Chapter 4

Having finally worn me down, my cousin left with a look of triumph on her face, head held high.

I picked up the clothes she'd brought and gave them a glance.

Cheap fabric, a fake logo printed on it.

I tossed them straight into the trash.

Only someone who'd made a habit of faking everything could hand clothes like that to me and keep her face so composed.

I sent a message to Kent Head, the last boyfriend I'd broken up with.

【Let's meet. Something urgent's come up and I need you.】

I had a feeling he'd come, because his face had been so pained when he said that last thing to me, and there'd been that reluctance in it.

Sure enough, he showed up.

The moment we met, I got straight to the point.

“Did someone tell you I was a loose woman?”

Kent hesitated.

“Yes.”

I took out a photo of my cousin.

“Was it her?”

Kent froze, then nodded.

“It was.”

My guess was confirmed, and my breath stopped cold.

Kent was an accomplished corporate executive, not a man easily fooled, yet he'd still believed her. She must have given him fake photos and videos convincing enough to pass for real.

Through Kent, my suspicion was confirmed again.

I felt like I was about to explode.

Every relationship I'd ever had, every one of them, just as it was about to work out, had been destroyed by my cousin this exact same way.

And I'd been kept completely in the dark.

How could a person be this rotten!!

Report her to the police?

No!

That would let her off too easy.

I wanted her to learn what it meant to be paid back in her own coin.

I made the call.

“Miriam, what day is Justin's first-day celebration?”

“September first. That's the first day of school for every elementary in the city.”

“As his godmother, I absolutely have to be there. And honestly, I think every relative should come, everyone should witness it. Lincoln Elementary is the best elementary in the city, after all. Getting into that school is such a point of pride.”

“Oh, you're so right. That's exactly what I was thinking.”

On the other end, my cousin was thrilled.

“The celebration's a week away. I'll post the announcement in the family group chat right now.”

The moment I hung up, I took the household records straight to the admissions office at Lincoln Elementary.

I found the person in charge.

“Justin Smith is my son. I want to transfer his enrollment out of your school.”

She looked at me, baffled.

“Are you serious? So many kids can't get into this school no matter how hard they try, and you want to pull him out?”

“That's my own business. You don't need to worry about it.”

“Oh, I get it. You're moving abroad, right?”

“Abroad?”

“Yes, it has to be a job overseas, and your son's going with you. It happens.”

“Let's just say that's it.”

I gave a faint smile.

“I knew it.”

She canceled Justin Smith's enrollment without any fuss.

I left Lincoln Elementary and took Justin's file straight to Franklin Elementary.

Faculty, facilities, teaching environment, Franklin Elementary ranked dead last among every elementary in the city, the worst school in everyone's mind.

Every year Franklin struggled to fill its classes, so transferring Justin's enrollment there was easy.

Meanwhile.

My cousin made a big production of it in the family group chat.

【On September first, Justin Smith reports to Lincoln Elementary, the best school in the whole city. This is an honor for our family. Everyone has to come to the first-day celebration!】

The replies came pouring in.

【The pride of the family, absolutely.】

【Congrats, Justin.】

【Justin's amazing.】

And everyone was surprised too.

【Miriam, you're incredible. How did you get your son into Lincoln Elementary?】

【Right, Lincoln takes so few kids every year, getting in is harder than climbing to the sky. What'd you do?】

【Miriam, you've really got the touch.】

My cousin replied without a shred of shame “Where there's a will, there's a way. Hehe.”

Where there's a will, there's a way, huh.

I smiled coldly to myself. Any minute now, you'll be crying.

The day of the celebration came quickly.

Since there were so many relatives, my cousin suggested renting a big bus to make it feel more like an occasion.

I said “Isn't that making a bit too much of a spectacle? You don't want a mess you can't clean up later.”

She couldn't hear the double meaning in that at all.

She insisted.

“A spectacle is exactly what I want. This is my glory, and even more, the glory of the whole family.”

And so it went.

Everyone piled onto a luxury bus.

The whole grand procession rolled up to the gate of Lincoln Elementary.

Only to be stopped by a security guard.

“Stop! What are you people here for?”