Chapter 15

Rumors

Grace glanced out the window and said offhandedly,"I'm going to school recently, so I won't have time."

"I just don't get it. Why go back to school? With everything you know, you could be teaching at the best university as a professor," Patrick said.

Grace turned to him, serious now. "Don't you think it would be fun?"

Fun? Not even close. Patrick shook his head. They could be making real money out there, but Grace wasn't interested. What a waste of talent.

"Oh, by the way-someone's been asking around about you. Says it's about some medical issue.What should we do?" Patrick asked. He had connections everywhere,and Grace usually left these things for him to handle.

"Keep blocking them. I'm not interested." Grace just wanted a quiet life now, something that felt warm and normal.

As she got into the car, chatting with Patrick, she didn't notice two girls standing a little distance away,

phones raised, snapping pictures.

Lizzie rubbed her eyes and yanked on Gianna's sleeve."Gianna, Look! Isn't that Grace? Why is she getting into that Mercedes?"

Gianna followed her gaze, stunned to see Grace sitting effortlessly in a luxurious car.

The window was slightly down, and the driver was an attractive young man.

"That's weird. What is she doing in a car like that? But that's not Uncle Rodger's car," Gianna said slowly.

Grace had grown up in an orphanage. Where would she even meet someone that rich? She'd gotten herself a sugar daddy?

What a shame. What would her family say if they knew?

Lizzie's eyes widened, sparkling with scandal. "I've heard of girls like her charm some rich guy and get taken care of. Sell their pride for a fancy life."

Gianna pretended to be shocked. "You think Grace would really do that?"

"What else could it be?" Lizzie said, smirking. "Look at her-smooth skin, perfect hair. She doesn't look like someone who grew up in an orphanage. She looks like one of those rich girls on social media. And that man?

He's no college student."

"Maybe he's just a friend?" Gianna offered.

Lizzie scoffed. "Gianna, you're too innocent. Grace is hiding something. Just wait and see. Something big's going to come out soon. And you should stay away from her."

Gianna gave a slow nod. This was exactly what she'd wanted.

Lizzie was a talker. Give her something juicy, and she'd make sure the whole school heard about it by morning.

Gianna knew rumors would spread on their own.

When Grace opened the door to her house,she was hit with the delicious smell of home-cooked food.

Julia peeked out from the kitchen, her apron slightly stained with sauce. "Grace, go wash up! Dinner's ready -I made it myself today."

Julia loved tending to her plants and experimenting with new dishes in the kitchen.

"Smells amazing," Grace said, taking a deep breath,her usual calm expression softening into a smile that made her look her age.

Not long after, Rodger and Johnny walked in through the door.

James,who was busy withhis internship, only dropped by once in a while now.

As they all sat down to eat, Rodger asked gently,"Grace,how was your day?"

"Smooth," she replied,nodding.

Johnny rolled his eyes and muttered, "I heard someone with terrible grades got kicked out of the honors class for cheating."

"Johnny!" Rodger's voice thundered as he slammed his hand on the table. His usual calm was gone."Watch your mouth."

Johnny raised his hands like he was innocent and pulled out his phone. "I'm just saying what everyone else is saying."

"Dad, it's true I'm no longer in the honors class, but l didn't cheat. I'll prove myself with my next results,"Grace said.

She could have gone to the teachers' office to clear her name, but she didn't want to be seen as a troublemaker.

After all, time had a way of revealing who people really were. The truth always came out in the end.

Another exam was just around the corner. That would be her chance to let her results do the talking.

Julia quickly put her fork down too, concern on her face. "Grace,what happened exactly?"

"Mom, it's nothing serious. Just a little misunderstanding. Honestly, I like my new class,"Grace reassured her.

"If anything happens again, you have to tell us," Julia said firmly. "We're here for you."

"I will." Grace nodded,grateful.

After dinner, she went up to her room,only for her phone to start ringing. It was Adrianna.

They'd only just exchanged numbers after school,so Grace was surprised to see her call. She answered quickly.

"Check the school forum. Someone posted something about you. I know it's all lies, but they're spreading rumors. I just wanted to let you know," Adrianna said,her voice rushed with worry.

They hadn't known each other long, but they'd clicked

right away.

Adrianna could already tell Grace wasn't like the things people said online.

"Thanks. I'll look," Grace said calmly.

She was curious to see exactly what kind of game those students were playing.