Chapter 47
To Victor, Caitlin might be young, but her abilities were the real deal-no smoke
and mirrors there.
She would never lie to him.
So, he believed her.
He believed Caitlin would somehow fill the financial gap within ten days.
When Gareth heard this, he shook his head, a look of helplessness on his face. “Winslow, if you ignore my advice, you’ll regret it, I swear p>
Choosing to risk it all when he could have played it safe-anyone with half a brain could see Victor was headed for disaster.
If this fell apart, Victor wouldn’t even have a roof over his head.
“Don’t worry,” Victor said with a smile. “I won’t regret it, and Miss Kensington isn’t the type to go back on her word. Who knows, she might secure the funding for Apex in just a few days p>
Someone like Caitlin wouldn’t make promises she couldn’t keep.
Gareth let out a weary sigh, wanting to say more but unable to find the right words. He’d already said all he could.
Victor wasn’t listening anyway.
Not only was Victor ignoring his warnings, but he was also vastly underestimating the difficulty of the situation.
Compared to The Chandler Group, no sane investor would put their money into Apex Game Studios.
Unless Miss Kensington had lost her mind, she’d never invest in Apex.
It would be as good as throwing money down the drain.
So, she had to be a fraud.
Yet Victor trusted Caitlin completely.
Caitlin had been making a habit of early morning workouts lately.
Coming home after her run, she found her grandfather, Fortune, piling a stack of luxury health supplements and fancy gift bags on the dining table.
She raised an eyebrow. “Grandpa, what’s with all this stuff p>
Fortune grinned. “Central Academy’s new admissions season is starting soon. My boss, Mr. Barrett, says he’s got a relative who knows someone on the admissions board. If we offer a little something, they can help you get in. So I thought I’d visit his relative with him after work-bring some gifts, maybe a little cash p>
If you were going to ask someone for a favor, you brought gifts. That was just how things were done.
Caitlin frowned slightly. “Grandpa, there’s no need to waste money on this. I can get into Central Academy on my own merit p>
She’d never considered taking shortcuts, no matter where she was or what the circumstances.
Fortune waved her off, thinking she was just worried about money. “Don’t worry about it, Catie. Money’s meant to be spent, and I can still earn more p>
From his perspective, Caitlin was smart, sure—but she’d been out of school for a year now, and the entrance exam for transfer students at Central Academy was less than a month away.
She’d be at a disadvantage; it hardly seemed fair to her.
Besides, if spending a little extra meant his granddaughter could attend the best high school and get the best education, wasn’t that worth it?
“Grandpa, trust me, I can get into Central Academy. If I can’t make it on my own, I’d rather not go at all,” Caitlin said firmly.
“Catie p>
She met her grandfather’s eyes, unwavering. “I mean it, Grandpa. Don’t try to pull any strings. It’s not fair to the other students p>
Seeing how serious she was, Fortune sighed and reluctantly let go of the idea.
In any case, he reasoned, with how smart his granddaughter was, even if she didn’t get into Central Academy, she’d get into another good school and make it to college just fine.
“Alright, I’ll listen to you p>
After breakfast, before heading to work, Fortune went straight to his boss to explain.
“Mr. Barrett, I’m really sorry. My granddaughter’s stubborn as a mule. She absolutely refuses to use connections to get into Central Academy, so I won’t trouble you about it anymore p>
“Doesn’t want to use connections?” Ray Barrett looked at him in surprise. “So she wants to get in on her own p>
“That’s right,” Fortune said, rubbing his head with a sheepish smile. “She used to do pretty well in school-just fell behind a bit this past year p>
Barrett glanced at him, a complicated expression on his face. “Even for a good student, Central Academy’s a tough nut to crack. When my son took the entrance exams, he ranked in the top fifteen in his class, and he still didn’t get in. We had to pull a few strings. Honestly, your granddaughter’s chances aren’t great p>
Central Academy was the top high school in Silverhaven.
They only accepted twenty transfer students a year, but over a thousand kids sat the test.
Competition was fierce.
Fortune stayed positive. “That’s alright. If she doesn’t get into Central Academy, there are other schools-she’ll still make it to college p>
Barrett looked at Fortune, thinking this country old man was being hopelessly naïve. With a smile, he changed the subject. “By the way, how old is your granddaughter now p>
“Nineteen,” Fortune replied.
Barrett frowned. “Nineteen and still in school? She’s a girl-it’s not like she needs a fancy diploma or to build up her resume like a boy does. Wouldn’t it be better for
her to get a job and help take the burden off your shoulders? Girls are just going
to get married sooner or later anyway. Why spend all your money on her education at your age p>
In the eyes of many, once a daughter married, she belonged to someone else’s family.