Chapter 4 The High School They Never Knew

More people gathered around Kaia and Samuel. The voice from the phone's speaker left everyone in stunned silence. The Larsons might not have been the wealthiest family in Valoria, but they were certainly one of its most prominent. It was common for children from wealthy families to receive monthly allowances of hundreds of thousands—or even millions. But none of them had ever heard of an heiress who didn't receive a single cent in allowance. The Larsons were the only exception to that. It was no wonder Kaia's clothes were so shabby. She didn't even wear a proper gown to the party. She was their flesh and blood, even if they never raised her. Yet they denied their own daughter a dime while lavishing millions on their adopted one. The Larsons' willingness to let this happen revealed their twisted sense of fairness. The guests whispered among themselves, and Samuel felt their stares like knives against his back, his cheeks blazing. He couldn't fathom the Larsons facing such disgrace. The Larsons were a wealthy, influential family. It was unthinkable that they'd deny a few hundred thousand in allowance to their own flesh and blood. Samuel immediately turned to Kaia, his voice glacial. "Even if the finance department failed to process the transfer, surely Mom and Dad gave you an allowance?" Kaia's lips twisted in a mocking smile as her eyes found Benedict and Amethyst in the crowd. Her tone was cool and detached. "Why don't you ask Mr. Benedict and Mrs. Larson directly, Mr. Samuel? We both know you'll take their word over mine." Benedict and Amethyst stiffened, unable to look Kaia in the eye. "Mom, Dad, you did provide Kaia with an allowance, didn't you?" Samuel asked, eyes locked on them. Benedict looked away. "I thought you were taking care of it..." Amethyst's face crumpled, tears glistening in her eyes. "I thought so, too... Kaia, why didn't you say something? I would've helped you immediately. "This is all my fault. I should've noticed. You shouldn't have had to suffer like this. Please believe me., I've never treated you differently from Wendy." Kaia offered Amethyst a half-smile. Under Kaia's indifferent stare, Amethyst lowered her gaze, embarrassed. It was only today that Kaia learned Amethyst had instructed the finance department to withhold her allowance. To make matters worse, she'd even raised Wendy's monthly stipend to a million dollars, ensuring her precious adopted daughter wouldn't face the slightest hardship. The favoritism was blatant, yet she still had the audacity to claim she treated them equally. Amethyst came from high society, always draped in the finest fabrics and thinking nothing of dropping hundreds on a single pair of socks. How could she not notice her own flesh and blood wearing clothes that didn't even add up to 100 dollars, head to toe? She wasn't blind to it—she just didn't care. Her apology? Nothing but a performance for outsiders. But none of it mattered. Kaia had long since seen through the Larsons' true nature. Her heart had hardened, becoming impervious to her feelings. No expectations meant no weaknesses to exploit. Watching Kaia dismiss Amethyst's apology, publicly humiliating the Larsons, Samuel's flicker of guilt vanished in an instant. "Have you lost your tongue?" he snapped. "We're not mind readers. Did you really think we'd refuse to give you money if you'd just spoken up?" "I did speak up," Kaia said, her voice soft but icy. "You just didn't listen." Samuel frowned. He was about to deny it when a memory flashed through his mind. One afternoon, the four Larsons sat together on the couch, chatting and laughing. Kaia edged closer, clutching the hem of her school uniform. Before she could speak, her face flushed red. After a long pause, she finally whispered, "Mom, Dad, could I have 5,000 dollars? For tuition—" Samuel slammed his newspaper onto the coffee table and glared at Kaia. "5,000 dollars? You mean 50 thousand, right? Or is it 50 million now? "Money, money, money—is that all you ever think about? Did you come back just to drain us dry? "Would you even be here if we weren't wealthy? I don't know why Mom and Dad ever brought you home. "Why not study if you've got nothing better to do? Wendy ranked tenth in the entire school on her freshman midterms. What about you?" "I-I was first—" "Oh, sure, first from the bottom, and you're proud of that?" Samuel was already sending her half a million dollars a month, yet here she was, brazenly demanding 50 million dollars. Even Wendy didn't get that much. What made her think she was entitled to it? Kaia's tears spilled over as though she'd suffered some unbearable injustice. Samuel was too irritable to focus on his financial newspapers. Luckily, Wendy knew exactly how to cheer him up. She tugged his arm and cooed, "Sam, I came in tenth place this time. Don't I deserve a reward?" He couldn't resist her sweet, pleading tone. His frustration with Kaia melted away instantly. He gently pinched Wendy's cheek and asked, "What would you like, Wendy?" "There's a bag I really want. It costs 100 thousand dollars. Will you buy it for me, Sam?" "Of course. If you love it, I'd buy it even if it were a million." After appeasing Wendy, Samuel snapped at Kaia, his irritation flaring again. "Why are you still here? Go to your room and study." Devastated, Kaia turned and fled. Benedict and Amethyst sighed in unison. "If Kaia were even half as sensible as Wendy, things would be so much easier." … "Did you finally remember, Mr. Larson?" Kaia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and every "Mr. Larson" she uttered tore at his heart like a blade. He was her brother—her own flesh and blood—not some Mr. Larson. Yet ever since her release from prison, she hadn't called him "Sam," not even once. Samuel's gaze turned stormy, his voice sharp with resentment. "It's because your grades were terrible. You should be ashamed to ask for money when you ranked dead last, let alone expect a reward." Kaia's gaze turned icy, and under its weight, Samuel felt an inexplicable pang of guilt. He clenched his teeth. "What, now you're going to argue?" "For three years in high school, I ranked first in my class. How does that make me dead last, Mr. Larson?" Watching Samuel's stunned expression, Kaia smirked, vengeful satisfaction coiling in her chest. "But then again, Mr. Larson, you don't even know which school I attended. No surprise you're clueless about my grades." Samuel stood frozen as if lightning had seared through him. The words hit like some absurd joke. A rough edge entered his voice. "You weren't at Solaris High?" Solaris High School was Valoria's most prestigious high school—Wendy's alma mater and the go-to high school for every wealthy and influential family in the city. So naturally, Samuel had assumed Kaia went there, too. He whipped toward Benedict and Amethyst, his voice shaking violently. "Mom, Dad, did you ever transfer Kaia's school since she came back?" The air around them went dead silent. Benedict's face turned crimson. His mouth opened, but only incoherent fragments came out as if his spine had been ripped out, stripping away all his usual authority. Amethyst's lips trembled faintly, her eyes wide with panic and helplessness. Not even her flawless makeup could hide her shame now. The two stood frozen, the air around them turning to ice. Samuel's face paled gradually as his past assumptions about Kaia crumbled like a collapsing tower. All the condescension and disdain he'd once clung to now turned into blades, cutting mercilessly into him. For a moment, he could barely speak, his throat tight and his voice shaking uncontrollably. "Kaia, which high school did you actually go to?"