I let the chalk clatter onto the floor. Stretching out on the plush sofa in the bar's private room, I looked over the walls I'd covered in formulas and equations. That's what I'd really been doing all night.

And the score floating above my head hadn't detected a thing.

A waiter knocked, telling me my time was up. So, I made the call.

"Hey, sis? They won't let me leave the bar. I need you to Zelle me some money. Now."

"A bar? Jenny, what are you thinking?" Her voice was the perfect blend of shock and fake concern.

"I just needed to blow off steam before the SATs. Don't you dare tell Mom and Dad. Just send me a thousand dollars."

She switched to her nagging tone. "Jenny, the test is coming soon. You should come home and study."

"Are you even listening to me? If this place calls Mom and Dad, they'll drag me home. I'm begging you, just let me have this one night."

She sighed, laying the guilt on thick. "Fine. But you have to promise you'll study later."

I hung up without another word.

The notification popped up instantly. Patricia had sent fifteen hundred dollars—every last dollar of her own savings.

And with her money, I funded a carefree month of secret prep. On the day of the exam, I finally dragged myself home, looking suitably wrecked with dark circles under my eyes. The number above my head glowed a confident 1550.

Patricia met me at the door with a sugary smile, handing me my admission ticket. "You made it back. At least you didn't miss your test."

"You selfish brat! The SATs are tomorrow and you've been out partying!" My mom's voice was pure venom. "A whole month gone! Why come back at all?"

I knew they favored her, but the words still cut deep. I let a bitter smile twist my lips.

My dad's slap came out of nowhere, snapping my head to the side. "You think this is funny? You worthless piece of—!"

He grabbed my ear, twisting hard. Pain shot through my skull.

When I tried to shove him away, he kicked my legs out from under me. I hit the floor, my ear screaming in agony. He wasn't stopping.

"I have my test today!" I finally screamed. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"A whole month at some bar, probably sleeping around—why even bother taking the test? You'll probably be knocked up in a month anyway!"

He kicked me toward my room. "You're not going. I'm not letting you."

My sister panicked. "Dad! You know what Grandma said. She has to take it."

At the mention of Grandma, my father reluctantly dragged me to my feet. "Waste of time," he spat.

Clutching my burning ear, I was shoved into the car and driven to the test center.

After the grueling exam, my sister skipped out of the testing room, beaming. She rushed to our parents.

"I aced it! Can we please have a big party on score-release day? Please?"

They looked at her like she'd hung the moon.

"If you're that confident, sweetie, of course we will. We'll even invite your grandmother. Let her see how amazing you are."

"Perfect! Maybe this time, Grandma will finally be proud of me."

Right on cue, the score above my head vanished.

Watching my sister bask in her misplaced glory, a slow smile touched my lips.

Get ready to open your surprise, little sister.

The day the SATs ended, my parents took my sister on a fancy graduation trip. They didn't even remember I existed. Honestly, it was a relief. With them gone, I could finally move in silence.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I'd memorized. The line clicked open. "Uncle," I said, not wasting a second. "I solved the problem you gave me."

The man on the other end practically exploded with excitement. "Jenny, you've just saved the entire research institute! You have no idea what this breakthrough means!"

He came to pick me up himself, driving me straight to his lab. For the next month, we worked side-by-side, tearing through complex equations. He only let me go on the morning the scores were released, sending a car to drop me at the "celebration" banquet.

I walked into the hotel ballroom and spotted my parents and sister immediately, fresh off their vacation, holding court in the center of a fawning crowd.

"Robert, your daughters are incredible!"

"A partnership with the Reid Group is a golden opportunity!"

But let's be real. No one gave a damn about our SAT scores. They were here because Grandma had declared that whichever granddaughter got into the better university would inherit her entire stake in the Reid Group.

Grandma was the majority shareholder. Today was the day the next CEO would be chosen, and every vulture in the room had come to see who to suck up to.

I took a deep breath and walked straight to Grandma.

She took my hand, her smile warm and knowing. "Are you ready, Jenny?"

I nodded. "I am, Grandma. I won't let you down."

She was the only one in this family who ever saw me as more than a disappointment. In my last life, after my spectacular failure, even her warmth had turned to ice. She died of a heart attack three days after they shipped me off to that factory.

I wouldn't let that happen again.

"Jenny, why are you lying to Grandma?"

My sister materialized at my side, her voice dripping with fake concern. "You spent the whole month before the exam partying at a bar. How could you possibly have done well?" She turned to the crowd, playing the victim. "You're just taking advantage of her trust."

Patricia whipped out the photos of me in the bar and showed them to everyone.

My father's disgust landed squarely on me. "If I were you, I wouldn't even have the guts to show my face here today!

"Patricia is estimating a 1550. You won't even score 1000. After today, the Reid Group will be hers. You'll be spending the rest of your life begging her for scraps!

"A worthless freeloader, and you have the nerve to stand there and look smug!"

Several business partners jumped in on cue.

"I saw Jenny at that club—flanked by male escorts, living it up."

"With that kind of character, she can't possibly compete with Patricia."

"Of course not! A 1550 puts Patricia in the 99th percentile!"

"Patricia is the complete package. The company will flourish under her."

I let out a cold laugh that cut through their flattery. "The scores aren't even out yet, and you're already polishing the brass on a sinking ship. Be careful you're betting on the wrong horse."

"How dare you speak to us like that? No grades and no manners!"

"Someone should get that girl's head examined."

"Still dreaming? If partying got you into the top universities, no one would bother studying!"

The laughter swelled around me.

My dad, smug, tossed the keys to his brand-new Porsche onto a nearby table. "Fine. If you get into a better university than Patricia, the car is yours."

I sneered. "A car? I thought you were a big shot. If you're so confident in Patricia, then bet the family estate."

My parents hesitated, but the crowd just laughed harder.

"Do you even understand what a 1550 means? That's the 99th percentile!"

"No way in hell she'll beat 1550! It's a safe bet!"

I widened my eyes, playing the fool. "Then what are you afraid of, Dad? Go on. Put it all on the line. Let me see it."

He hesitated again.

My mother stepped in. "What are you afraid of? She definitely won't get into a better university than Patricia."

My sister nodded confidently. "Dad, trust me."

Finally reassured, my father tallied up all the assets and announced before everyone, "Whichever of my daughters gets into the better university will receive everything—together with my mother's shares!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the College Board website went live.

My sister stepped forward, like a queen claiming her throne. "Let me check mine first," she said, oozing assurance. "Let's see how close my estimate was."

Calmly, she typed in her login information.

A moment later, her score flashed up on the giant screen for everyone to see.

The number 1550 flashed on the screen.

"A 1550! I told you! Patricia is the next CEO of Reid Group!"

"With a poised and accomplished heir like Patricia, the company's future is secure!"

The room erupted in cheers and applause.

I just narrowed my eyes. Right on cue. She'd scored the exact number that had once dangled over my head like a carrot.

My father shot me a look of pure contempt. "Wipe that pathetic look off your face. From now on, you live off your sister's generosity. You will be loyal to her."

"If you ever embarrass her, I will make you regret it."

I met his gaze, feigning confusion. "I haven't even checked my score yet. How do you know I'll be the one depending on her? Maybe it'll be the other way around."

My mother's hand cracked across my face before I'd even finished the sentence.

"Know your place! You think someone like Patricia would ever need to depend on you?"

Patricia glared at me, her eyes shining with performative hurt. "Jenny, I don't know why you're so determined to tear me down, but you've crossed a line. If your score is lower than mine, you will get on your knees and apologize to me."

She shoved the laptop toward me. "Your turn."

Under the weight of everyone's stares, I typed in my information.

The screen refreshed.

I let my face go slack with shock.

Score: 540.

"Five-forty? You could bubble in random answers and score higher than that!"

"She's a complete disgrace."

"And here I thought she had some hidden talent, the way she was talking. Pathetic."

Patricia let out a sharp, triumphant laugh.

"Jenny. On your knees. Now.

"You didn't even break a thousand. You really are mentally deficient. As the future CEO of Reid Group, I think the best place for you is a psychiatric hospital. You know what those are like, don't you?

"But if you apologize nicely... maybe I'll let you get treatment at home instead."

"Kneel to you?" I spat. "You're not worthy."

Patricia kicked me hard behind the knee. My father seized the opportunity, his heavy hand crushing my shoulder, forcing one knee to the floor.

My eyes flew to Grandma, wide with a desperation I didn't have to fake. "Grandma!"

She just shook her head, her expression one of profound disappointment. "You've let us all down, Jenny."

"The admission decisions aren't out yet!" I yelled, my voice straining.

My protest was met with a wave of ridicule.

"A 540? She couldn't get into a community college with that!"

"She's still fighting? The delusion is clinical."

"Throw her out. Let's see how long she lasts on the streets without the family name."

"Patricia is being too soft. A real leader needs to be ruthless."

My sister looked down at me with fake pity. "You heard them, sister. If you don't apologize properly, how can I ever command respect?"

When I stayed stubbornly silent, she gave a subtle nod to a bodyguard. His boot slammed into the back of my other leg, forcing me fully onto the ground. I struggled to rise, but Patricia placed her designer heel on the side of my face, grinding my cheek into the polished floor.

Gritting my teeth, I growled, "Patricia, you will not get into a single top-tier school."

"Oh, really?" she chirped, tilting her head. Her smile was saccharine as she grabbed my chin, forcing my head toward the ballroom entrance. "Then you're going to love this."

The admissions officer from Grathmond University had just walked in.

She leaned down, her whisper a venomous promise in my ear.

"You're going to watch them hand me my acceptance letter while you can't even get into a state school. When I leave for college, I'm sending you to the middle of nowhere. You can marry some farmer and pop out his kids."

With a final, gloating laugh, she released me and strode toward the officer, her posture the picture of victorious grace.

But the moment she reached him, her brilliant smile shattered.

And the final act of the show I had orchestrated… was finally beginning.