The SAT results were in. My son had scored a perfect 1600. Just as I was drowning in the joy of his success, he stormed into my office, dragging his girlfriend behind him. "Mom, the new 'Joint Merit' policy just dropped. The top ten scorers in the country can pay a $500,000 donor fee to select one other student to be admitted with them!" The girl smirked, triumph written all over her face. "Mrs. Sterling, Oliver and I have already linked our applications. You can't stop us from being together now. Hurry up and write the check!" At that exact moment, a stream of floating text—like a livestream chat—scrolled across my vision: 【Here it comes! The male lead is finally escaping his controlling mother! He’s going to Harvard with his baby girl!】 【That old witch better not stop our power couple! Or else, when the male lead inherits the empire, she’s the first one he’ll destroy!】 The corner of my lips curled up. The idiot wants to inherit the empire? He clearly didn't read the fine print. The "Joint Merit" policy requires the two students to average their scores for final placement. And his girlfriend? She scored a 400. That’s the score you get just for signing your name. Chapter 1 In his senior year, Oliver was called to the principal's office for the first time. The reason? A toxic relationship was tanking his grades. For any parent of a senior, this is a nightmare. I tried to reason with him. This wasn't the time for romance. Especially not with Bella. "Her mother is the mistress your father left me for," I told him, trying to keep my voice steady. "Your father walked away with nothing, and that woman has held a grudge ever since. Now her daughter is latching onto you. You think that's a coincidence?" Oliver defended her with the passion of a fool. "Mom, Bella is innocent! Why should she pay for her mother's mistakes?" Getting into Harvard had been his lifelong dream. I couldn't watch him throw it away at the finish line. When he refused to listen, I took drastic measures. I had my security team tail him. I banned him from seeing Bella until after the SATs. I hired the best tutors in the country and a Michelin-star chef to manage his diet. I ensured he was in peak condition for the exam. When he scored that 1600, I felt a weight lift off my chest. But before I could even pop the champagne, he pulled this stunt. According to the floating text—the "Chat," as I called it—I was living in a romance novel. Oliver was the male lead, Bella was the heroine. They were the star-crossed lovers fighting against the world. And I? I was "The World." I was the villain destined to be locked in a psychiatric ward by my own son. I watched the text scroll by as Oliver stared at me, impatient. "Mom, five hundred grand is pocket change to you. You wouldn't block my happiness over money, would you?" He had the CEO posture down, I’ll give him that. "Oliver," I said, looking at the boy I raised. "Setting aside who she is... do you really plan to go to college with someone who refuses to study?" Oliver hesitated. Bella saw it. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "Mrs. Sterling, I know you hate me. But who says low scores mean I can't go to Harvard? Everyone is created equal! This is discrimination!" The Chat exploded with cheers. 【Yasss Queen! Why should a test define our worth?】 【Choice > Effort! As long as she has the male lead, she deserves to win!】 【Speak truth to power, Bella!】 I almost laughed out loud. "Right," I said dryly. "Why should grades matter for Harvard? Maybe they should test for audacity instead. You'd be Valedictorian." Bella turned red, then buried her face in Oliver’s chest. "Sob... I told you she hates me... Oliver, I guess I can't go with you." Oliver, heartbroken, glared at me. "Mom! You just hate her because you're jealous that Dad loves her mom! I'm your son. Can't you compromise for me just once?" The Chat spammed: 【Protective boyfriend mode: ON!】 My heart skipped a beat, then hardened into ice. "What did you call her? Her mom?" Chapter 2 Oliver was busy comforting the crying beauty in his arms. When he looked back at me, his eyes held no love. Only resentment. "That's right! I visited Dad after the exams. Fiona isn't the monster you painted her to be. She's gentle and kind. She takes care of Dad and Bella. Unlike you—always in meetings, always traveling. Aside from making money, what have you ever done for this family?" I trembled. When Oliver was seven, my ex-husband cheated. Fiona, the mistress, showed up at our house constantly, spreading rumors and making our lives hell. My husband and I fought a bitter divorce war over assets. I fought tooth and nail to stop him from hiding money. I won. He left with nothing. I never sugarcoated his father’s actions to Oliver. He was old enough to remember Fiona screaming slurs at us on our front porch. The Chat scrolled by, giving me an idea. "I see," I said slowly. "You're saying that even though I gave you millions, what you really wanted was... love?" "Exactly!" Oliver shouted. "I got the score you wanted. Now stop standing in the way of my happiness!" I wanted to laugh. Getting into Harvard was his dream. Since when did it become my demand? I poured endless resources into making him elite. I gave him a status most would kill for. But if his dream was to ruin his life with a dropout, who was I to stop him? "Fine," I said. "I agree. You can go to college together." If he wanted to destroy his future, I’d hand him the matches. Oliver’s face lit up. "Mom, I knew you'd understand! When Bella and I graduate from Harvard, we’ll come back and take over Sterling Corp. You can finally retire." In your dreams, kid. Chapter 3 Oliver was beaming, but Bella nudged him. "The money," she whispered. He held out his hand. "Right. The $500,000 fee. Transfer it." I raised an eyebrow. "Five hundred thousand? I read the policy. The application fee is $50. Can you two really not afford fifty bucks?" Oliver blinked, flushing crimson. "Is... is that right? Maybe I misread it." Bella looked furious, but Oliver dragged her away before she could speak. The Chat faded as they left: 【OMG, the old witch is so cheap! He wanted that money to take Bella to Europe!】 【How are they supposed to see the Northern Lights now?】 【Whatever, at least she didn't stop them. The good life is coming!】 【Wait... the policy literally just came out. How did the mom know they were trying to scam her?】 How? Because you idiots told me. I sat in the garden, pruning my roses, when Oliver’s guidance counselor called, sounding like he was having a stroke. "Mrs. Sterling! Oliver linked his profile with the lowest-ranked student in the district! Did you know about this?" "I know," I said calmly. "He's an adult. Let him be." "But Mrs. Sterling! The policy averages the scores! That girl got a 400! A 400 on the SAT!" I knew. The Chat had been spamming it. Everyone assumed I would use my wealth to bribe Bella into Harvard to save Oliver. But why would I save the knife that stabbed me in the back? "Averaged out, that's a 1000," I said. "Not bad. Good enough for community college." The counselor tried to argue, but I hung up. "Mrs. Sterling," my assistant asked, confused. "Are you really letting him throw it all away?" "He's not my son anymore," I said coldly. "He's chosen his side." "Should we cancel the celebratory gala?" I paused. "No. Didn't we sponsor a brilliant scholarship student who also got into the Ivy League? Throw the gala for her." Chapter 4 I went to visit Maya, the scholarship student. She lived in a run-down apartment complex. As I approached, the Chat appeared again, thick and chaotic. I signaled my bodyguards to hold back. The door was ajar. Inside, Bella and her posse of mean girls had pushed a thin girl to the ground. "Stop acting like a victim!" Bella sneered. "I warned you to stay away from Oliver." "I didn't do anything..." Maya’s voice shook. Bella grabbed Maya's chin. "Listen to me. Oliver linked his profile with mine. His mom is going to pay whatever it takes to get us both into Harvard. You? You're going to change your application to a community college. If I see you at Harvard, I will make your life a living hell." The Chat cheered: 【Yasss! Bella establishing dominance!】 【Bunny turned into a wolf! Love it!】 I kicked the door open. Bella spun around, raising a bat, but froze when she saw me. I helped Maya up. "Are you okay?" "Thank you, Mrs. Sterling," Maya whispered. Bella rolled her eyes. "Oh great, the witch is here." I shot her a look that could freeze water. "Assistant, call the police." We spent hours at the precinct. Bella had to call her mom, Fiona, to bail her out. Fiona looked at me with pure venom. "You think money makes you better than us? You couldn't keep your husband, and now you can't keep your son." I ignored her and focused on Maya. "If they bother you again, call me immediately." Maya teared up. "Thank you. I promise I'll pay you back one day." According to the Chat, in the original timeline where I was locked in the psych ward, Maya was the only one who fought for me. She battled Oliver and Bella until they destroyed her, too. Even a stranger knew gratitude. My own son did not. Bella, seeing me ignore her, sneered. "By the way, Mrs. Sterling, Oliver is staying at our house now. He loves my mom's cooking. He says it tastes like a real home." I looked at Fiona. "Seeing you reminded me of something." I smiled dangerously. "It's time to settle some debts."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "387799", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel