Reborn, She's Back for Revenge novel Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Chapter 124

The morning sky was painted with the vibrant hues of dawn.

Edith stretched lazily and sat up, tossing aside her covers before heading first to the next room.

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Zachary was still passed out, so Edith, clearly annoyed, ripped off his blanket and said, “It’s monthly exams today. Hurry up and get yourself to school!”

Zachary jolted awake. Today was the monthly exams at Sunspire High School. He’d never cared much before–tests, grades, whatever.

But this time, he was determined to break free from the bottom ten. For once, the result meant

everything to him.

He jumped out of bed, started brushing his teeth, and frantically crammed Engloria vocab, trying to memorize as much as he could in the final minutes. He thought, ‘Maybe if I cram hard enough, I’ll get

lucky on the essay.”

Mumbling words under his breath, he slung his backpack on and hurried off to school.

Edith shook her head, thinking, “If he has been keeping up the hustle like that all the time, getting into the top ten would be a breeze.”

She was about to head out herself when she passed by the second floor and spotted Hallie standing at the doorway, shooting her a resentful glare.

Edith curled her lips into a smirk. “Wow, those dark circles look nasty. Didn’t sleep well last night,

huh?”

Hallie’s eyes flashed with hatred. “Don’t celebrate too soon.”

Edith’s smile grew even more wicked. The more that mother and daughter tried to stir the pot, the faster they’d crash and burn. She was eager to see the chaos unfold.

She threw her backpack on and set off for school in an unusually good mood.

Hallie sat at the piano, telling herself to calm down, but her fingers stumbled over the keys and the entire song came out as a broken mess.

“This isn’t working,” June said, her disappointment obvious as she appeared beside Hallie. “This piece should show the rebellious energy of a teenage girl, not sound like you’re drowning in

bitterness.

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Chapter 124

“It honestly feels like you’re channeling some thirty–something married woman with regrets.”

Hallie’s eyes were rimmed red with tears. “Aunt June, I think my parents are going to get divorced. I can’t even bring myself to care about the piano competition anymore. I’m doomed to lose…”

June’s eyes darkened. “What kind of nonsense is that? Don’t spread rumors about things that haven’t even happened.”

Hallie said, “It’s true. Ever since Edith came back, Dad has always taken her side. My parents argue constantly because of her. I don’t even know what she did or said, but Dad made Mom move out.”

She sobbed. “And now she’s joined the piano competition just to sabotage me. She only just passed Level Three. There’s no way she could actually win. She just wants to ruin my future. Aunt June, I’m

terrified!”

June could hardly believe it.

She thought, ‘Edith has learned piano from me as a kid, but she could never stick with anything for long. She has talent, sure, but zero motivation. After years of lessons, she’s still just at Level Three.

‘With skills like that, how the hell did she even get into this competition?‘

June thought maybe Hallie was just making stuff up, but when she called the organizers to check, Edith’s name really was on their list. So, June believed most of Hallie’s story.

June comforted Hallie, “This is a nationwide competition, so only skills matter here. Even if Edith wants to play dirty, there’s nothing she can pull.

“Relax, I’ll be right here with you from start to finish. She won’t get a chance to mess with you, not on my watch.”

But Hallie was still crying, barely comforted at all.

June forced a smile and said, “Your grandma’s birthday is this Sunday. It’s not a big one, so we’re not planning anything huge, but it’s still a chance.”

Hallie bit her lip and thought, ‘Dad is always so filial. If Mom can win Grandma over, Dad won’t be able to keep giving her the cold shoulder.

‘Grandma isn’t into clothes or tea, but she’s totally hooked on gold jewelry–rings, bracelets, earrings, and so on. She’s piled up an entire box just full of them.

‘The Murphy family runs the biggest jewelry shop in Sunspire. Maybe I can go all out and pick the fanciest gold piece for Grandma.”

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Now that Hallie had settled on a plan, she finally began to calm down.

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After two straight days of exams, Zachary was wiped out, and finishing didn’t make him feel any less.

exhausted.

Edith glanced at him coolly. “So, what do you think your rank will be this time?”

Zachary mumbled, sounding unsure, “No way I’m still in the bottom ten.”

Back when he didn’t put in any effort, he was always second or third from the bottom. But now that he’d actually worked hard for half a month, there was no way he’d still be hanging around at the

bottom.

“Let’s make a deal, then,” Edith said. “If you’re not in the bottom ten, you’ll stick to your current study schedule. But if you’re still in the bottom ten, no more video games or basketball on the weekends.”

Zachary was speechless. He thought, ‘No video games or basketball? What kind of life is that? I’m already working my ass off. How can she expect me to give up all my favorite things, too?‘

“You’ve only got two months until the high school entrance exams. You don’t have much time left,” Edith said calmly. “After that, I won’t be breathing down your neck anymore.”

Her eyes were cool and distant, and Zachary couldn’t muster a single word of protest.

Plus, after messing up a couple of days ago, he still felt totally on thin ice around Edith. In a low voice, he mumbled, “Fine, deal.”

Edith had been keeping regular contact with Zachary’s teacher, so she knew exactly how things were going for him at school. At home he at least looked obedient, but at school, he was still his usual

rebellious self.

He always dozed off in class and barely turned in his homework. She hadn’t called him out on it yet. She was just waiting for those grades to drop before she settled accounts with him.

On Saturday afternoon, Edith managed to get her hands on Zachary’s monthly exam scores before anyone else.

Zachary had changed into his basketball jersey, clutching the ball and ready to cut loose for a bit. He figured this could be his last chance to have some fun before his grades dropped the hammer on him.

But the second he swung open his door, there was Edith, blocking his way with that unmistakable don’t–mess–with–me look. He said, “What’s up, Edith?”

Edith glanced at her phone and said, “Math, 39. Literature, 40. Engloria, 36. Science, 3…”

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“Alright, stop!” Zachary felt his face burning with embarrassment. “Just tell me where I rank.”

“Seventh from the bottom,” Edith said, crossing her arms. “Need me to remind you what comes

next?”

Zachary hunched his shoulders, mumbling, “I already finished all my homework this morning…”

“Sure, you do your homework every day, but that’s hardly enough,” Edith said as she took the basketball right out of his hands.

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She continued, “If you can’t get your act together at school, I’ll just talk to your teacher and have you grounded at home for the next two months to study. What do you think about that?”

Without waiting for an answer, she slammed the basketball hard onto the floor. It shot up and smacked the ceiling with a loud bang, making Zachary jump out of his skin.

“Edith, I’m sorry,” Zachary instantly apologized, looking pitiful. “I promise I’ll buckle down and actually pay attention in class, no more zoning out. And I’ll skip basketball today. I’ll just stick around at home and grind through my homework.”

He peeled off his basketball jersey in defeat, and rummaged in his drawer for his science workbook. After staring at the problems blankly for ages, he gave up with a sigh, and switched over to his math problem set instead.

Edith felt a headache coming on. Zachary was a master at pretending to listen while doing whatever the hell he wanted. She was seriously worried he wouldn’t even make it into high school.

Sure, the Lovett family could probably throw some money around and get him into Sunspire High School, but if he was just going to slack off once he was there, then it had no point.

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AD