Chapter 3
"Good afternoon, Mr. Wills and Mr. Hall."
James grasped Nathan's hand.
"Nat, you're our first state top student in ten years!
"The county approved a 30 thousand dollars scholarship just for you, and we're here to hand it over today!"
One of the reporters held a microphone up to Nathan.
"Nathan, as a kid from a single-parent family, what's your secret to getting such amazing grades? Any tips you can share with everyone?"
Nathan hung his head.
His shoulders shook with silent sobs.
When he finally looked up, tears rolled down his cheeks.
"There's no secret. I just know how to take more pain than most people.
"My parents died young, and I spent my childhood being passed around like a burden. Every day, I ate leftovers and wore hand-me-downs."
As he spoke, he glanced at me, his eyes full of resentment and accusation.
"But I kept telling myself that knowledge was my ticket out.
"I don't need that stolen settlement money. I'll earn my way into Hawthorne University!"
His words were airtight.
He deliberately crafted the image of a grateful kid who stayed strong through adversity, painting himself as the underdog who never stopped appreciating what little he had.
James patted Nathan on the shoulder.
"You've been through a lot.
"The school understands your family's situation is complicated. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to come to us."
Luke turned around, fixing me with a piercing stare as I sat on the bench.
"You're Nathan's aunt, aren't you?
"As a family elder, you should at least act like one.
"It's not easy to bring up someone like him. You don't get to take advantage of him like this!"
Aunt Eleanor jumped at the chance to make a scene.
She grabbed the reporter's arm and pointed straight at me, shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Hey, reporters! You have to expose her!
"She pocketed 400 thousand dollars in settlement money from Nathan's parents.
"And she was just pressuring him to give up the house back home!
"A heartless woman like her belongs behind bars!"
Two cameras zeroed in on me, their lenses trained right at my face.
Flashes kept going off nonstop.
"Did you really pocket the settlement money that belongs to your nephew?"
"Why are you mistreating an orphan?"
"Don't you feel guilty at all, facing the camera?"
The reporters' questions came at me like a tidal wave, relentless and overwhelming.
Everyone in the town pointed at me, their faces full of judgment.
All around me, people cursed and sneered, their voices merging into one wave of contempt.
I was right in the eye of the storm.
I looked over at Nathan who stood behind Luke.
He was hiding in the crowd.
He wore a smug, triumphant smirk, not even trying to hide it.
He was waiting for my reputation to be destroyed.
He was waiting for me to crack under pressure and sign the severance agreement and property waiver.
I gripped the corner of the table.
Bit by bit, I straightened up.
I shoved the microphone away, right before it was jammed in my face.
The metal collided with a sharp metallic screech.
Everyone took a step back, startled by my move.
"Alright then," I said, my expression icy.
My voice was calm, but it cut through the noise, silencing the whole crowd.
"With the mayor, the principal, and the reporters all here, and everyone demanding justice for the top student, let's lay out everything from the past ten years in front of the cameras."
I unzipped my canvas bag and grabbed the hardcover ledger I'd wrapped in plastic three times over.
Then, I dropped it on the table, along with a stack of papers.
"Look closely!"
I pulled out the top sheet, stamped with a red official seal, and pressed it right up against the reporter's camera lens.
"This is the official traffic accident report from the traffic police department ten years ago." I declared, my voice cutting through the noise.
"My brother and sister-in-law were drunk driving. They were fully at fault!"
"Not only did the other driver owe us nothing, but we had to pay him 250 thousand dollars for his medical expenses and the loss of his cargo!"
The whole place went dead silent in an instant.
Aunt Eleanor's mouth hung open, like a rusty hinge stuck in place.
I didn't hesitate. I grabbed the second document and shoved it right in Nathan's face.
"This is the purchase agreement from when I sold the city apartment I bought as a marital home.
"And here's the bank transfer record for the compensation paid to the other family. The recipient's account is right there for everyone to see!
"Are you seriously accusing me of taking the so-called 400 thousand dollars settlement for myself?"
I pressed in on Nathan, grabbing him by the collar, not letting him escape.
"Where's the money? Tell me where on earth it is!"
Nathan's face turned pale as a sheet.
He stared fixedly at the accident report, shaking uncontrollably.
"No way... You're lying to me... You clearly told me that—"
"What did I tell you?"
I pushed him away and slammed the hardcover ledger into his arms.
"I told you your parents died quickly, without suffering, and left you money for your education.
"If I hadn't told you that, you would've jumped into the river when you were ten, all because you felt so worthless!
"This is a record of your daily expenses over the past ten years."
I flipped through the ledger, showing the reporters every page, making sure they saw every single detail.