Chapter 15

James spoke seriously. "Ms. Campbell, Jonathan completed the test alone; he didn't cheat. His score is even higher than Frederick's." "It's only five points higher," Stephanie said in disbelief. "Maybe he just got a few answers right after copying." He sensed her obvious favoritism toward Frederick. Wasn't this a bit too much? "Ms. Campbell, I've said everything I needed to say. Whether you believe it or not, it's up to you," he replied dismissively. "There's nothing more to discuss. I'll hang up now." When the call ended, Stephanie was frozen. Had Jonathan really scored full marks on his own? Impossible! Suddenly, Gregory remembered that he had never checked the storage room where Jonathan had been living after leaving the Campbell family. He stood up and asked their butler, Stansfield Watson, "Which room did Jonathan stay in? Take me there." Not just Gregory but even Eleanor, Winona, Isabella, and Stephanie had no idea. After all, they wouldn't check the storage rooms, would they? "Hmph! Jonathan has sticky fingers. He stole my necklaces several times, so maybe we'll find the necklaces in his room!" Stephanie vowed to investigate thoroughly this time. They arrived at the room, which had been converted from a storage space. Stansfield opened the door, and they couldn't help but frown. The room was no more than 100 square feet, with a bed so basic it couldn't be simpler, a worn-out wardrobe, and a simple desk. Stephanie was the first to go in and search for her missing necklaces. However, as she looked around, she froze. The bed was stripped of everything—only the mattress remained. Jonathan must have taken the sheets and pillows when he left. When she opened the wardrobe, she found it empty—nothing inside. She reluctantly opened the drawer under the desk. Again, it was completely empty. She scanned the tiny space. After searching all the obvious hiding spots, there was no room left to conceal anything. She stood still, stunned. How did Jonathan manage to live in such a small place? It was hard to believe that even Frederick's bathroom was far more spacious than this converted storage room. Gregory frowned and asked, "Stansfield, how did you let Jonathan live in this shabby storage room?" Stansfield replied in surprise, "Mr. Gregory, don't you remember? You were the one who suggested that he temporarily stay in this converted room." "Oh, yes, I remember now." Gregory recalled that when Jonathan first returned to the Campbell family, he thought Jonathan might not be used to a luxurious room, having grown up in an orphanage. He wanted to teach him that he shouldn't live a lavish lifestyle even though he was the heir of the Campbell family. So, he asked Stansfield to convert one of the storage rooms into a small bedroom. He planned to move Jonathan to a larger room once he was more comfortable, but he had gotten busy with company matters and forgot about it. He didn't expect Jonathan to have such poor living conditions. Shocked, Eleanor covered her mouth, and tears fell from her eyes. She had never visited Jonathan's room in the three years since his return. This made her feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. She had always thought she treated Frederick and Jonathan equally, but she now realized her heart had long been biased to an extreme degree! Eleanor's heart sank. "Do you think Jonathan will never come back?" "Mom, don't worry about it," Winona said dismissively. "So what if he signed that agreement? He doesn't have much money. Let's just wait patiently. It's not worth the trouble! Eventually, he'll realize his mistakes and return to beg us to take him in!" She was absolutely certain that he was just putting on an act. Isabella agreed. "Yes, don't be fooled by his pride. Deep down, he's already struggling to hold on." Stephanie was still pondering whether Jonathan had cheated on the exam. "Do you think the 150 points is his real score?" Eleanor wiped her tears and said, "Jonathan's grades have been awful since high school. He must have been behind in so many subjects now that he's in his senior year." Isabella didn't believe it was his real score. "He must have cheated, and the teacher didn't catch him. A full score is too far-fetched." Stephanie thought for a while, "But Jonathan mentioned that he did well in junior high school and won several scholarships." Isabella snorted, "Steph, you can't compare junior high to high school. In junior high, if you try hard enough, you'll get good results, but in high school, if you're not sharp enough, all the effort in the world won't help!" Gregory's expression darkened at the mention of cheating. Why did Jonathan have to ruin the Campbell family's reputation by cheating? "Alright, let's end the conversation about Jonathan's grades," he ordered. After learning that Jonathan's room was too small, with no windows and poor ventilation, he frowned again. "If Jonathan comes back, I'll move him to the master bedroom on the third floor." Stansfield asked, "Should we start preparing the master bedroom now?" "What's the rush? Let's wait until he returns," Gregory muttered, still thinking about Jonathan's marriage with Stella. However, sticking to Jonathan alone wasn't wise. From every angle, Frederick was the better match for the marriage. Now, the question was—how to change Adam Cooper's mind? … During Class 1's physical education class, all the students stood neatly at attention in the afternoon. John Smith, the gym teacher, checked the number of students—36 in total. "Today's class will focus on practicing basketball shooting," he said. "Form groups of three, no gender restrictions. The group with the most three-point shots will each get a thousand dollars in cash." When the students heard about the cash prize, their eyes lit up, and they began to speak excitedly. "Wow! Mr. Smith, you're generous!" "Mr. Smith, you're awesome!" "Can we choose our own partners?" Sensing their eagerness, John smiled slyly. He knew they wanted to grab the cash prize, but it wouldn't be easy. "Yes, it's up to you. Find partners you're comfortable with." He unscrewed his water bottle and took a big gulp. Frederick and Stella immediately paired up, and there were no surprises there. Many students wanted to team up with them and rushed to offer themselves as partners. Although Jonathan was handsome, the students, eager to flatter Frederick and Stella, intentionally isolated him, making him the loner. No one wanted to team up with him. Seeing this, Frederick went over to Michelle, who was also popular among the boys. "Michelle, how about the three of us form a team?"