Chapter 21
After the cheating incident, Simone became famous at Sogin High School, earning the title of “genius” among the students.
At the same time, two videos surfaced on the forums: one showing Simone kneeling in the hospital and the other capturing her pushing Stella down the stairs.
The comments section exploded with anger. Within hours, the post soared to the frending topics.
Comments flooded from the post to Sogin High School’s forum, then circled back to Twitter, attacking Simone.
[Wow, the world is truly full of surprises. Is she even human?]
[This is our top student at Sogin High School! A genius!]
[So what if she’s a genius? It’s just a halo around her.]
[If it weren’t for being taken in by the Spence family, where would she get all these resources? Honestly, her scoring first is probably because the Spence family raised her well. Without them, she’s nothing.]
I heard she gave back 160 thousand to the Spence family when she left, claiming she had repaid her debts to them. Please! 160 thousand? The Spence family is wealthy; I bet they’ve spent over 16 million on her over the years. And she has the audacity to mention 160 thousand. It’s disgusting.]
[You just can’t turn a wrench into a lady.]
[How shameless can she be?]
[So ungrateful. The Spence family raised her, yet she tries to harm Stella. How vicious!]
[Someone like her should be kicked out of Sogin High School.]
[She’s nothing compared to Stella.]
{Stella is not only academically smart but also a good person–way better than Simone!]
Simone was bored scrolling through Twitter, finding amusement in the barrage of insults on the forum. Sometimes she even chuckled at the entertaining ones, until she came across the comment claiming her first–place ranking was due to the Spence family’s nurturing. Her expression instantly turned cold.
“How shameless,” she scoffed. She could handle any insults thrown at her, but implying she owed her success to the Spence family was something she couldn’t bear.
For all these years, she had spent her own money on clothes and daily needs while living with the Spence family. Other than occasionally eating at their place, she couldn’t recall any instance where they had actually spent money on her.
The insults continued to pile up, and someone had even posted a photo of Simone online, maliciously editing it to look like an obituary.
When Cyrus saw the news, he immediately ordered the trending topic to be removed and had all the photos of Simone removed from
the internet.
He clicked through the accounts that had made the edited obituary posts, his expression darkening as he said, “Get their IP addresses and permanently ban these accounts.”
They didn’t understand anything, yet they unleashed the worst kind of malice and insults on a minor.
Cyrus quickly asked Christian to set up a Twitter account for him. Using it, he browsed the school forum and felt his anger rising.
“If I hadn’t seen the trending topic, I wouldn’t have known that my daughter has been subjected to online harassment at school,” Cyrus said.
“It’s unacceptable to make her bear all this alone. The Spence family really deserves this.” Christian had also read through the comments, feeling a pang of sympathy for Simone. She was just so young, yet she had to endure all of this.
“Give me the car keys.” Cyrus got up from his desk, putting on his coat as he spoke to Christian.
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Chapter 21
“Where are you headed?” Christian was taken aback but handed him the keys.
“I’m going to pick her up from school.” Cyrus’s face was cold, and his hands moved swiftly.
He couldn’t even bear to think about what Simone had endured while living with the Spence family all these years. His mood was already foul, and his temper was no better.
Christian hesitated, “But you have an important meeting soon.”
“Push it back; nothing is more important than picking up my daughter right now.” Cyrus’s expression was icy as he left, and nobody in the company dared to approach him.
Irena was aware of the online situation, so she didn’t stop Cyrus when he came to pick Simone up.
When Simone was called out of the classroom, she still seemed dazed. “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking up at Cyrus, showing no hint of sadness on her face.
Cyrus felt a bit of his worry dissipate. He had expected Simone to be hiding in a corner, crying quietly, but it seemed he had underestimated her.
“I’m here to take you home,” Cyrus said, naturally ruffling her hair.
Simone paused at the gesture, instinctively turning away out of discomfort.
Cyrus’s hand lingered in the air for a moment, but he didn’t think much of it. He assumed Simone simply disliked people touching her head, completely missing the clear panic in her eyes.
During her time with the Spence family, she had seen the family members often petting Stella this way–usually a gesture of affection from elders toward younger ones they liked.
This was the first time someone had done that to her, and though she could feel Cyrus’s fondness for her, she couldn’t help but wonder what expectations lay behind it.
With her head lowered, Simone unknowingly drifted off into thought.
“What are you thinking about?” Cyrus called to her several times before she snapped back to reality.
Looking at him seriously, she said, “I was wondering what value I have that makes you put so much effort into me.”
‘What value do I have to deserve such kindness from Cyrus?‘ Simone couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard she tried. No one’s love was unconditional.
Children who had never received love often reacted with suspicion when faced with unwavering affection, and Simone was no different. “What do you mean?” This was the first time Cyrus felt completely lost. He couldn’t grasp what was going on in Simone’s mind. But what Simone said next drained any color from his face. “Cyrus, if you want something from me, I suggest you don’t bother.” Simone stared directly at him, her expression still innocent, but her voice was chillingly cold, and her words sliced into Cyrus’s heart like a sharp knife.
“No.” Cyrus looked at his daughter in disbelief, a wave of profound sadness washing over him. He had thought their previous interactions had brought them closer.
Only now, hearing her icy tone, did he realize that Simone thought his kindness came with strings attached. She had never truly opened up to him.
Suddenly, Cyrus remembered something he had been neglecting. Simone had never once called him “Dad.”
The realization darkened his expression, with an unprecedented sense of defeat flooding over him.
However, the most painful part was hearing her expressionless declaration of being a “stray dog.” Cyrus felt a sharp pain piercing through his chest.
