Jade wasn’t entirely stupid, I’ll give her that.
The protective charm in my hand had been mailed to my daughter along with a pile of study materials. Inside was also a handwritten note, claiming it had been specially blessed at the Blue Cliff Monastery–a place known for granting success in exams. The note urged my daughter to wear it until the end of the college entrance exam.
It was supposed to “bless” her with good results.
But in truth, its purpose was much darker–to swap my daughter’s exam answers with Vivian’s.
In our previous life, my daughter saw it as a rare gesture of fatherly love and wore it dutifully every day.
What was the result?
She ended up with a devastatingly low score–barely over two hundred points. Standing in this very room, she questioned herself, drowning in guilt and shame. She thought her failure had ruined my future too, since the prenup dictated I’d leave with nothing.
In the end, the despair crushed her. She jumped from the 9th floor of this very building.
And 1–trying to stop her–was pulled down with her.
It wasn’t until after our deaths that I learned the truth: the whole thing was a trap, orchestrated by Jade.
But this time, I was ready.”
I came back prepared, and I won’t let history repeat itself.
Still, Jade couldn’t accept it.}
“No! That’s impossible! If she was wearing the charm, how could Vivian still score zero?!“}
“Oh?” I replied calmly, “Why would my daughter’s charm have any impact on your daughter’s exam score?”
She immediately realized her slip–up, biting down on her anger as she glared at me.”
l’ignored her, turning to the notary.“]
“Now that the results are in, can I use this notarized document to claim all of Hayden’s assets?“>
Before the notary could respond, Jade exploded.§
“What nonsense are you spouting?! Even if you guessed the scores correctly, you only get half the assets from the first two rounds. What gives you the right to take it all?!”}
“Gwen, the final round was about university admission! You don’t actually think your daughter can get into any school with a zero score, do you?!”
Only then did the crowd remember the original bet wasn’t just about scores–it was tied to dividing Hayden’s fortune.
“That’s right! I knew this ex–wife didn’t fully understand the rules. Turning in a blank paper and still expecting an acceptance letter from Stanford or Harvard? Dream on!”
“She got lucky in the first two rounds. But there’s no way she’ll win the last one. And without that, she gets nothing more. Trying to take the whole fortune? Delusional.”}
“Still… she’s been playing dumb this whole time. What if this really is part of her plan?“}
“What plan? Her daughter got a zero! Forget Stanford, even the worst diploma mill wouldn’t take her!“}
As their chatter grew louder, Hayden remained calm.§
But deep down, he clearly didn’t want to give me anything. Not even half.>
Suddenly, he changed tactics.
“Gwen,” he said smoothly, “you’ve done so much for this family over the years. Maybe divorce isn’t the right path. Let’s take a step back. I’ll make it up to you–and to your daughter.“>>
I let out a cold laugh.
“So now you want to go back on your word? Right here, in front of all these witnesses?“}
Exposed and humiliated, Hayden’s face flushed red, then darkened.
His voice turned low and threatening. “Gwen, don’t push your luck. I have ways to make sure you leave with nothing.”
I didn’t doubt that. I knew what he was capable of–even making people disappear.
But after dying once already, what did I have left to fear?
I turned back to the notary, ignoring him entirely.
The notary, kind and professional, clarified things for me.
“Ma’am, according to the terms, you need to win all three rounds to claim Mr. Shaw’s full assets. Based on your daughter’s score, I’m afraid you’ve only secured the first two rounds.”
“And per the rules, none of the wagers are payable until the third round’s results are finalized–that is, until all university admissions are announced at the end of next month. Only then will this notarized document become valid.“N
