Chapter 30
Chapter 30
55 vouchers
Ruth shut her mouth when she caught Kaia’s sharp glare. For a split second, it felt like her life was
in danger.
Kaia was boiling inside, but her anger cooled fast. “Wow, you really have a way with words. People might think you’re my enemy, not my mom.”
Ruth felt awkward. No matter how much she didn’t like Kaia, Kaia was still her daughter. Throwing out an accusation like that without proof was going too far.
But instead of apologizing, Ruth complained, “Kaia, don’t get mad. I’m just worried someone’s tricking you. Tell me the truth–where’d you get that money?”
“I earned it,” Kaia said, already tired of the back–and–forth. She stood up. “I’m leaving. I need to get ready for my SAT tomorrow.”
After Kaia left, Ruth let out a sigh and said to Lincoln, “What if she can’t even get into some no- name college? How am I supposed to face my relatives?”
Lincoln sighed too, looking just as stressed. “Yeah. My brothers will never let me live it down.”
Andrea slipped an arm around both of them. “Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll at least get into a bottom–ranked school. She won’t embarrass you.”
But deep down, Andrea was certain Kaia would bomb the test completely.
She couldn’t wait to tell everyone in Morganburg how bad Kaia’s score was. That way, even if she wasn’t Ruth and Lincoln’s real daughter, they’d still treat her like their one and only.
She was determined to make sure that country bumpkin Kaia would never belong in the Bennett family.
In the car, Cecelia and Bianca were chatting,
“Bianca, I heard Mr. Malcom is at Moreno Manor today. He’s famous all over the world. This is your shot. You love coffee art so much–you have to ask him to be your teacher,” Cecelia said.
“You’re right. He turned me down last time, but I’ve been practicing for a whole year. This time I’ll blow him away,” Bianca said, full of confidence.
The car pulled up to Moreno Manor, and as they got out, a taxi rolled in.
They exchanged a look, knowing that only Kaia would be cheap enough to show up in a taxi.
Kaia spotted them but walked right past without a word.
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“What’s her problem? She didn’t even say hi. She’s so rude. I ought to teach her a lesson!” Cecelia fumed, ready to chase after Kaia.
But Bianca grabbed her arm. “Cecelia, do you think she’s here for Mr. Malcom?”
“Her? Please. She’s just some country bumpkin. Mr. Malcom wouldn’t even bother looking at her, Cecelia scoffed.
“But what if Tobias spoke up for her? Would Mr. Malcom…” Bianca trailed off, suddenly uneasy.
Cecelia froze, then narrowed her eyes. “Good point. I’ll go warn that piece of trash to keep her mouth shut.”
She stepped in front of Kaia. “Kaia, hold it right there.”
Kaia’s voice was cold. “What?”
Cecelia glared at her. “Listen. Mr. Malcom is only taking Bianca as his student. If you go in there and ask Tobias to help you, and mess up his decision, you’ll regret it.”
Bianca walked over, putting on her soft, pitiful act. “Kaia, I’ve admired Mr. Malcom forever. I’ve spent a year studying coffee just to be his student. This means the world to me. If you don’t compete with me, I’ll give you 300 thousand dollars.”
She said it like she was doing Kaia a huge favor.
Kaia was thrown for a second, then remembered Tobias had told her the Moreno family’s coffee maker wanted to talk to her about coffee.
Erasmus was the guy who lost to her in a coffee competition and begged to be her student. She had no idea he was so sought after elsewhere.
Kaia gave them both a weird look. “Don’t worry. I’m not competing.”
“If you dare–wait, what?” Cecelia cut herself off, surprised that Kaia agreed so fast.
Without another word, she and Bianca relaxed and hurried to the door.
“That trash finally knows her place,” Cecelia muttered.
Bianca gave a cold laugh. “Of course. 300 thousand dollars is probably more than she’s ever seen in
her life”
They were still mocking Kaia as they stepped into the front hall. Kaia followed a short distance
behind.
In the living room, Erasmus was pacing impatiently. “Why isn’t the person who made the coffee yesterday here yet?”
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Just then, Tobias looked toward the doorway. The second he saw Kaia, his sharp eyes softened.
“She’s here.”
Erasmus’s eyes widened in excitement as he jumped up. “It’s you?”
Bianca walked in just in time to see Erasmus’s reaction. She figured he must have heard about her progress over the past year and was thrilled to take her in.
She smiled and stepped forward to introduce herself–but Erasmus brushed right past her and went straight to Kaia.
“It really is you, Miss Bennett. I should’ve known. Only you could brew pacamara coffee that perfectly,” Erasmus said, full of admiration.
Bianca’s eyes almost popped out of her head. Cecelia just stood there with her jaw hanging.
They thought they must’ve misheard. The Moreno family’s honored guest, the coffee master Bianca had dreamed of learning from, was acting like a fanboy over the country bumpkin Kaia.
They had no clue Kaia even knew the first thing about coffee.
Seeing Erasmus’s excitement, Tobias studied Kaia closely, trying to see straight through her.
“Erasmus, long time no see,” Kaia said casually.
Her attitude stunned everyone. Erasmus was world–famous, but she talked to him like he was just some old buddy–no extra respect, no polite flattery.
Bianca perked up, ready to scold Kaia for being rude.
But before she could open her mouth, Erasmus said, “Miss Bennett, I’ve been working hard on my coffee lately. I think I’ve gotten a lot better. Do you think I’m good enough to be your student now?”
Tobias already knew Kaia was good with coffee, but even he was floored by this.
Cecelia was practically choking on her own surprise. When she finally got words out, she stammered, “Bianca, do… do you still want Mr. Malcom to be
your teacher?”
If Bianca became Erasmus’s student, that would make Kaia her teacher’s teacher.
Bianca’s face crumpled. Tears filled her eyes as she whispered to Cecelia, “Let’s go.”
She couldn’t stand another second there. Even without Kaia saying a word, just her presence felt like mockery.
They slipped out, humiliated.
Kaia didn’t even notice them. She and Erasmus sat down and talked about coffee for a long time, and she turned him down again when he asked to be her student.
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The only one who really got anything out of it was Tobias, who got to enjoy the coffee and watch two masters show off.
The next morning was the SAT. Tobias drove Kaia to the testing site himself. “Don’t be nervous. Just do your best.”
“Thanks for driving me. I’m not nervous,” Kaia said honestly, but Tobias figured she was just trying to reassure herself.
“I know about the bet with your family. If you don’t get in, I can get you into Morganburg University. But getting the top score…” Even with all his money and connections, that was out of his
hands.
“I’ll make it,” Kaia said, then stepped out of the car and made a phone call.
Over in the president’s office at Morganburg University, Horace had just taken a sip of coffee when her call came through.
Seeing her name, he picked up right away. “Kaia! You finally agreed to take over the school, huh? Get over here now. I’ll do the paperwork today. You’ll be the new president of Morganburg University!”
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Chapter 31
Chapter 31
