Chapter 2 An S-Level Genius
Sharon turned her head and said to Martin, “Dad, I think they’ve got the wrong room.”
Instantly, the other men in the room felt a chill in their hearts. They thought, ‘Fine, she’s really angry with us?’
Martin began to explain, his voice heavy with regret, “Shari, I’m sorry I’ve kept this from you over the years. The truth is, you’re not my daughter, and I’m not as excellent as your real father.
“Your name isn’t Sharon Crawford but Sharon Vance. Your real father is a very powerful man, and these gentlemen here are your older brothers.”
Sharon’s eyes went wide with disbelief, and her mind raced. ‘Am I still dreaming? Did I just wake up to some soap opera twist? After twenty years, they tell me now I’m not Martin’s daughter. Didn’t he say I’m his illegitimate daughter?’
“Shari, I’m your oldest brother. I know we’ve put you through a lot, but we had no choice,” said Richard Vance.
He stroked Sharon’s hair and added, “We sent you away to keep you safe. You’re our only sister, and after our parents died, we had to make sure nothing happened to you.”
The seven other men in the room, cold and composed on the outside, were all filled with guilt. They had been too young back then to protect Sharon, and this was the only way they could think of to keep her out of harm’s way.
The atmosphere in the room turned heavy and somber.
Sharon’s expression remained blank, and she shot back, “Is that enough? My hair is all messed up now.”
Richard cleared his throat and reluctantly withdrew his hand. The other seven men watched Sharon with longing eyes, like a group of puppies wagging their tails toward their owner.
Sharon lowered her gaze and declared, “I don’t like others touching my head.”
Immediately, the other seven men fixed their eyes on Richard with jealousy in their expressions. It was clear they all wished they could be the ones to stroke Sharon’s hair.
Sharon was still trying to process the bombshell that she wasn’t Martin’s daughter, especially since she was told to have eight birth brothers who appeared out of nowhere. She was having a hard time accepting it all.
She stared at the eight men, all seemingly like paragons of perfection. They watched her every move as if even the smallest reaction from her could make or break the moment.
A flicker of unease crossed her face, and she thought, ‘Did I come off too cold just now? They did say they had a reason for sending me away years ago.’
She raised her head to speak, her voice softer than usual, “I mean, if you really want to stroke my hair, it’s fine, but just don’t mess it up.”
The eight men nearly lost it. They screamed internally, ‘Oh my goodness, our little sister is too sweet and cute for words.’
Martin explained with a smile, “Ms. Vance, they’ve been worried about you for years. They felt too guilty to face you, so all they could do was look at your photos and miss you from afar.”
Sharon’s face remained blank, though her mind was already ticking away. ‘This is totally weird. They all act like a bunch of obsessive creeps.’
Martin contined, “Your parents passed away in a car accident, and you were still a child back then. They shielded you in their embrace, so you survived.
“Your brothers likely transferred all their affection and hope to you, so they can’t stop thinking about you. They don’t usually act this way, so don’t get them wrong or even hate them.”
Sharon fell silent, thinking, ‘So that’s why they seemed to be so obsessed with me.’
*****
Meanwhile, in far-off Aerions, a party was in full swing by the pool, with beautiful women everywhere. The noise was deafening.
A man lay on a lounge chair in a white shirt, his face buried in a book, exuding a vibe of studious detachment. He looked completely out of the lively place.
Another man walked over and said, “Hey, Nick, I’ve got some good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?”
Nicholas Baxter was jolted awake and scowled. “You better have really important things to say.”
He unbuttoned three of his shirt’s top buttons, revealing his collarbones, and removed the book from his face. His sharp features and unreadable eyes looked like something straight out of a fashion magazine.
The other man said, “The good news is, your fiancée is coming back. The Vance brothers personally went to pick her up from Cloudies.”
“You call this good news?” Nicholas raised his eyebrows, his gaze turning cold. Without a word, he swiftly kicked the guy into the pool.
The man in the pool protested, “Hey, don’t be mad. I haven’t even told you the really bad news yet.”
Nicholas’s eyes narrowed. It was as if he were saying, “Make it worth my while.”
The other man replied, “The bad news is, the Vances seemed to talk with your grandfather. They want to call off the engagement. Sorry, I can’t help laughing. You are dumped? The super handsome genius Nicholas Baxter? I can’t even.”
Nicholas smirked, thinking, ‘Call off the engagement? Fine by me. I’ve never cared for this arranged engagement. It was set up when I was just a kid. I’ve been thinking of canceling it a long time ago.
‘It’s good they offered it before I take action. This is actually good news for me.’
Nicholas tapped his book with his finger and asked, “Did the Oriston Academy find an S-level genius?”
The guy who had just been thrown in the water swam over, quickly straightening up and speaking seriously, “Yep, Prof. Dereck Gray went to Cloudies himself to recruit her, but it looks like he got turned down. Still, he sent that person an invitation.”
Nicholas’s eyebrows lifted, and he thought inwardly, ‘Well, interesting.’
He muttered, “It’s rare to find an S-level genius. The Academy’s enthusiasm makes sense. Now, I’m actually kind of curious to meet this genius.”
