Three Jobs for Me, Millions for Her? Fine, I Quit This Family Chapter 04
“Why?” I demanded, my voice cracking. “On what grounds?”
Mrs. Gable didn’t answer. She simply looked behind me.
Two men in black leather jackets stepped out of the shadows,
walking straight toward me.
Claire Bennett?” the larger one asked.
I nodded instinctively.
He grabbed my wrist in a crushing grip.
“You need to come with us.”
“What are you doing? Let go of me!” I struggled, trying to pull
away, but his grip was like iron.
“Don’t make a scene,” the man said calmly.
“We are just here to collect.”
“You took out several high–interest personal loans online
under your name, and the repayment deadline passed yesterday.”
“If you don’t pay up, You aren’t going anywhere.”
Mrs. Gable looked at me, shaking her head;
Claire, I never expected you to get involved with predatory online lenders.”
They have brought the contracts to the campus.”
“The university cannot protect you from this.”
“No, that’s a lie! I didn’t take any loans!” I screamed, panic clawing at my chest.
“Mrs. Gable, please believe me! I have never borrowed money
from anyone! Please!”
Mrs. Gable turned away, addressing the campus security
guard standing nearby.
“Keep Claire and these men in the security office.”
‘Don’t let them leave campus until her parents arrive.”
“Wait a second,” Sophie said, stepping forward.
She leaned close to my ear, her voice a cruel whisper.
‘Claire, you really thought you could compete with me?”
“It doesn’t matter how smart You’re.”
*As long as I want it, even without a single ounce of talent,
your spot is mine.”
She pulled back, raising her voice so everyone could hear.
“I will make sure to win this for both of us, Claire!”
With a mocking wave, she turned and boarded the shuttle
bus alongside Mrs. Gable.
I watched the bus pull away, my chest heaving as I screamed,
“Let me go! I don’t owe any money!”
My protests fell on deaf ears.
I collapsed to my knees on the gravel, grabbing the sleeve of the man holding me.
“Please,” I sobbed, completely stripping away my pride. “I’m
begging you, let me go. This exam is my only chance. Please, let me take it.”
The man looked down at me with a trace of pity.
“Our orders are simple: keep you here until the exam is over.
Once the clock stops, we will let you go.”
He paused, then added quietly, “Don’t bother calling the police.”
The loan documents are legally binding.”
The electronic signatures are yours, the bank accounts are under
your name, and the funds were deposited directly.”
Even the police won’t find any discrepancies. Don’t make this harder on us.”
The puzzle pieces clicked into place,
The only person with access to my Social Security number
and ID–and enough personal information to sign in my name–was my mother.
But why?
Why did you have to destroy me over and over again?
I sat on the asphalt, my fingernails digging into the dirt until
they bled, but I felt no physical pain.
The second man set a smartphone on the concrete in front of me.
The client requested that you watch the live stream of the
competition.”
The screen lit up. Sophie was sitting at the desk that had
been reserved for me.
The camera zoomed in on the exam paper.
could read the physics equations from the screen.
They were problems I could solve in my sleep.
But Sophie just sat there.
She didn’t even pick up her pen.
Sensing the camera on her, she looked up, gave a lazy smirk,
and leaned back in her chair to take a nap.
watched her sleep through the entire three–hour exam.
It was over.
My final chance to escape was completely gone.
My phone, which had been silent, suddenly began to vibrate violently.
Text messages from my mother flooded the screen. Claire?
What happened?
Why weren’t you at the competition?
Why is Sophie the one taking the exam?
I stared at the messages, a cold, hollow laugh escaping my lips.
looked up at the man standing over me.
“Can I go now?”
He checked his watch and nodded.
“Yes.”
I dragged my numb legs, forcing myself to stand.
As I walked past a trash can at the edge of the plaza, I threw
my buzzing phone inside without a second thought.
In her luxury Manhattan penthouse, Victoria Bennett was
pacing the floor, her chest tight with an unfamiliar anxiety.
Claire’s phone was completely turned off.
Just as she was about to grab her designer coat to drive to the
university, the front door swung open.
Sophie rushed in, throwing her arms around Victoria’s neck,
babbling excitedly about her day.
Under Sophie’s bright, bubbly distraction, Victoria’s
temporary guilt vanished.
She stroked Sophie’s hair with a smile.
“As long as you had fun, sweetie.”
“I promised I would take you on a trip after the exam.”
Let’s get your uncle Richard and go to Paris.”
They spent the next week in France.
They dined at Michelin–starred restaurants, shopped on the Champs–Élysées, and posted bright, happy photos on social
media.
It was only on the flight back that Victoria realized something.
Claire had not contacted her once in over ten days.
A sudden, sharp dread gripped her heart.
She dialed Claire’s number.
It was still disconnected.
She tried calling from Richard’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail.
Unable to shake the panic, she pulled out her contact list and
dialed the university’s academic advisor
The call went through.
“Hello, Mrs. Gable? This is Claire Bennett’s mother.
I’m trying to reach her. Do you know where she is?”
‘Claire Bennett?” Mrs. Gable’s voice sounded confused.
“She withdrew from the university over a week ago.”