"Perfect then!" Eric's mum retorted with a cold laugh. "I want to see her become a laughingstock."

  Then she looked at her son curiously and asked, "But what do you mean by that? What joke did she make?"

  A trace of anger colored Eric's handsome face. Of course, he wouldn't tell his mother about Grace's outrageous claim that she would donate telescopes to the university.

  But he was a man; he had to help Grace settle this mess. Over a thousand dollars—there was no way Grace could afford that!

  As long as he resolved this trouble, Grace would surely be grateful to him. Then he'd have a chance to reconcile with her.

  "If you won't listen to me, I'll go talk to Dad!"

  His mother snorted dismissively. "Talking to him is useless. This was your father's idea."

  "You got hurt and ended up in a men's specialist hospital. Do you really think your dad isn't angry?"

  Hearing this, Eric became anxious. Since being tough didn't work, he tried being soft. "Mom, please, I'm begging you. Don't mess with me like this!"

  "How am I messing with you?" his mother's face turned cold. "Our family's donations to your university were for your sake in the first place. But did the university stand up for you? They didn't even expel a girl like that, yet they still expect donations from the Dylan Group? Wishful thinking!"

  "Since they're so reluctant to expel her, then let that Grace face public scorn at school! Our family won't donate another thing to your university ever again!"

  Seeing his mother was unmoved by both hardness and softness, Eric felt a profound sense of helplessness, as if his cries to heaven and earth would go unanswered.

  He paced back and forth in the living room dejectedly, then suddenly raised his head again.

  No. He had to go back to school. He couldn't let Grace face this alone.

  Ten minutes later, just as his mother was admiring her newly completed flower arrangement with satisfaction, she saw her son, fully dressed, run downstairs.

  Her expression froze. "Where are you going?"

  "Back to school," Eric said quickly, putting on his shoes. He looked up at his mother. "You want to see a joke? Then I'll be the joke along with her."

  Although she didn't know what her son planned to do back at school, it didn't sound good. She said sharply, "You are not allowed to go! Come back here!"

  But Eric had already run off without looking back.

  Seeing this, his mother stomped her feet in anger and, with an angry swipe of her hand, knocked the flower basket on the table to the floor.

  After fuming for a while, she took out her phone and quickly sent a few messages to Clara, telling her to keep an eye on Eric.

  Meanwhile, Grace wasn't at school.

  At the villa complex of "The Royal Manor," Grace was returning home for the first time as the owner. Unsurprisingly, she was stopped at the entrance security booth.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "May I ask which unit you are visiting?"

  The security guard on duty was a tall, handsome young man. His attitude was good and professional, treating Grace, an unfamiliar face, as a visitor.

  Grace calmly took the property deed out of her bag and explained, "I'm a new homeowner here. It's my first time coming."

  Hearing this, the guard was visibly taken aback for a moment. He quickly took the property deed, glanced at it, and confirmed it was indeed for "The Royal Manor."

  He gave a bow, returning the deed with both hands, and said, "Welcome home, Miss Grace!"

  Grace smiled and nodded. "Thank you. Could you please show me the way?"

  "Of course, no problem."

  Chloe, following alongside, whispered excitedly, "Sis, this looks like a villa complex."

  She could already glimpse the villa clusters hidden within the greenery.

  A villa in the city center of Aethelburg—how much must this one have cost?

  "It is a villa, and a big one," Grace said, taking her sister's hand with a smile. "Remember the way yourself. You can't trouble the security guard every time."

  Chloe quickly nodded, looking around curiously along the way.

  The roads were wide, and the distance between each villa was significant, offering excellent privacy.

  The environment was naturally impeccable; even the street lamps on both sides looked incredibly valuable.

  Grace herself couldn't help but feel eager with anticipation. This was her first time living in a villa, and it was one she had bought with her own money.

  "Miss Grace, this is your home. Welcome to 'The Royal Manor.'"

  "Thank you. Some of my personal belongings might be delivered later this evening. Please allow them entry then," Grace instructed.

  The guard nodded. "Certainly, no problem."

  After the guard left, Grace stood outside the main gate and looked inside. The first sight was a huge garden, and the uniquely designed house looked beautiful even from a distance.

  Chloe was already impatient. "Sis, let's go in quickly!"

  Grace stepped forward, entered the passcode, and the dark blue villa gate slowly slid open to one side. Hand in hand, the sisters stepped into the courtyard, momentarily feeling a bit dazed, as if it weren't real.

  The villa was furnished, but Jones had never lived in it, so the furniture inside was still covered with dust cloths.

  Not caring about anything else, Chloe rushed inside excitedly and started checking out each room one by one. Grace just smiled and followed behind.

  She hadn't misremembered. There were eight bedrooms in total, each with its own ensuite bathroom and a balcony.

  "Sis, I love this one!"

  It was a large bedroom facing south at the very end of the third floor, nearly sixty square meters in size. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows was a large open-air balcony overlooking the swimming pool in the backyard and the skyscrapers of the bustling city in the distance. The view was superb.

  "Then this one is yours. Aren't you afraid of sleeping alone in such a big room?" Grace asked with a laugh.

  Chloe shook her head repeatedly. "No, I'm not! Sis, this one room is almost bigger than our entire old home!"

  Their old family home was a small, dilapidated place, less than eighty square meters total, so they had grown up in cramped conditions.

  Now, with a big house, she only hoped their brother would also do well in the college entrance exam and get into a university in Aethelburg. Then they could bring their mother here too. She would feel at ease only when all her loved ones were by her side.

  The new house needed a thorough cleaning. Even with the dust cloths, there was dust everywhere. "The Royal Manor's" property management had a professional cleaning team, which Grace arranged with just one phone call.

  After touring the entire villa, Chloe curled up on the living room sofa and started shopping online. The ten dollars her sister had transferred to her earlier finally came in handy. Now that she had her own new room, she wanted to decorate it nicely.

  While choosing bed sheets, Chloe's phone suddenly received a bank notification.

  A payment of 288 dollars had been deposited.

  She was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a scream. "Ah—"

  "What's wrong, Chloe?" Grace quickly poked her head in from the balcony upon hearing the noise.

  Chloe ran to her sister, holding her phone, and showed her the message. "Sis, I got my acting fee! 288 dollars, the 60% advance!"

  As a newcomer playing the third female lead, Chloe's fee was 8 dollars per episode. For 60 episodes, totaling $ 480.

  After signing the contract, she received 60% upfront. The remaining 40% would be paid upon the drama's completion.

  Since Chloe was an independent actress without an agency, she would need to handle her own tax declaration and payment later.

  "That's great, Chloe! You've earned your first pot of gold!" Grace said with a smile, genuinely happy for her sister from the bottom of her heart.