Grace’s affection for Elena as a daughter-in-law made Sarah’s heart twist with envy.
Zayden frowned. “Mom, I don’t want to get married so soon.”
“You’re being immature. Elena is your fiancée. From now on, don’t you dare treat her badly at school, understood?”
“I…”
“Enough. Let’s eat.”
Grace shut the topic down like it was final-no mention of breaking off the engagement.
Elena said nothing more and quietly resumed eating.
Sarah had thought this would be the moment Elena burned bridges with Grace, boldly declaring her intent to break off the engagement.
She hadn’t expected Elena to be so calm, or to back down so easily.
Zayden watched her with a sneer.
I knew it. She was just putting on a show yesterday. Break off the engagement? As if she could bear to! What a joke.
After dinner, Sarah sat beside Elena, feigning concern. “Elena, didn’t you say you were going to break off the engagement? Did you change your mind?”
Elena caught the panic and urgency in Sarah’s eyes.
She knew Sarah was afraid she wouldn’t go through with it-because if Elena didn’t back out, Sarah could never be with Zayden openly.
“I haven’t changed my mind, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
Elena hesitated, then said, “It’s just… Madam Grace was pretty nice to me. I guess we’ll talk about the engagement later.”
Before Sarah could respond, Elena stood and walked off.
Sarah stared at her back, furious.
What a pathetic excuse. She just doesn’t want to let go!
That’s fine. If you won’t break it off, I’ll give Zayden plenty of reasons to hate you.
In the bathroom, Elena knew exactly what Sarah was thinking.
She hadn’t officially brought up the breakup yet because she didn’t have a solid reason.
If she acted too rashly, she’d offend both her parents and Grace. Things would only get harder for her.
But the engagement had to end.
It just had to be on her terms, and with a reason neither the Holt family nor her parents could refuse.
And Sarah? She loved stealing things from her. The more Elena wavered, the more Sarah would try to seduce Zayden.
When that time came, Elena would have all the reason she needed.
“Elena, come out.”
Zayden’s voice knocked from outside the door.
She could hear the irritation and impatience in his tone.
Opening the door, she found Zayden standing there with a dark look on his face.
“What is it?”
“What do you mean, what is it?” he snapped, pushing her against the wall. “You keep talking about breaking off the engagement. Is this how you’re doing it?”
“Zayden, you want to break it off too, right? So why didn’t you say anything at dinner?”
“You…”
“So what, I’m supposed to take all the heat while you sit there and stay quiet? You call that being a man?”
Zayden flushed with embarrassment but gritted his teeth. “Don’t act like some innocent victim! I already got into a huge fight with my mom about this last night! What else do you want?”
“This isn’t about what I want. It’s about what you want,” Elena said coldly. “Why don’t you just tell your mom that you don’t like me and that you’re in love with Sarah? Wouldn’t that be simpler? My parents would probably be thrilled to have you as a son-in-law.”
Zayden scowled. “This has nothing to do with Sarah. Leave her out of it.”
“Fine. Then I’ve got homework to do. Could you please arrange a car to take Sarah and me home?”
She brushed past him without waiting for a response.
Zayden clenched his fists, slamming one against the wall. The skin around his knuckles turned red.
That Elena-she’s doing this on purpose!
Later that evening-
Sarah and Elena returned home together.
Nathan and Evelyn already knew about their visit to the Holt family.
As soon as they walked into the living room, Elena could feel the heaviness in the air.
Evelyn sat on the couch with a cold face. “Elena, care to explain this math competition nonsense?”
Elena instantly knew the teacher must’ve called home.
She remembered in her past life, when Sarah got selected for the city competition, their parents were thrilled. They even took them out for a fancy dinner to celebrate.
But now, her father sat off to the side smoking, expression distant. Her mother looked at her with open disapproval.
“Sarah’s grades are better than yours. So why are you the one entering the city competition?”
“Mom, Elena really wanted to go, so I gave her my spot.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! This is a city-level competition! You know how your sister’s grades are. If she goes, she’ll just embarrass the whole family!”
Evelyn’s voice was sharp. “I don’t care. I’ve already called the teacher. The spot is going back to Sarah. That’s final.”
Sarah froze, panic rising. “Mom! This is a huge decision-why didn’t you talk to me first?”
She knew exactly how bad her math was.
If she really had to take part in that competition, she was finished!
“It’s done. The name’s already been submitted. Your job now is to study your math and make sure you place well. The teacher told me with your scores, you can definitely get top thirty!”
Sarah’s face dropped the moment she heard the news.
This was a city-level math competition. How was Elena supposed to help her cheat?
If she embarrassed herself at that level, her days of being the teacher’s pet and vice class rep would be over.
Elena, unfazed, headed upstairs.
She wasn’t surprised at all that their mother had sided with Sarah-again.
In fact, the teacher had already spoken to her that afternoon. The change in nomination was made with Elena’s consent.
But Sarah didn’t know that.
“Elena! You have to come up with something! I can’t go to the math competition!”
Sarah rushed up to the attic.
Though she usually hated the cramped, stuffy space, she bent down and lowered herself just to plead with Elena.
If people found out she’d cheated on past exams and then bombed the city competition, her reputation as the perfect student would be destroyed.
“I can’t do anything,” Elena sighed theatrically. “Mom already called the school.”
Sarah cursed under her breath. “It’s all Mom’s fault. She just had to stick her nose in. So annoying!”
Elena looked at her, her heart sinking.
The kind of motherly love she had longed for all her life meant so little to Sarah.
“Elena, you’ve got to help me. You don’t want me to be humiliated in front of everyone, right?”
Sarah looked at her with wide, pleading eyes.
With the competition only a month away and math being her worst subject, even passing was a stretch-let alone placing.
“I want to help you, but…”
“But what?”
“I’m transferring to another class. I probably won’t be able to.”
“What? You’re transferring?”
Sarah froze.
Why would Elena suddenly transfer?
Elena shook her head. “The teacher said my scores were too low the last two times, so I’m being moved to Class Six.”
“Class Six? That’s the worst class in the school. The homeroom teacher used to like you-why would they send you there?”
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