Chapter 74

If Cindy wasn’t part of the James family, and if she wasn’t Lance’s actual little sister, Molly probably wouldn’t have even looked her way. To everyone else, Cindy was just some girl from the countryside.

“Molly, fighting isn’t right. Please don’t get into trouble for me,” Cindy said quietly, almost embarrassed.

“And you’re really kind. There’s no way you’re… I honestly want to be friends with you p>

“You were the first person in our class who was nice to me p>

Cindy meant every word. No matter what reason Molly had for sitting next to her, she truly appreciated it. The other students were still on the fence, not really ready to be her friend. Some people did talk to her after class, but Cindy could see the judgment in their eyes.

Molly gave Cindy’s arm a gentle pat. “I know. I mean it, too p>

What she didn’t say out loud was, Who cares about being your friend? I’m aiming to be your sister-in-law.

Most of their classmates had caught the entire scene and were still gossiping about

it.

Outside the classroom, Claire dragged Sophia along. Sophia was still steaming.

“Claire, you shouldn’t have stopped me! I was about to give her a piece of my mind. Maybe even a black eye! She needs to learn some manners p>

Claire couldn’t help but laugh. “Come on, why stoop to her level p>

“Didn’t you say your parents would kill you if you got into another fight at school?

They threatened to make you quit martial arts, remember p>

“But she went too far!” Sophia huffed, still upset.

Claire tried to calm her down. “Don’t be mad. Want to know why Molly’s being so nice to Cindy p>

Sophia’s curiosity flared. “Why p>

“She wants to marry into the James family p>

The James family wasn’t the absolute top in Apex, but top ten was still impressive. Molly’s own family, the Charles, family, was wealthy, but nothing compared to the Jameses. They had enough money, but not enough to be satisfied. Of course they wanted a better match for Molly. That’s why they sent her to Silverpeak International College.

Molly set her sights on Lance since Claire was in his class. He was the best guy she had a shot at. Sure, there were richer boys, but they couldnstantly see through her and warned her off. After weighing her options, Molly decided Lance was her best bet and started making her move.

“You mean she wants to take Cindy’s place?” Sophia asked, eyes wide, hand covering her mouth.

“But Cindy’s the real heiress. Even if Molly and Cindy became best friends, there’s no way the James family would actually treat Molly like family, right p>

Claire just stared at her. She’d really overestimated Sophia’s ability to connect the dots.

“She just wants to be Cindy’s sister-in-law p>

“What? Sister-in-law?” Sophia’s voice shot up in surprise.

“What is she even thinking?” she blurted out. “Lance is way older than us p>

Claire giggled. “It’s not that big a gap. Lance is only five years older than me p>

Five years is still basically an old man, Sophia thought, unable to wrap her head around it.

“She really thinks far ahead,” Sophia sighed, finally understanding Molly’s plan. Another girl who already knew exactly what she wanted from life. Meanwhile, Sophia felt more lost than ever. Senior year was coming up, and she still had no clue where she wanted to go for college.

“Yeah, she’s planning way ahead. The Charles family must’ve raised her that way p>

Otherwise, how would a teenager even be thinking about this stuff? Parents really do shape you.

Sophia nodded, biting her lip.

Just then, their homeroom teacher popped her head out of the office.

“What are you two whispering about out here p>

She’d noticed the girls lingering by the door, not coming in or leaving, and couldn’t

help but finally say something.