The moment Mr. and Mrs. Mercer heard that Mira had done poorly, their expressions soured.
This daughter of theirs was becoming more and more of an embarrassment. Even her academic performance, which they used to take pride in, was now worse than Mara's.
"What, you didn't even make the top ten? How have you been studying?
Your sister started with such a poor foundation and still managed to do so well, while you, who have always been at the top, got this rank?
You're getting more and more out of line. Useless.
During fall break, you'll stay home to reflect and study. You're not going anywhere."
Lacey sighed in resignation. "Sigh, why are you such a disappointment?"
Mira remembered Julian was there too. She looked at him helplessly, but he just gave her a cold smirk.
The next day was the first day of the holiday. When Mira woke up, the four of them had already left on their trip.
The butler even deliberately said in front of Mira, "They've gone to a beautiful resort in the Maldives. The four of them—your parents, Mara, and Julian—all went. They even hired an expensive tour guide."
HHe looked at the dull ache of disappointment in Mira's eyes and spoke in a tone that feigned concern.
"Miss Mira, you just be good and watch the house. When they come back, they'll forgive you."
At the time, Mira only thought the butler was despicable for rubbing salt in her wound, but she still held onto some naive hope for her family.
Thinking back now, it was so childish.
Their hearts didn't just play favorites; they were warped to the core.
Since the past had taught her a profound lesson, now that she had a second chance, she had to get that first-place spot, whether for her future or just to prove them wrong.
But a whole lifetime had passed, and much of the knowledge felt foreign. Catching up wasn't easy.
For the past few days, she had handed over all company matters to Kieran and Callum, focusing single-mindedly on her review.
She identified and filled in any gaps in her knowledge, then reinforced it by grinding through practice problems, from easy to hard.
Frankly, for a good student, scoring an 80 on a 100-point test wasn't hard, but getting above 90 was a challenge.
No matter how well you studied, getting a perfect score was exceptionally difficult.



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