Chapter 2 - The Aftermath in the Corridor
The moment the graduation ceremony was abruptly adjourned by the administration, the VIP lounge behind the auditorium became a war zone. The heavy oak doors had barely slammed shut before Denise erupted, her face twisted in an ugly, venomous rage that completely stripped away her high-society elegance.
"You ruined it!" Denise shrieked, throwing her designer handbag against the wall, where it hit a framed portrait of the school's founders. "Do you have any idea what you just did, you ungrateful little brat? Jonathan's firm was watching that livestream! The entire board of directors was waiting for the official reconciliation announcement so we could finalize the inheritance trust setup!"
Jonathan stood near the window, his phone pressed to his ear, his face grim as he listened to his public relations team frantic on the other end. "The stream was clipped, Denise. It’s already trending on local news feeds. 'Valedictorian exposes biological mother.' It looks disastrous for the family brand image."
Joanna walked into the room, her simple blue dress looking out of place among the expensive suits, but her posture was entirely changed. The fear that had gripped her for nineteen years—the fear that Denise would use her legal status to take Simon away—had completely vanished, burned away by the courage her son had displayed on that stage.
"Get out, Denise," Joanna said quietly, stepping between her sister and Simon, who was already removing his graduation cap.
"Get out?" Denise turned on her, her fingernails clawing at the air. "You taught him to do this! You fed him these lies for nineteen years because you were jealous of my life! You stayed in this miserable town, living like a peasant, just so you could poison my son against me!"
"Denise, enough!" George, their father, finally spoke up from the corner, his voice heavy with shame. "The boy found the letter himself. We all know what you wrote back then. We let you hide it because we thought you'd grow up, but you haven't changed a bit."
"You stayed silent because I paid off your mortgage three years ago, Dad!" Denise snapped back, revealing the transactional nature of the entire family structure. She stepped closer to Simon, her eyes cold. "You think you’re being clever, Simon? You think your 'real mom' can help you now? You just threw away a full ride to Yale. The trust fund I set up through Jonathan's firm requires my signature for distribution. Without it, you can't even afford the textbook fees for a community college."
Simon smiled, a calm, steady expression he had inherited from the woman who raised him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an official letter bearing the embossed gold seal of the university.
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"I didn't need your trust fund, Denise," Simon said smoothly. "Three weeks ago, I accepted the Chancellor’s Merit Fellowship. It covers one hundred percent of my tuition, housing, and research expenses, completely independent of family financial statements. I applied under the name Simon Vance. Your name isn't on my birth certificate anymore anyway—Joanna legally registered as my primary guardian when you failed to contest the abandonment filing ten years ago."
Denise stepped back, her face turning an ash-gray color as she realized her leverage had been completely dismantled before she ever stepped foot in the state.
