Chapter 18 It’s Too Hard Being Your Daughter
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Twenty minutes later, an elderly man with graying temples stepped into the classroom, followed closely by Saoirse Graves, the class teacher of Class Eight.
Saoirse spoke up first. “This is our school principal, Mr. Sage Whitlow.”
The room instantly fell into stunned silence.
No one had ever imagined they’d get to meet the principal in
person.
It felt like an honor.
The principal of Harvard–Westlake School was known for being incredibly low–profile. He rarely made public appearances, yet he had a legendary reputation across Los Angeles. He was upright, principled, and unshakable in the face of power.
Thanks to him, Harvard–Westlake School never bowed to wealthy families trying to buy their kids‘ way in, nor did teachers play favorites based on a student’s background.
Every student at Harvard–Westlake School admired him deeply.
Under the weight of so many stares, Sage walked straight over to
Chapter 18 It’s Too Hard Being Your Daught… 2/8 Sabrina.
The moment he saw the blood on her face, he let out a gasp. “Good heavens, Rina, what happened to you? Come, we’re going to the hospital.”
His face was etched with concern.
But Sabrina just wiped the blood off her temple with a casual air, unfazed.
“I’m fine. I asked you to come because I need your help to prove I didn’t cheat on the exam.”
“Cheat? Who said you cheated?” Sage’s expression darkened instantly.
Sabrina swept her gaze around the room and gave a slight nod in the direction of the crowd. “Them.”
Sage’s eyes turned sharp, suddenly filled with a fierce edge.
He warned, “You little punks better listen up. Spreading rumors can land you in a jail cell.”
The sheer force of his presence made most of them clam up on the spol.
But there’s always one who doesn’t know fear.
“Mr. Whitlow,” someone spoke up, “if you just check Sabrina’s grades over the past six months, you’ll see it’s impossible for her
Chapter 18 It’s Too Hard Being Your Daught…
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to have improved this fast. I suggest a thorough investigation.”
It was Kyle, grimacing from his injuries but still mustering up the nerve to stand his ground.
What he didn’t expect, though, was to get absolutely torn apart instead of supported.
Sage didn’t hold back. “You, young man, how about using your brain before you open your mouth? Are you stupid? The exam rooms are under constant surveillance. If someone had cheated, do you think we wouldn’t know? We spend tens of millions of dollars every year maintaining our testing equipment. Do you think we do it for fun?
“Sabrina didn’t cheat. I’ll stake my name on it. Half a year ago, she scored full marks on every subject in the entrance exams. That’s the highest in the school’s history.
“If you don’t believe me, go look at her past monthly test papers and transcripts. The way she controls her scores with precision? You won’t figure it out in a lifetime.
“And if you still don’t buy it, feel free to ask her some high–level problems in private. If she can’t answer them, I’ll eat my words.”
After that, no one dared to speak.
Kyle and Nathan stood there, humiliated, their pride in tatters. They might’ve been fuming, but they weren’t dumb enough to dig their hole deeper.
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Chapter 18 It’s Too Hard Being Your Daught… Though the matter had been resolved, Sabrina had hit Kyle a little too hard during their fight, and Saoirse ended up dragging both of them to the office for a stern lecture. In the end, both were ordered to call their parents and were detained after school.
The two sat side by side, not even sparing each other a glance.
When Matthew walked in, that was the scene he found.
The once–inseparable siblings, who used to be so close Brianna couldn’t even wedge herself between them, had grown apart to the point of throwing punches.
Matthew couldn’t wrap his head around it. He never imagined it was them who had fought.
He stepped in, got the rundown from the teacher, and then approached them.
“What’s going on with you two?” he asked, trying to stay calm but unable to hide his frustration.
Siblings fighting was beyond embarrassing.
Before he could say more, his eyes landed on the wound on Sabrina’s temple, and his brows furrowed. “What happened there?” he asked, reaching out to touch it.
Sabrina reacted sharply. She sprang from her seat, instantly. putting distance between them.
Chapter 18 It’s Too Hard Being Your Daught… 5/8 Matthew’s face froze in surprise.
“Rina, come on, stop this,” he said, his voice softer now.
She’d heard that line too many times before. It used to sting. But now, it didn’t even touch her.
Pointing at Kyle, she said coldly, “Mr. Matthew Sterling, your son is over there. I have nothing to do with you. My real father will be here soon.” She put extra weight on the word “real.”
Kyle scoffed and muttered, “Dad, listen to this ungrateful brat. What a way to talk.”
Sabrina rolled her eyes.
She thought his words were absolutely ridiculous.
“Mr. Matthew Sterling, I may have lived under your roof all these years, but I earned every cent of my own food, clothes, and spending money. A while ago, I wired 50 million dollars into your account. That was the buyout.”
If it hadn’t been for her determination to sever all ties with the Sterling family, she wouldn’t have left herself broke.
Matthew stayed silent.
But Kyle wasn’t finished. “Even so, have you forgotten all the kindness our family showed you over the years? And you still claim you’re not ungrateful?”
Chapter 18 It’s Too Hard Being Your Daught… Matthew turned to look at Sabrina too, as if waiting for her
response.
“Kindness?” Sabrina let out a cold laugh.
“You call that kindness? How do you even say that with a straight face?
“You think abandoning me in a burning house was kindness?
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“Shipping me overseas like I was excess baggage was kindness?
“You forced me to give in to Brianna in everything since we were kids… Do you think that’s kindness?
“You forget my birthday every year. Is that your idea of kindness?
“And every time Brianna picked a fight, I was the one you all. blamed. Was that kindness too?”
Her words were cutting, merciless.
Matthew’s heart ached under the weight of her gaze, and yet, he couldn’t refute a single thing she said.
Looking at his expression, Sabrina twisted the knife. “Matthew, I should never have gone with you in the first place. I regret it.
“It’s too hard being your daughter.”
That wasn’t just anger speaking. It was her truth.
Chapter 18 It’s Too Hard Being Your Daught… 7/8 Matthew felt a sharp pain in his chest.
At that moment, he finally understood with painful clarity that his daughter no longer wanted him as a father.
“You really don’t want me anymore?” he asked, voice low and shaky.
“Nope,” she replied without hesitation, decisive as ever.
Seeing Matthew so crushed, something in Sabrina sparked with dark satisfaction.
Fueling the fire, she added deliberately, “Matthew, your love is cheap. But Theodore is different. I’m his only child, and his love actually means something.”
Matthew knew she was only saying it to hurt him.
But even knowing that didn’t soften the blow.
Her words left him gutted.
It was a wound he would never forget.
Just then, Theodore walked in. He had caught the tail end of Sabrina’s words.
A sly smile tugged at his lips. This girl, he thought, had surprisingly good taste.
