Honor Roll, Heart on Sleeve: All for Mom’s Millions Chapter 09

Honor Roll, Heart on Sleeve: All for Mom’s Millions Chapter 09

Samuel lifted his head, his vision blurred by the booze. He looked at Tina, whose carefully made-up face bore an expression of

concern.

“It breaks your heart, huh?” he slurred, repeating her words as he stared fixedly at her. “Answer me this, Tina…”

He leaned in closer to her, his breath reeking of alcohol as he asked clearly, “Do you also like me because of my money?”

Tina froze. Her eyes flashed with panic, but she quickly composed herself again.

“Certainly not! How can you think that of me, Sammy? I like you for who you are! It has nothing to do with money.”

Desperate to prove her sincerity, she even reached out to take his hand, but he flung her off harshly.

“Not because of money, you say?” Samuel remarked with a sneer. “Tell me, then. Why have you come looking for me right when your company lost the chance to collaborate with Lumina and has run out of funding?”

He paused. Tina’s ashen face and her darting eyes were all the answer he needed.

“Get lost,” he snarled while pointing at the door. “Get out of my sight!”

Tina’s embarrassment gave way to fury. She stomped her feet, grabbed her handbag, and marched out of the bar.

Samuel slumped against the couch, his head throbbing with pain. In a haze, he suddenly felt like he was in that sunlit hallway back in high school.

He saw the teenage me, with my clothes faded and repeatedly patched. I was smiling tentatively, clutching a workbook tight against my chest. I stood before him, stubbornly blocking him and his gang of friends who were about to skip out of class for a

brawl.

My voice rang clear in his head, as if I’d spoken right into his ear. He could hear my clumsy attempt at expressing concern.” Don’t get into a fight, Samuel…”

How had he responded to me back then?

He’d brushed me aside impatiently, snapping at me to mind my own business, mocking me by calling me a nerd, a penniless beggar, and a pathetic goody two-shoes of a pushover. As his friends laughed, he walked away feeling proud of himself.

In reality, long before that incident, when he first joined the school, he’d found me to be quite… special.

I was always the top student in my grade. All the teachers called me the model student. Yet, because of my impoverished background and my patched-up clothes, some students made me the butt of their jokes.

Samuel was the golden boy that everyone fawned over. Even though he liked me, he cared about how others saw him. He was afraid of being ridiculed for fancying the boring bookworm who came from a penniless background.

Thus, the hidden feelings he had for me, which he didn’t even realize were a sign of romantic interest, morphed into the same scorn and contempt the others had for me. He bullied me even more than the others did.

He was even naive enough to believe that no matter how far he went-regardless of how he trampled on my feelings-I would always be there waiting for him, forever at his beck and call.

Samuel let out a rueful smile before tearing up. He realized he was indeed unworthy of my feelings.

Meanwhile, I’d long since left the farce that was my biological family and my past behind me.

Under my lead, Lumina made rapid advancements in the business market within the Pan-Anlatic region. My designs were known for their originality and sparks of ingenuity. They quickly captured the favor of the high-end clientele.

Every successful launch and glowing sales report continued to solidify my standing and reputation in the industry. I knew very well that only those who reached the pinnacle of society had complete freedom over their lives.

The old Irene silently endured three years of hardships in exchange for the ticket out of hell. I was no longer that Irene now. Relying on my talent and efforts, I succeeded in making a place for myself in this world and achieving my dreams.