chapter946

Aiden gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles went white. He almost ran the car straight into a tree. For a second, the whole world seemed to hold its breath.

Connor, have you totally lost your sense of shame?

Lydia just shot him a look, her eyes full of mischief. "Would you mind if I invited a few friends to watch?"

Connor's face darkened, the easy handsomeness wiped away in an instant. "Lydia, don't even think about it."

It was almost funny how quickly Lydia's name had become legendary. National top scorer. Medical prodigy. Math genius. A mysterious computer whiz. It felt like there was nothing she couldn't do. She really had earned every bit of her reputation.

Meanwhile, Daisy, who used to be known as the genius of the medical world, had fallen hard. She wasn't just embarrassed. She was ruined. The International Medical Association even released a statement, saying Daisy and her grandfather had been kicked out a month ago. The news hit like a bomb. The Rivers family was famous in the Capital for their medical background. How could they get expelled from such a prestigious association? What had they done to deserve this?

Things only got worse. Other families who used to work with the Rivers family all put out their own statements, cutting ties, ending partnerships. Then rumors started to spread. Someone said the Rivers family was in a financial crisis, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

Inside the Rivers family estate, things were falling apart. Mr. Rivers stood over Daisy, his face cold and hard, a cane in his hand. Daisy knelt on the floor, her head down.

"I warned you. I told you not to mess with Lydia. But you just wouldn't listen." His voice was sharp. As soon as he finished, he lashed the cane down on Daisy's back. The sound echoed. A red stripe appeared on her skin, blood welling up almost instantly.

Daisy turned pale, sweat gathering at her hairline, but she didn't make a sound.

Hadley was sobbing beside her, tears streaming down her face. "Dad, Daisy already apologized. Please, just stop. If you have to hit someone, hit me instead."

Mr. Rivers snapped his head toward her, his voice, fierce. "It's your fault for spoiling her. Just because she's talented, you let her do whatever she wants New

talentedok where we are Our

whole family is being dragged through the mud because of her."

Wally stood off to the side, his head lowered in shame. He shot Daisy a sharp look then tried to calm his father. "Dad, we never expected Lydia to be so powerful. Daisy didn't mean any br She just wanted to compete a little, show what she

could do. Who would have known

Lydia was Kevin's personal disciple?"

"You think I'm old and clueless? I know exactly what tricks she was planning." Mr. Rivers was shaking with anger. "If she hadn't crossed the wrong person, would we be in this mess right now?"

Was the family legacy really going to end with him?

Wally knew things had been going downhill for the Rivers family. One disaster after another. It was like they were cursed.

"Dad, maybe the problem is just with how we've been running the business. Lydia's amazing, sure, but she's still just an eighteen-year-old girl. She can't possibly control the fate of our whole family, right?"

"Idiot!" Mr. Rivers didn't hesitate. The cane cracked across Wally's back and he yelped in pain.

"Dad, that hurts!"

"The Gibson family is having trouble

too. From what I've heard, it's also

because of Lydia. And Rosie.from the

Gibsons, she keeps going against Lydia and ends up with nothing but trouble. Have you ever stopped to wonder why?"

After hearing this, both Wally and Hadley fell silent, their faces growing even more serious.

Mr. Rivers went on, "The Gibsons have Jackson behind them. Do I even need to explain who he is? Even the Gibsons wouldn't get on Lydia's bad side, but Daisy went and did it anyway. Isn't she completely out of her mind?"