Chapter 12

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I understand what he said?" Julia became even more confused. Didn't Hayden make everything clear? "He said that Mom treats Morgan as her foster son, but he also asked if Morgan was really just a foster son," Anna stated with much emphasis as she looked Julia in the eye. They shared a moment of silence before Julia broke the ice and said with logical assessment, "It's not that hard to understand what he said, is it? Hayden's just trying to create a rift between Mom and Morgan by saying that. It's because he's jealous of Morgan. "It's that simple, so you don't have to overthink what he said. Although Morgan is indeed a foster son, he'll forever be one of our own!" "But… it feels off. I feel like he was trying to imply something else," Anna muttered. "Don't think too much. Hayden has made his choice not to return to us. So, just let it be," Julia said lightly and turned to leave without much thought. Anna was left to dwell on her own. She couldn't shake off the suspicions that she had as she looked at the horizon. Was she really overthinking? She felt as though Hayden's expression had been a little strange when he had said those words, as if he was referring to something else. At the old housing complex, Hayden sat at the dining table in the evening to have dinner. There was a scrumptious spread laid on the table, which included hash browns, tomato frittata, and Caesar salad. "Give it a taste, Hayden. I've specially returned early to prepare them, so see if you like it," Serene stated hopefully as she placed the last dish on the table. She had specially prepared all of the dishes Hayden used to love eating. "I just know that it's going to taste delicious from the aroma," Hayden praised with a joyful smile. "That's right! I can tell with a glance that they'll be yummy!" Jenny stated excitedly as she held her utensils. She could hardly contain her anticipation. Soon after, everyone began to eat their meal, grabbing onto the dishes to fill their own plates. James had even poured himself a glass of wine and drank in celebration. His heart was warmed by the scene of their family eating together happily. "This is it! This is a true family reunion! It feels great," James sighed in contentment. "Let's eat together more often in the future." Hayden smiled. "You'll be sitting for the SAT soon, and it'll be hard for you to travel home once you're attending a good college." Serena chuckled. She didn't feel sad to send him off to college. After all, it was another milestone in Hayden's life that showed he was all grown up. "Which college are you going to, Hayden? I wanna apply for it in the future as well!" Jenny's eyes lit up as she stared at Hayden. She knew that Hayden had always gotten impressive results, and he had also tutored her ever since she was young. In her eyes, Hayden was the smartest person she ever knew, and she believed that there was nothing he couldn't do. As such, Jenny treated Hayden as her role model. "How can you compare to Hayden with your results? It's still too early for you to be making these decisions." Serena immediately tried to rein her in. She didn't want Jenny to harbor unrealistic expectations because she knew that Jenny was far from catching up to Hayden's academic proficiency. If it weren't for Hayden's consistent tutoring lessons, Jenny would have hit rock bottom by now. "Hmph! You're being too unfair, Mom!" Jenny pouted, clearly upset. Just then, James laughed aloud and shook his head. Then, he turned to Hayden and looked at him seriously. "You must have thought about it, Hayden. Which college do you wish to attend?" Everyone else turned their attention to Hayden and waited for his answer with much anticipation. At the same time, Hayden seriously gave it some thought and remembered how bright of a student he had been in his past life. He had a very strong learning ability, and he could understand each question with just a glance from the examples before applying it to other questions. This ability allowed him to face his exams without an ounce of pressure, and before he reached high school, he had always been the top among all the other model students. All of his teachers had high hopes for him as well. But ever since he had returned to the Sterling family, his focus had shifted from his academics. It was no surprise, though. There was no way that Hayden's state of mind wouldn't have changed under the living conditions in the Sterling family, where no one understood him, spoke up for him, or even showed him a single trace of warmth. In the end, Hayden had fallen into depression, and he no longer had any interest in studying, what with all the pain he had to deal with. Due to that, he fell behind in high school. But even then, he still managed to rank in the top 100. No one knew just how much Hayden had suffered, nor how much pain he was in. But now that everything had changed, Hayden decided to live a new life, and his eyes lit up with fierce determination. This time, he had finally rid himself of the Sterling family and returned to what he called his true family. With no one to stop him now, Hayden decided to aim for the best. "I want to attend Brighton University, the university everyone longs to enter," Hayden answered. This was a dream that he had longed to achieve for more than ten years now, and this time, he would definitely succeed. "What? Brighton University?" All of them were dumbfounded, and their eyes widened when they heard his words. They had thought of countless possibilities, but they never expected Hayden to aim for Brighton University, which was for the most elite of the elites. It was a university that housed true geniuses, and potential candidates from every state worked extremely hard each year to be selected to enter Brighton University. Those who made it in were truly exceptional individuals who were hard to come by, and they would be admired and sought after wherever they went. Even the top Fortune 500 companies would be competing to employ every single one of those students once they graduated. As such, it would be extremely difficult for a normal student to be admitted into Brighton University. In fact, it was nearly impossible. "Hayden, I know that your results are pretty good, and that you're driven by your ambitions. But the criteria to be admitted into Brighton University far exceeds that of any other universities. You'd be missing other great opportunities if you fail to get admitted into Brighton University. "You still have some time to consider your options, so don't rush it," James said, expressing his concerns seriously. "That's right, Hayden. It's not wrong to take confidence in your abilities, but you mustn't get too complacent. Do you know what kind of place Brighton University is? "Over all these years, only Anna Sterling from the Sterling family has been admitted into Brighton University. No other person in the whole of Stonybrook has made that achievement. "You can apply to other top universities if you want to prove yourself, Hayden. I believe you can do that," Serena said shortly after with an anxious tone. Both James and Serena were very concerned about Hayden's future. Just then, Jenny stood up and declared seriously, "I believe that Hayden can do it!" In her heart, she believed that there was nothing Hayden couldn't achieve. Immediately after, Serena scolded her, "Stop talking and eat your food!" "Hmph!" Jenny pouted in response as she looked at Hayden aggrievedly. At the sight of that, Hayden sighed and chuckled. Then, he said, "Don't worry. I know my limits." Seeing that they failed to convince Hayden, James and Serena left him be. "Alright, but you must make sure that you're 100% sure before you make your final decision. Don't act rashly," Serena advised once again. "Okay. I'll show you what I can do with the upcoming mock exams!" Hayden smiled slightly.