The Alpha Aunt They Framed Chapter 04

The Alpha Aunt They Framed Chapter 04

MAREN’S POV

By the time I finished everything at my own pace and arrived at Elara’s year advisor’s office, an

hour and a half had already passed.

The moment I stepped inside, both Elara and the teacher looked up at me.

I casually placed the things I was carrying on a nearby shelf before walking over.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting. I’m a little late. Is there something wrong?””

Maybe it was because I had taken too long to get there. The teacher seemed slightly annoyed by the wait. Although she kept her professional composure, her tone was noticeably less friendly.

“Elara’s mother, classes have officially started today, but we still haven’t received Elara’s tuition payment. I was wondering if you’ve been too busy with work and simply forgot to take care of it?”

“What?” I covered my mouth with both hands, pretending to be completely shocked.

My reaction drew the attention of the other teachers in the office, who turned to look at us.

“Elara still hasn’t paid her tuition?”

“That’s right. This isn’t good for either the school or the student.”

“Uh… I’m sorry, but I actually wasn’t aware of this. Her parents dropped her off at my doorstep before leaving town for work. Then they only transferred me $215 and said it was for her living expenses. They never sent me any other money, so I had no idea about the tuition. Also, I should clarify that I’m not Elara’s Mother. I’m her aunt, Maren. My daughter, Brielle, is actually in your

Alpha Honors class.”

Westbridge Pack Academy assigned students to classes based on their placement assessment

results.

My daughter, whom I had raised from childhood, ranked among the top ten students in the entire

pack territory on her placement assessment, so she naturally entered Alpha Honors.

She had maintained her outstanding performance ever since and never dropped out of the class,

even during her senior year.

Elara wasn’t a bad student either. She was in a regular class, but it was fair to say she wasn’t exactly

outstanding.

In my first life, I had worked tirelessly to improve her grades, watching her move up step by step from a regular class into Alpha Honors.

I had even asked Brielle to sacrifice her own study time to tutor her.

When the teacher realized I was only a relative, not Elara’s parent, and that my own daughter was an Alpha Honors student at their academy, her attitude immediately softened.

“Is that so? I saw that your contact information was listed on Elara’s parent records, so I naturally called you.”

“Understood. I’ll call her parents right now.”

Just as I took out my phone, Elara suddenly tugged on my sleeve.

“Aunt Maren… my parents didn’t transfer my tuition money to you?”

“What are you talking about, sweetheart? You saw our PackChat conversation yesterday, didn’t

you? They only sent me $215. That barely covers your meals. How could that possibly be enough for tuition?”

Maybe the teachers around us, along with the occasional student passing by the office, were making her feel too exposed. Elara’s entire face turned bright red.

“Could you just pay it for me first? I’ll have my parents reimburse you when we get home.”

“Elara, what are you saying? Your tuition for the year is $49,000. I just paid your cousin’s tuition, and I’ve also covered rent and utilities. The rent alone costs $50,400 a year. I don’t have a single dollar left on me right now. The only money I have is the $215 your parents sent yesterday. Should I just hand that $215 to your teacher instead?”

The teacher seemed to understand what was really happening. She adjusted her glasses and said seriously, “Why don’t you call her parents?”

“Of course, I was just about to.”

I gently pulled my sleeve free from Elara’s grip, called Colin, and turned on the speakerphone.

“Hey, Maren.”

“Colin, did you two get so busy that you forgot to pay Elara’s tuition?”

“What? Maren, isn’t Elara living with you right now?”

Hearing that, I almost wanted to tear off his mask and see how shameless he really was.

“Yes, she is. But let’s talk about this. You two dropped your daughter off at my house without saying a word. I’ve already let the rent and utilities slide because I’m her aunt. I won’t even mention that the $215 a week you send isn’t enough for much. But how could you forget something as important as tuìtion? I’m at the year advisor’s office right now. Why don’t you explain it to her yourself?”

Clearly, Colin hadn’t expected me to call him out so directly or bring up the $215.

The teacher had greeted him several times before he finally responded.

“Oh, hello, ma’am. I, uh… my wife and I are out of town right now. We’ve already asked Elara’s

aunt, Maren, to handle everything for her. So maybe…”

I immediately cut in.

“Colin, she may not be my biological daughter, but I watched her grow up. Of course I want to pay her tuition. But I just paid Brielle’s tuition, plus rent and utilities. I spent over $60,000 all at once. I truly don’t have any money left.”

“If you two can’t afford it either, maybe you should ask another relative for help.”

The teacher’s expression turned serious.

“Elara’s father, according to school policy, students with unpaid tuition may need to return home

and continue their studies independently until the balance has been settled.”

“I understand, I understand. I’ll transfer the tuition to Maren right now. Could you let Elara answer the phone?”

Elara nervously took the phone from the teacher’s hand and whispered, “Dad…”

“You ungrateful girl. All you know how to do is spend my money. Do you even know how much I’ve spent on you all these years? Let me make this clear. You’d better get into a prestigious university after your graduation exam. Otherwise, you’ll be letting your mother and me down.”

After saying that, Colin immediately hung up.

The moment I received the tuition transfer from Colin, I sent it straight to the school without wasting another second.