Seeing his silence, Grace’s eyes narrowed further. “Look, I know you’re not into Elena. Fine. But that doesn’t mean you get to let someone else drag you down. I like Sarah too, but if she can’t be someone who adds value to your future-someone who can actually support you in life and business-then she’s not a good fit for this family.” Zayden stayed quiet. Grace stood up, her tone turning cold and calculated. “Zayden, you need to understand something. There are plenty of girls who’d kill for a chance to marry into the Holt family. The Delaney? They’re just not in our league. And if I find someone who’s a better fit, then that’s that-we’ll drop the engagement with Elena. She’s so quiet, she probably wouldn’t even speak up.
That girl wouldn’t say a word no matter how badly she was treated.”
Zayden’s eyes flickered, just for a moment. “Now go upstairs and study. And listen to me-if you skip another prep session, don’t blame me when I show up at school to keep an eye on you myself.”
“…Got it.”
By the time first period rolled around, most of Class One had already settled in. Sarah was sitting near the front, clearly waiting for Zayden.
A girl nearby leaned in, eyes wide with curiosity. “Sarah, I heard Zayden skipped prep class yesterday just to hang out with you. Where’d you guys go? Are you two, like… dating now?”
High school life was stressful-gossip was everyone’s favorite distraction.
“I mean, it has to be something, right? Zayden’s usually so cold. He never even talks to girls. But he’s always so sweet to you!” Another girl added.
Sarah blushed a little. “It’s not what you think,” she said quickly. “We just grew up together, that’s all. We’re close, but it’s nothing like that.”
“Yeah, but Elena grew up with him too. He doesn’t treat her like that.”
“And didn’t I see you getting into the Holt family’s car the other day? Pretty sure that means you’ve already met the parents.”
The questions kept coming, one after another, voices rising with curiosity and excitement.
Just as everyone was buzzing about whether Sarah and Zayden were officially a thing, the sharp click of heels echoed from the hallway.
Students rushed to the door, peeking out to see what was going on.
There stood Grace, dressed in a sleek black dress, dripping in elegance. The jewelry she was wearing? Most of them had never even seen anything like it.
“Whose mom is that? She looks loaded.”
“Are you serious? That’s Zayden’s mom. Look
-he’s right behind her.”
The hallway was loud enough that even other classrooms were starting to notice.
“Wait-that’s Zayden’s mom? You mean Madam Grace? The widow who took over a billion-dollar company a few years ago?”
“Yeah. You can just tell she’s rich. But my dad says the Holts aren’t what they used to be-big name, not much behind it anymore.”
Meanwhile, the students from Class Six had started looking too.
Elena listened from her seat, eavesdropping without shame.
She’d expected Grace to show up. That woman didn’t bluff.
This should be interesting. Elena thought, eyes on the hallway.
“Madam Grace! What brings you here today?” Sarah stepped out of the classroom with her usual polished smile. She’d always been the perfect girl around adults, and Grace had treated her with nothing but warmth before.
Sarah saw it as a chance to make a good impression on Grace-and maybe let the class see how close she was with the Holt family.
But Grace barely glanced at her. No greeting, no acknowledgment-nothing.
She walked right past Sarah and headed straight into the teachers’ office.
Zayden kept his head low, his expression unreadable. The hallway fell awkwardly silent.
Sarah stood frozen, unsure what to do with herself. Move? Stay? Either option felt humiliating now.
Back inside Class Six, Elena watched with calm detachment. She wasn’t surprised at all.
Sure, Sarah had impressed Grace before. She was smart, polite, and ambitious.
But if Sarah was now seen as a bad influence on Zayden… well, that changed everything.
Inside the office, the homeroom teacher looked up, confused. “Madam Grace, we’re just about to start class-was there something you needed?”
Grace smiled politely. “Oh, nothing urgent. I just wanted to thank you. Zayden’s always been one of the top students in his grade. That’s all thanks to you and the other teachers.”
The teacher smiled modestly. “He’s a smart kid. We’ve just helped guide him a little.”
Grace’s tone shifted just slightly, still smiling, but now sharp beneath the surface. “Well, lately there’s been someone trying to distract him. I just hope the school can help keep him focused. At this age, students need to stay on track. And when certain girls won’t stop clinging to him, it becomes a problem. Don’t you agree?” Her meaning was crystal clear.
Everyone outside the office turned to look-straight at Sarah.
Sarah’s expression changed in an instant. She definitely hadn’t seen that coming from Grace.
Especially since Grace had always liked her-and made no effort to hide it.
What was going on today? The teacher stood frozen for a second, stunned by Grace’s sharp tone.
Sure, Zayden was a top student, and yeah-plenty of girls liked him. But she had never heard anything about him being in a relationship.
“I came to the school today just to clear things up,” Grace said firmly. “If anyone thinks they can lead my son off track, don’t be surprised when I show up at their doorstep to have a word with their parents.”
Her eyes landed directly on Sarah. With that, Grace turned and walked out of the office.
Sarah stood in the hallway, completely shaken. Her lip trembled, and her face went pale as tears started spilling down her cheeks.
Everyone knew exactly what Grace meant. She was calling Sarah out for getting too close to Zayden.
Sure, the Delaney family had some status-but it was nowhere near the level of the Holts.
“Sarah, are you okay?” a classmate asked gently, stepping closer to comfort her.
But Sarah didn’t answer. She just turned and ran down the hall, crying.
…
Back in Class Six, Elena sat quietly at her desk, flipping through her workbook like nothing had happened.
None of this surprised her.
Grace might have liked Sarah before. But the second Sarah became a distraction to Zayden’s future? That was it. Grace would drop her in a second.
Public humiliation? Please. She’d been through worse. This didn’t even count.
Compared to what Elena had gone through in her past life, this was nothing.
Back then, she chose Zayden without a second thought. She gave up her place as the
Delaney family heiress just to be with him-and Grace still treated her like she was nothing.
Even after marrying Zayden, Elena spent years doing everything for that family. She looked after Grace, ran errands, and took care of their home.
And still, Grace never showed her any kindness.
Because Grace was selfish. Always had been.
Whoever ended up marrying into the Holt family? That girl was doomed.
“Man, Zayden’s mom is something else,” Henry muttered from nearby. “Her kid starts dating, and she flips out and storms the school like it’s a crime.”
Just as the words left his mouth, Grace appeared at the door of Class Six.
She smiled sweetly, then waved at Elena. “Elena, come here, dear. I need a quick word.”
All eyes turned to her.
Elena stood up slowly and walked out of the classroom with a calm expression.
She put on a polite smile. “Madam Grace, is something wrong?”
Grace gently patted her hand and leaned in. “Zayden’s in a different league, you know. There are always people trying to use him to get ahead. As his fiancée, you should be keeping a closer eye on him.” Then, lowering her voice, she added, “I know you understand what I’m saying. You’re the only one I see as my future daughter-in-law. Once you graduate, if college isn’t your plan, you and Zayden can get engaged. You’ll move in with the Holt family, live comfortably, and when the time’s right, we’ll have the wedding.”
Elena’s eyes darkened slightly.
In her past life, it was those very words that convinced her she’d found a place to belong. That she could finally escape her own family.
But all it did was throw her into a deeper nightmare.
She almost laughed. There was no way she was falling for that again.
Still, she nodded sweetly, playing along. “Don’t worry, Madam Grace. I’ll make sure Zayden stays focused at school. I won’t let him mess around.”
“Good girl,” Grace said, gently patting her head before walking away.
As soon as Grace walked off, Elena’s face dropped its polite act.
Keep an eye on Zayden? Yeah, right. Like she’d waste her time on that.
Honestly, the more reckless he got, the better.
Let him fall for Sarah. Let him ditch his SATs. Let him ruin his future. If everything fell apart and the Holt family went down in flames, maybe Sarah would ditch him too.
As Elena turned to head back inside, Nolan brushed past her and walked into the classroom.
He didn’t look at her-just muttered under his breath, “Nice performance.”
Elena didn’t say a word.
…
Back in Class One, Sarah barely made it through first period. She kept her head down, trying to hold it together.
Zayden had been called to the office.
The classroom was unusually quiet until Scarlett-who never really got along with Sarah-turned around and said, “Hey Sarah, didn’t you say you already met Zayden’s parents? What’s all this about?”
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