My Mom Threw My Acceptance Letter Away For My Stepsister Chapter 05
Sophie stood at the gates of Crestwood State, designer dress catching the morning light, her makeup flawless—every inch the princess she’d always insisted she was.
Heads turned.
“Whoa. Who is that? She’s stunning.”
“New freshman? Someone better let me be her orientation guide.”
“Isn’t that guy the student body president? If he’s already making a move, she must be somebody important.”
In a city like Fairview, people recognized faces.
And the three people trailing Sophie? They were hard to miss.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“Am I hallucinating? That’s Ethan Whitman, CEO of Whitman Group. And Gavin Hartwell, Hartwell Corporation’s president.”
“So this girl must be the Whitman family’s daughter.”
Stares filled with envy.
“No wonder she looks like royalty.”
The praise washed over Sophie. She smiled sweetly. Worth every penny she’d spent hiring a celebrity stylist that morning.
She wasn’t just going to outshine Natalie. She was going to outshine everyone.
—
Mom and Ethan stood tall, practically glowing with pride. They looked at Sophie with open pride.
Mom’s smile was wide. But her mood kept snagging on a thorn. That difficult little Natalie. Still not here.
She checked her phone and sent a message. [Hurry up. We’re not coming to fetch you at the gate.]
Three seconds passed. Her brow furrowed.
No reply?
Natalie always replied instantly. Even during class.
Why was today different?
Sophie tugged her sleeve. “Mom, let’s go inside.”
Mom snapped out of it, pocketed the phone, and pushed the thought away.
Sophie had chosen a humanities major, the kind of degree nobody expected her to use.
For her, it never mattered. She had her mother, her brother, Gavin. Two powerful families backing her.
Ethan had told her to just have fun. Graduate and walk straight into the company.
And to soothe Sophie’s fragile ego, they had forced me—and my score—into the same going-nowhere program.
The four of them reached the check-in table.
—
Two faculty members were chattering away, voices animated.
“Wait, this freshman scored in the ninety-ninth percentile?”
“Yes.”
The other teacher gaped. “Did she fill out the wrong application? She could’ve gone to Ivy Ridge. Why would she come here?”
The first shrugged.
“No clue. What a waste. A brilliant future, thrown away. Where were her parents? They didn’t even check her applications?”
If I’d been there, I would’ve laughed until I choked.
They checked alright.
The people I thought were my family were the ones who shoved me off the cliff.
The four of them heard every word.
Mom’s face flickered with something complicated.
Ethan’s eyes went dark and unreadable.
Had they really made a mistake?
Sophie’s jaw tightened. She wanted to strangle these gossiping teachers. But she had an image to maintain. She stepped forward, sweet as pie.
“Hello. I’m Sophie Whitman. Here to check in.”
The teachers instantly clammed up.
—
They processed her paperwork. “Dorms are in the building to your left. Four-person suites. Pick any open bed. We’re pretty flexible here.”
Sophie nodded.
Inside, she was fuming. Didn’t they know who she was? No compliments? No groveling? Idiots.
But the teachers had already moved on, fixated on the mystery student. “Why hasn’t she shown up yet? I’m dying to know what kind of genius ends up here.”
“Me too.”
One of them glanced up and saw Sophie still standing there. She frowned.
“You’re all set. Please move along so other students can check in.”
Sophie’s eyes bulged. What did this stupid teacher just say to her? She was Sophie Whitman.
Her fists clenched. Humiliation and bitterness crawled up her throat.
Even here, they were still talking about that bitch Natalie.
She was going to lose her mind.
Before she could snap, Mom steered her away.
Sophie forced herself to breathe.
Whatever. These teachers would see how amazing she was. They’d regret it.
But still…
—
Where was Natalie?