Chapter 88

A group of people rushed upstairs.

The noise came from Sophia Sullivan's bedroom.

The door was ajar.

Grace Sullivan was sitting on the floor.

Two handbags were scattered nearby.

She was wailing loudly.

Her legs kicked out wildly.

She looked like a hysterical madwoman.

"Grace!" Chloe Sullivan Sullivan rushed over and crouched down. "Don't scare me, get up..."

"No! I won't get up until Sophia apologizes!"

Sophia crossed her arms and smirked. "Then stay sitting. Or lie down, if you prefer."

"You—"

Chloe Sullivan's eyes turned sharp. "Apologize for what? What exactly happened?"

"Mom! She hit me!"

Chloe Sullivan whipped her head around. "How could you hit her?"

"Aunt Chloe Sullivan, I heard noises from the walk-in closet when I returned to my room. I thought it was a burglar. But I am curious, why was Grace in my room? And why did it sound like she was rummaging through things?"

Her gaze swept over the two bags on the floor.

Chloe Sullivan's expression shifted. "Your cousin was just curious, looking around... But you still shouldn't have hit her!"

"I didn't know it was Grace when I swung. What normal person rummages through someone else's closets?"

Chloe Sullivan shot her daughter a fierce glare.

Grace guiltily looked away.

Isabella Sullivan smiled, trying to smooth things over. "It's just a misunderstanding. Let's all go downstairs for dinner?"

A phone suddenly rang.

David Sullivan was closest.

Sophia said, "Dad, could you grab that for me?"

He picked up the phone.

He accidentally hit the answer button.

And the speakerphone too.

Olivia Lopez's clear voice came through—

"Sophia, did you check your score? What is it? Did you get into MIT?"

The room fell silent.

"Sophia? Why aren't you talking? Can you hear me?"

Sophia took the phone. "Something came up just now. I was about to check."

"Forget that! Check your score now!"

"Okay."

The call ended.

Everyone stared at Sophia.

Even Grace on the floor forgot to cry.

David swallowed hard. "Sophia, check what score?"

"My postgrad entrance exam results."

"You took the postgrad exam?!" Isabella exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes."

Chloe Sullivan raised an eyebrow. "You're still taking postgrad exams at your age?"

"Aunt Chloe Sullivan, plenty of people in their forties take them. I'm not that old, am I?"

"Why the sudden decision to take the exam?"

"Just for fun."

Chloe Sullivan was speechless.

"The results came out today?" Sophia Sullivan glanced at the notebook on the table. "Sophia was going to check, but then Grace... Well, the misunderstanding is cleared up. Grace, get up now."

Grace's eyes darted.

She had no ground to stand on if she kept making a scene.

She took the opportunity to stand up.

"Since we're checking scores, let's all have a look. My cousin is so amazing, she must have done well."

As if postgrad exams were easy.

MIT, no less?

Did Sophia really think she was still the top student from years ago?

Trying to go back to school after all this time?

Dream on!

Once the scores came out, they'd see how humiliated she'd be!

Sophia said, "I'm curious too."

Victoria Sullivan smirked. "Yes, check it? It doesn't matter if the score is good or bad."

Isabella wanted to refuse.

But Sophia smiled. "Sure."

Everyone crowded around the computer.

Sophia had already entered her exam ID and password.

All that was left was to hit enter.

"Dad, you press it."

David pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you checked my college entrance exam scores all those years ago too."

"Alright." He rubbed his hands together, took a deep breath, and pressed enter.

The page refreshed.

Loading.

The entire room held its breath.

One second.

Two seconds.

"It's out!"

Total score: 412.

Chloe Sullivan tugged on her dazed daughter. "What's the total score? Is 400 something high?"

Grace's lips moved, but no sound came out.

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Sophia hid the surprise, smiled: "The total is 500. With this score, Sophia should rank in the top three. Possibly first."

Chloe Sullivan's eyes widened. "She got into MIT?!"

Victoria said expressionlessly, "Postgrad admissions have a written exam and an interview. Just the written score leaves a lot of variables."

Chloe Sullivan breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew Sophia couldn't possibly get into MIT.

Top three?

Sophia smiled: "The written exam carries significant weight, and the interview doesn't eliminate many. Sophia is practically halfway into MIT already. Congratulations, David, Isabella."

David was still in a daze.

His daughter, who hadn't come home for six years, was not only back.

She'd gifted them a villa.

And now she was accepted into a postgrad program?

Their estrangement years ago was precisely over this.

He believed she shouldn't waste her talent.

Pursuing a Master's and PhD was the natural path.

But she gave up a combined program for a man.

It was a huge blow to the old father.

Now, everything was perfect...

"Thank you, Sophia."

Sophia : "Sophia is now the most highly educated among the younger generation of the Sullivans."

Grace's face darkened.

Chloe Sullivan pressed her lips together tightly.

Victoria said, "Let's wait until she actually receives the acceptance letter."

The dinner was unusually quiet.

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

They left in a hurry after eating.

...

January 20th.

Isabella's birthday.

The recent rain and snow had finally cleared.

Tender shoots emerged from the grass.

The yard was full of life again.

Isabella didn't care for sweets.

No cake was ordered.

Sophia bought flour.

She planned to make longevity noodles by hand.

The gift had been chosen long ago.

A set of out-of-print original language books.

She had searched for a long time.

Finally found them on an obscure foreign website.

It took half a month for them to ship back.