless of what Hailey thought, Lance had seen everything Freya did and knew she didn't use her phone. She didn't even take it out of her bag, so she couldn't have searched for the answer.

Moreover, he could still remember that when she was called to answer the question, she was reading her Shinovian textbook.

The thought of this made Lance gnash his teeth in fury. He looked at Freya, who was smiling pleasantly while surrounded by the other students. He started grinding his teeth even harder.

What an ugly smile she had!

Lance scoffed. The nerve of her to snap at him so rudely when she was smiling so sweetly to a bunch of people she had just met for the first time!

Just then, there was a loud bang as someone kicked open the back door of the classroom.

Ryan Wright, a tall, handsome teenager wearing a school jacket, came in with a dark expression. After looking around the classroom, he didn't head to his own desk. Instead, he marched over to Lance.

After glancing at the math questions Lance was doing, he blurted out, "The answers are B, D, A, C, and B. I got the answers just by skimming the questions. Only an idiot would have to stare at them all day to solve them!"

He raised his head high like a proud peacock, acting as though he had accomplished a remarkable feat.

Lance was already in a foul mood, and the provocation only made his expression turn even more sour. Sneering, he fired back, "Oh, is that so? Well, if an idiot like me is the top scorer, what does that make the second-best student? A piece of trash?"

"How dare you!" Ryan snapped in anger, clenching his jaw as he glared at Lance. "Don't celebrate too soon, punk. Sooner or later, I'll be the top scorer!"

Lance simply responded with a mocking chuckle.

This scene was a regular one that played out in class almost every single day.

Seeing as Ryan was about to get physical with Lance, his friends quickly pulled him back, cautioning him in hushed tones, "Calm down, Ryan! If you start a fight now, you'll get punished for it."

Chapter 11

Ryan's friends continued to try and convince him to calm down.

"That's right! If you get punished, your older brother is going to get angry again. Then, your goal of getting into esports will be dismissed again."

Snorting, Ryan tossed his jacket onto the desk with a huff. He took out a pen, a practice test, and an exercise book from his pants pockets.

Everyone was kind of taken aback by the amount of things those pockets could contain.

The student sitting in front of Ryan asked, "Did you go to the internet café and study while playing games again, Ryan?"

Ryan, who was still pissed, hummed in acknowledgment with an indifferent expression.

The student glanced at the practice test, which was filled to the brim, and gulped before sticking his thumb up. "You're awesome, Ryan. You're keeping up with both your studies and your dream."

Ryan dreamed of becoming an esports player, but his older brother, Daniel, refused to let him—unless he became the top scorer of his year. That was why he was hellbent on becoming the top scorer.

Alas, he was rather unlucky. He was always only one mark away from becoming the top scorer. Thus, he took all of his anger out on Lance, who had been the consecutive top scorer for quite some time now.

Anything that Lance did, be it the standard practice questions or competitions, Ryan would jump in to prove himself as well. Over time, everyone knew that Lance, the best student of his year, and Ryan, the second-best as well as the most handsome student, were rivals.

Meanwhile, Ryan, who had stormed back to his desk in a huff, finally realized he had a new deskmate.

"Who are you?"

Freya raised an eyebrow. The fact that it had taken Ryan about half an hour before noticing her had to be some kind of feat.

"I'm Freya Cooper, a new transfer student."

"Oh," Ryan said disinterestedly. Then, in a standoffish manner, he said, "I have a thing about other people's germs. Make sure your books don't get on my side of the table. Also, don't help random people pass me love letters, and don't make a single sound during class.

"I don't want you interrupting my precious thoughts, Also, don't—"

Freya frowned as Ryan droned on and on. Why did he have so much to say? She eyed him impatiently and cut him off, asking, "Are you done? What gives you the right to be so demanding when you're only the second-best student?"

Ryan was outraged. "Why, you!"

It was one thing for Lance to mock him. How dare the newcomer mock him too? Did she not know that Oakdale's assessments and students were both infamously competitive?

Snorting to himself, he couldn't wait to see if she'd cry once she experienced it for herself.

…

Over at Class D, Emily frowned as she kept staring out the window. She couldn't resist smirking when she saw no sign of Freya coming to her class. The entrance test should be over by now. If she hadn't come over, it had to mean she'd failed and gotten kicked out by Ethan.

Emily laughed gleefully to herself, reveling in her assumption.

Her deskmate, Victoria Murphy, leaned in curiously and muttered, "What did you see, Emmy? You look so happy."

Victoria had looked out the window too, but all she saw was grass.

Emily retracted her gaze. She was just about to shake her head and say it was nothing when she recalled that Victoria operated the school forum and loved gossip very much.

If she could use Victoria to spread the news that Freya failed to enter Oakdale, Freya would be humiliated. That way, David and Lucy would see that she, Emily, was even better than Freya and love her even more.

The thought of this made her smile, her gaze gleaming coldly. So what if Freya was their biological daughter? She was still going to kick her down and stomp all over her!

Victoria didn't know what Emily was thinking which made her expression turn all twisted and hostile. She shrank back nervously and asked, "E-Emmy? Are you alright?"

Her voice brought Emily back to reality.

"I'm sorry, Toria. I didn't sleep well last night." Emily pretended to massage her forehead sleepily.

Victoria didn't doubt Emily. She simply asked curiously, "Oh? Did something happen?"

Sighing tiredly, Emily explained, "Oh, it's nothing major. It's just that my sister came to Oakdale to take the entrance test today. But as you know, she grew up in the countryside and only attended one of those rural schools.

"Even then, she ranked at the bottom of her class. I'm worried that she won't be able to pass our entrance test. I'm sure her self-esteem will get affected."

She did such a good job acting like a sweet, caring younger sister who was worried to death about her older sister. But in reality, she was exposing private information about her sister like it was no big deal.

Sure enough, after hearing what Emily said, Victoria's eyes glittered with eagerness for more gossip. She checked her watch before remarking, "The test must've ended by now."

It took Emily all the strength she could muster for her to keep herself from smiling. Putting on a despondent expression, she said, "Oh, no. That means she must've really failed…"

Thrilled, Victoria took her phone and started tapping away swiftly. Emily saw this out of the corner of her eye and smirked before looking away as if she didn't see anything.

Nevertheless, plenty of people came to take Oakdale's entrance test every year, and just as many failed each time. It was old news, and barely anyone paid any attention to it.

After seeing how few responses there were, Victoria pouted and put her phone away in disappointment.

All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew, bringing the smell of cigarette smoke with it. A handsome teenager with ash blonde hair approached Emily's desk and set down a cup of hot chocolate for her. "Hot chocolate for you. Drink it while it's hot."

Once he finished speaking, he walked away. Throughout the whole time, he had a serious expression, looking like he was performing some kind of official task.

Once he was gone, Victoria could no longer hide the envy in her eyes. She grabbed Emily's arm in excitement. Even her voice trembled as she exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! Ryan just brought you hot chocolate again, Emmy!"

Feeling sufficiently flattered, Emily did what she always did. She passed the hot chocolate to Victoria and said, "I'm trying to watch my weight, so I don't want it. You can have it."

Victoria accepted the hot chocolate as if it were her honor to receive it. She clutched the warm cup tightly and couldn't bear to let go.

Then, she eyed Emily curiously and asked, "Emmy, Ryan is so handsome and is such a good student too. He's been wooing you for so long now. Don't you feel anything for him? You still haven't agreed to go out with him?"

Emily's fingers stiffened for a moment before she replied softly, "We're still in high school. Our education comes first. The college entrance exams are coming soon. The most important thing we should focus on right now is getting good grades to get into a good college. I don't want to start dating so soon."

Still clutching the hot chocolate, Victoria looked at Emily in awe. "Whoa, Emmy. You're so disciplined and focused on your goals! If I had someone as handsome as him trying to woo me, I would've said yes to him in a heartbeat!"

Chapter 12

Emily looked down, her head running with thoughts. Everyone in school believed that Ryan liked her. He kept bringing her gifts every day, but she still hadn't agreed to go out with him.

However, they didn't know that despite coming over every day, Ryan had never confessed to her before. He would always drop the gift off and leave without even looking at her. What was there for her to agree to?

In the past, she would've felt wistful about it, but ever since she met that jaw-dropping man at the dinner banquet yesterday, all the guys in school paled in comparison.

Although Ryan was the second son of the Wright family, he didn't have any real power. Everyone knew it was Daniel who held the reins in the family.

The Coopers and the Wrights were close to each other. Emily thought that as long as she could get into Daniel's bed, she would be the next matriarch of the Wright family, and that thought made her shiver with anticipation.

…

A black Rolls-Royce was parked at the entrance to Oakdale. It was gleaming under the sunlight, drawing the attention of the passersby who couldn't resist stopping to check it out. Some even came closer to admire it.

However, when they saw the Wright family's symbol on the car license plate, they left sheepishly. If they accidentally offended a member of the Wright family, they would no longer be able to make a living in Azlodan.

Inside the car, Daniel was staring out the window with a frown, glancing at his watch from time to time.

Henry Gomez, Daniel's assistant, was also in the car. Noticing Daniel's worried expression, he said, "Mr. Wright, it'll be another half hour before Mr. Ryan is done with his classes. If you're worried, maybe I can text Mr. Ryan and tell him to come out as soon as school is over?"

Daniel shot Henry a cold look and asked, "Who said I'm waiting for him?"

"Huh?" Henry was taken by surprise. Apart from Ryan, no other Wright was attending Oakdale. Who were they waiting for, if not him?

Soon, the school day was over, and the students started pouring out through the gates.

Emily immediately spotted the Rolls-Royce parked at the school entrance. Eyes lighting up, she pretended to casually smoothen her hair and clothes. After confirming that she looked her best, she slowly walked up to the car and tapped on the window under everyone's disbelieving gazes.

"Whoa! That car belongs to the Wright family, doesn't it? I've seen it in a magazine before. It's worth tens of millions!"

"Look! Is that Emily Cooper? She's going over to the car!"

"I heard people saying that Ryan, the second son of the Wright family who's attending our school, is trying to date her. I bet the car's here to give her a ride home too."

"How can someone get so lucky? Not only is she pretty and from a good family, but she even has such an amazing guy wooing her…"

These words of envy reached Emily's ears, and she smiled gleefully, her vanity stroked to no end. She had everything that these fools could only dream of.

When Henry heard someone knocking on the window, he looked out and saw a pretty young woman. Was Daniel waiting for her?

"Shall I unlock the doors, Mr. Wright?" Henry asked as he looked over, only to see nothing but pure disgust on Daniel's face.

Henry timidly retracted his hand and shrank back against his seat to minimize his presence.

Emily knocked a few more times, but nothing happened. Everyone around started whispering among themselves, and her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

However, she couldn't just give up like that, so she cleared her throat and called out sweetly, "Are you inside, Danny? It's me, Emily. We met at Cooper Villa last night."

There was still no response from anyone inside the car.

The mocking whispers grew louder…

While Emily was now caught in this situation, the crisp voice of a young man rang out. "Why are you knocking on my family's car window?"

Emily turned around and saw Ryan, who had just come out of the school. She exhaled in relief before asking with a smile, "My family's driver isn't coming to pick me up today, Ryan. Can you give me a ride home?"

"Nope," Ryan responded curtly.

Emily was dumbfounded. Wasn't Ryan supposed to be interested in her? Was this the attitude he showed to someone he liked?

Ryan wasn't as delicate as Emily. He banged on the car window and shouted, "Open up! I'm dying from the heat out here. Come on, hurry up!"

Since Daniel didn't give the order, Henry dared not do anything.

Sitting in the back seat, Daniel frowned as he tapped the watch on his left wrist. He continued to ignore the bangings on the window without even batting an eyelash.

All of a sudden, he spotted something. His gaze instantly gleamed with light, and his lips curved upward.

After adjusting his tie and sleeves, he said, "Open the door."

Startled, Henry quickly replied, "Yes, Mr. Wright."

But as soon as he did, he got hit in the head by a large hand.

"Easy there, Mr. Ryan!" Henry yelped.

Rubbing his slightly numb hand, Ryan grumbled, "So, you were in there all along! I've been knocking the whole time. Why didn't you open the door? I thought no one was inside."

Henry was a little speechless. Why did Ryan keep knocking if he thought the car was empty?

Ryan was just about to get into the car when he saw the stern-faced Daniel. He withdrew his leg, saying, "Oh, you're here, Daniel."

He thought the driver had come to pick him up. Who would've thought that Daniel would be here too?

Ever since Daniel found out Ryan wanted to become an esports player, he stopped paying Ryan any attention. Ryan wondered if Daniel was here today because he had changed his mind and realized how good being an esports player was.

Ryan's eyes brightened. Grinning, he leaned in and asked, "Daniel, are you here because you think I have a bright future ahead of me? Are you—"

"Get out of the way!" Daniel ordered, cutting Ryan off.

Ryan watched as Daniel got out of the car and brushed past him.

Meanwhile, Freya was eyeing Emily, who was standing in her way, in annoyance. Earlier on, Emily felt utterly humiliated when she got rejected by Ryan. She was just about to think of a way to leave the scene when she noticed Freya coming out of the school with a school bag.

Thus, forgetting all about the awkwardness, she rushed up to Freya and exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing here at Oakdale?"

Chapter 13

Freya had been silently reciting a historical poem, "The Crimson Cliff", to herself. She was just about to finish everything when Emily interrupted her. Thus, her expression darkened right away.

"Get out of my way!"

Emily trembled at the sight of Freya's icy glare. She instinctively wanted to move away, but when she remembered that Freya, someone she considered a mere fool, had actually gotten into Oakdale, she immediately stood still.

She blinked and cleared all the jealousy off her face, replacing it with a gentle smile. She stepped forward and took Freya's arm before saying sweetly, "I was just shocked to see you, Freya. Please don't take it to heart.

"But Freya, I thought you've been getting poor grades all along. How did you pass Oakdale's entrance test? Did you sneak into the school?"

Emily's fake, syrupy voice was too shrill for Freya's ears, making her feel as though she was about to go deaf.

She yanked her arm away from Emily before stepping backward to create some distance. "How is that any of your business?"

Freya wondered how Emily even managed to get 600 out of 750 with a brain like that. Did she think Oakdale's security guards were nothing but statues? Why would they let someone sneak into the school and openly walk back out afterward?

However, Emily was certain she was right—especially when she saw how Freya attempted to leave right away. All her anger cleared as she hurried after Freya.

"Slow down, Freya! I know you want to get into Oakdale to make Mom and Dad happy, but you can't resort to such sneaky, underhanded tricks! As long as you apologize to the teachers and admit your mistakes, I'm sure they won't hold it against you," Emily declared.

"Freya, you mustn't be too vain, you know. That'll only hurt both you and the people around you. If you really want to focus on your studies, I can tutor you! Don't worry. As long as you let me help you improve your grades, I'm sure you can get into a good community college."

A community college?

Freya snorted and stopped walking. She eyed Emily emotionlessly and asked mockingly, "Oh? You want to help me? Well, tell me, then. What was your last total score? 750?"

Emily's expression soured, especially when she saw the hints of mockery in the looks of the other students nearby. Clenching her jaw, she said with a fake smile, "You sure love joking around, Freya. You know that 750 is a perfect score."

Inwardly, she cursed Freya. This bitch was doing it on purpose! Who on earth could get a perfect score?

Freya smiled scornfully and retorted, "What gives you the confidence to say you can tutor me when you can't even get 750?"

The students passing by couldn't resist chuckling out loud.

"Why, you!" Emily felt so humiliated that her eyes turned red. She looked like a poor, innocent person who was hurt so deeply that she was on the verge of tears.

That was precisely what Lance saw when he came out—a pitiful-looking Emily standing there with reddened eyes while Freya looked on haughtily and uncaringly.

Lance marched over without hesitation, shielding Emily behind him before glaring at Freya, who was half a head shorter than him.

"Are you bullying Emmy?" he interrogated menacingly.

Freya raised her eyebrows and asked, "Did you see me bullying her?"

Lance balled his fists, retorting, "Emmy's crying! How dare you try to act like you didn't?"

Eyes still red, Emily tugged on Lance's sleeve and said, "Don't get mad at Freya, Lance. She didn't mean to…"

Freya had to give it to Emily. She sure knew how to act like the victim.

Having lived with the Cooper brothers for so long now, Emily understood all of their personalities extremely well and knew how to push the right buttons to get what she wanted.

Sure enough, thanks to her insinuation, Lance looked outraged. "Freya! Apologize to Emmy at once!"

"Why should I?" Freya retorted with a snort.

Lance hated the way Freya was looking at him right now. He clearly recalled how friendly she was with their classmates earlier today.

Feeling even more upset, he blurted out, "If you don't apologize to her, then from now on, you're no longer my younger sister!"

Immediately, the atmosphere seemed to freeze over.

Freya looked up at Lance, her eyes turning as dark and icy as a stormy winter's night. Although she didn't move at all, Lance sensed that an unbreachable barrier seemed to have formed between them.

Seconds later, Freya coolly declared, "Fine. So be it, then. Since I'm not your younger sister, kindly stay away from me. I don't wish to see you two ever again either."

And with that, Freya left.

Lance felt a tightness in chest, as if his emotions had hardened into a rock that was now crushing him. When he recalled the coldness in Freya's eyes earlier, his heart clenched in pain, making him feel even more uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Emily couldn't stop smiling when she saw how Lance defended her and got into a fight with Freya afterward.

So what if Freya, the Coopers' biological daughter, had come back? What could Freya do?

Emily was still the Cooper family's most precious princess, doted on by everyone. No one could threaten her position in the family.

Emily pretended to wipe the corners of her eyes and forced herself to stop smiling before she tugged on Lance's sleeve. She said pitifully, "Lance, don't argue with Freya for my sake. She didn't do it on purpose."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Lance looked at the pitiful Emily and felt bad for her. Forgetting all about the pain and discomfort he felt, he stroked Emily's hair and assured her, "It's fine. You're my younger sister. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Thank you, Lance," Emily said, so touched that her eyes welled up with tears.

Then, she glanced at Freya and pretended to ask innocently, "Should we ask Freya to ride home with us?"

The Coopers' driver usually came by each day to pick them up after school.

Lance stiffened. He remembered the way Freya had arrogantly told them to stay away from her and felt infuriated once more.

Scoffing, he replied, "She said she doesn't want to see us, didn't she? Let her find her own way back."

…

Freya never even considered getting a ride home with the Coopers. She would much rather walk home while reciting The Crimson Cliff to herself than ride in a car with that fake bitch again.

Thus, she started the poem from the top again, but two sentences in, someone else appeared in front of her.

"It's been a while, Ms. Cooper."

Freya was starting to get the feeling that maybe something about Oakdale attracted bad luck. Why did she keep running into people she didn't want to see?

Chapter 14

Freya looked up and met a pair of dark eyes with a hint of a smile in them. Daniel stood there with a hand in his pocket, looking as sophisticated as ever. Even the light of the evening sun added a warm glow to him, making him dazzle.

"May I have the honor of inviting you to be a guest at my house, Ms. Cooper?"

Freya sidestepped him as she replied coldly, "Nope."

Her mind went back to the poem, and she started reciting from where she left off.

She looked so adorable with her head down as she walked past Daniel that he was itching to stroke her hair. He had to clench his fists to stop himself from doing so. After all, the little hedgehog had her quills up right now. If he got ahead of himself, he would be walking away with more than just a few pricks.

"But Grandpa said he wishes to discuss the matter of the marriage agreement with you. After all, it was just made as a bet, so it can't be taken too seriously. But if you're really adamant about not coming over, we can just maintain things as they are too," Daniel remarked somewhat pityingly.

Freya came to a stop and eyed him disbelievingly. "Are you telling the truth?"

"I've always been a man of my word," Daniel replied with a smile.

Freya narrowed her eyes and stared at him probingly. She saw nothing but open honesty in his expression.

The Wrights were indeed a prominent elite family. If she relied on them, she would be able to achieve anything she wanted in life, but that was not the kind of life she wanted.

She would much rather work for the things she wanted by herself. That way, they would truly belong to her, and no one would be able to take them away from her.

If Julian had indeed changed his mind and decided to forget about the playful bet made in the past by calling off the engagement with Julian, then it would be a good thing. It wouldn't hurt her to go over to their house.

"Fine."

Hearing that she agreed to go back with him, Daniel's expression relaxed into a deeper smile. He couldn't resist it any longer. He reached out and stroked her hair, saying, "That's good."

Everyone in the vicinity gasped. How was that young woman related to the Wrights? Why was Daniel treating her so tenderly?

Ryan, who was standing beside the car, also widened his eyes in shock, not realizing he had dropped his bag.

"Quick, Mr. Gomez! Slap me in the face! I think I'm hallucinating!"

Did Daniel, the man with such severe mysophobia that he had to wash his hands multiple times even after just going through documents, stroke someone else's hair?

Henry was just as floored.

He rubbed his forehead and replied, "I think I'm dreaming too, Mr. Ryan."

As for Freya, she took a step back. She eyed him warily, her eyes filled with hostility. She was filled with the urge to rip his hand off.

Once they were all in the car, Ryan studied Freya for a moment before scooting closer and muttering at what he thought was a barely audible volume, "Hey, what's your relationship with Daniel?"

"We don't have one," Freya replied icily.

Ryan didn't believe her. "How can that be true? I saw him stroking your hair just now! Oh. I figured it out. Did you transfer into Class A because of Daniel? He got you to spy on me, right?"

He nodded in conviction before muttering, "Hmph! What a tyrant he is."

"A tyrant?" Freya repeated. She didn't understand why Ryan seemed so angry.

Ryan explained huffily, "That's right! He's a tyrant. Esports is my life, but he refuses to let me become a professional esports player. He insists on forcing me to study and join the company afterward. He's killing my dream and ruining my life! What else would a guy as cruel as him be, if not a tyrant?"

With each word he said, the air in the car seemed to turn a little colder.

Henry, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, had broken out in a cold sweat. He secretly eyed Daniel, whose expression was as stormy as it could possibly be, and felt his heart tremble.

Did Ryan have a death wish? Why was he saying such things about Daniel so loudly with Daniel right there to hear him?

After hearing what Ryan said, Freya glanced at Daniel, who was sitting on the side with his eyes closed. Recalling everything he had done, she nodded in agreement and added, "That's true."

Ryan's eyes lit up when he found that she agreed with him. It was as if he had found an ally. He totally forgot about how he suspected her of being planted in Class A to spy on him.

He couldn't resist shaking her head, looking rather moved. "I didn't expect you to understand me. I finally met a bosom buddy who thinks like me!"

Freya was startled by his actions. She frowned. Something felt off to her.

Ryan continued to vent his frustration, "You have no idea what this means to me. Everyone else just likes to kiss Daniel's ass. None of them dare to tell the truth. You're the only one who does! From now on, you're my best buddy!"

Freya didn't know what to say. The strange feeling hadn't gone away.

Ryan took a careful peek at Daniel, whose eyes remained closed. It seemed like Daniel hadn't heard anything, so Ryan exhaled in relief before he continued muttering in Freya's ear.

"Since we share the same thoughts, I'll make an exception and allow you to join my anti-tyrant alliance. From now on, we're comrades. We're in the same boat. We'll do whatever it takes to overthrow the tyrant!"

He made that declaration with great fervor, making Freya raise her brows in startlement. An anti-tyrant alliance?

Ryan looked like a playful, unserious teenage boy who couldn't be trusted with responsibility, so it surprised her that he was willing to go this far for his dream. Either way, his passion and zeal were worthy of approval.

She realized she had gotten the wrong impression of him. He was merely pretending to be playful and unserious.

"How many people do you have in your alliance?" Freya asked softly.

"Just two—you and me."

Freya was speechless. Why did she even bother to think that there was more to him than met the surface?

…

Julian had been waiting at the door the whole time, and when he saw the car coming up the driveway, he hurried out with a smile. "You're here, Frey."

When Freya came out of the car, she was greeted by Julian's smiling, caring expression. She took a deep breath before she greeted him pleasantly, "Hi, Mr. Wright Senior."

Although she didn't like that Julian had sprung a marriage agreement on her and wasn't particularly fond of his grandson, Daniel, either, she still respected Julian for being a kind, elderly figure who treated her well. No matter what, she couldn't take her negative emotions out on him, an innocent old man.

"Come, let's go in. I had the staff prepare some lemonade. It's the perfect drink to cool you down on a hot day like this," Julian said cheerfully as he led Freya into the house, ignoring his two grandsons.