Chapter 1

The admissions office called me to tell me my daughter's out-of-district placement fee had been paid. They wanted to know when I would arrive to finalize her enrollment.

I was completely stunned.

My daughter is the top student in her entire school, and her spot at the city's elite prep academy was guaranteed on a full scholarship. Why on earth would there be a placement fee?

When I confronted my husband, Asher, he told me the admissions office must have called the wrong number.

"I was actually trying to surprise you," he said with a grin. "I pulled some strings with the principal to get her into the top-tier Honors Track."

"You should talk to the teachers soon. We need to pick the most prestigious faculty advisor to make me look good," he added.

The moment I hung up, I slammed my foot on the gas and headed straight to the admissions office. At the same time, I called my best friend at the Department of Education.

"Check something for me. I want to know whose name Asher Lee used to pay a placement fee for some random brat. I'm going there to shut this down!"

1.

After hanging up on Asher, the cloud of suspicion in my mind didn't fade. It only grew heavier.

A surprise?

My daughter, Nina, has been ranked first in her grade since she was a toddler, and her room is overflowing with academic trophies. The principal of the elite academy had personally called months ago to confirm her merit-based admission.

With grades like hers, why would he need to "pull strings" to get her into a top class?

The audacity of him saying it was to "make him look good" was enough to make me sick.

I remembered how Asher complained about me just a few days ago. "Why are you always wasting time on those stupid psychological research papers? What's the point?" he had scoffed.

He had no idea that those papers were actually the psychological assessment models I was building for the city's "Gifted Youth Experimental Program."

The more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt. I pulled a U-turn and sped toward the admissions office of the city's most prestigious high school.

Half an hour later, I was standing in the crowded admissions hall.

I pushed through the swarm of parents and found Mrs. Higgins, the registrar in charge of new student enrollment.

"Hi, I'm Willa Shaw. I'm here about Nina Shaw's enrollment."

Mrs. Higgins looked up, pushed her glasses up her nose, and looked at me with confusion.

"Nina's mother? Didn't you just leave?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"A Ms. Maeve was just here. She finalized the uniform sizes and left just a few minutes ago," the registrar said.

Ms. Maeve?

I gripped the strap of my handbag until my knuckles turned white. "I am Nina's mother. My name is Willa Shaw."

Mrs. Higgins' expression shifted from confusion to annoyance.

"Look, it's a very busy day. Please don't come here to cause trouble. Nina's file clearly lists Maeve Evans as her mother. Ms. Evans just finished all the paperwork."

Maeve Evans!

That name felt like a needle stabbing into my brain.

Asher had a distant cousin who was always coming around our house to beg for favors. Her name was Maeve.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the admissions office.

She was wearing the designer dress I had bought for Nina as a graduation gift, and she was carrying the latest luxury bag.

I had bought that bag too.

When Maeve saw me, the smug smile on her face froze instantly. Her eyes darted around in panic.

"Willa? What… what are you doing here?"