Broken Future

"You know her, Ruby?" One of the girls asked.

Ruby nodded. "My father helps with her studies. That is all. She's very poor so she needed some help."

"Oh, your father is a great man. I envy you for having a dad like that. But this girl looks familiar." The girl paused as if she was in deep thought. " Oh! You're from the medical science department. I heard about you. You're pretty popular because all of your marks were perfect. Ruby, she's a genius."

Amelia didn't know that her encounter with Ruby would change her peaceful life upside down.

After a few days, she was fired from her job, was accused of cheating on her exams and was hated by the girls from campus because the guys kept coming to ask her out.

She wasn't the prettiest girl on campus. She was only popular because of her grades so it was also surprising for her that she suddenly got the attention.

As courtesy, she would agree for one date. But when they confessed she would always turn them down.

For her, love was like an incurable disease. You can't do anything about it once you are trapped in it. Like what happened to her mother, she fell in love with the wrong man and died alone.

She already had a lot on her plate. And love had no more space on it. She just wanted to live discreetly and quietly, pass her exams, and be a doctor.

"Please, I don't want to be late." She murmured.

The exam she had to take was her second chance to prove to everyone that she never cheated on the previous exams. Her professor and other board members would be there to watch her take it, so it would seem irresponsible for her to be late.

She was in her last year of college, studying to be a doctor. After that she had to take another exam to get a professional license. But she couldn't afford it because the cost was too expensive, so she decided to take it next year.

Although Harry Grayson was sending her allowance every month, the money was handled by her Aunt Molly. She would give her enough to pay for her school fees, but had nothing to save for her personal needs.

She started working so she could save some in case she needed to buy something. But her Aunt Molly demanded that she pay for her food.

She sighed. If only her mother was still alive, maybe she wouldn't be suffering this much.

After another hour trapped in the middle of the road, she arrived fifteen minutes late on campus. She was panting when she reached the room, only to be disappointed when no one was there.

She saw her professor talking to someone in the hallway, and when she glanced at her, she knew exactly what happened.

"Professor Green, I—I'm sorry. I left early, but—"

She was cut off when the professor raised her hand.

"Miss Lane, I tried to talk to them, but they decided to expel you."

The professor's words were like knives piercing through her flesh. She was unable to respond for a moment.

"Miss Lane?"

Her lips were trembling, and her knees felt so weak but she tried to stand still.

"Ma'am, I know it's very irresponsible of me to come in late but can you please reconsider? This is my last year. If you will expel me, everything I did would go to waste. You of all people know how much I struggle to get this far. Please give me one more chance." She begged.

The professor let out a disappointed sigh. "I'm sorry, Miss Lane. I don't think I can do anything for you."

She wasn't sure how long she stood frozen in the middle of the hallway. She was staring in the far end of the narrowed path as if it was her only way to get what she wanted. That path was dark and she couldn't see anything.

Her dream to be a doctor someday became as blurry as the foggy morning. The path she had taken suddenly collapsed and she had no way to fix it. But she had to try even though the chances were too small. She couldn't just give up so she quickly went to the director's office, only to be hurt once more.

"I did what you asked. But isn't this too much? We all know that she's a genius. She has a great future ahead of her."

It was her professor. There were two other people inside the office. The director and a woman who had short black hair.

"Miss Green, there are a lot of students like her. You shouldn't waste your time with her. Besides, she isn't your responsibility." The woman commented.

"B-But—"

The woman raised her hand to stop the professor from talking back. Then she handed her a white envelope.

Professor Green seemed surprised when she looked at what was inside the envelope.

"That's a hundred thousand dollars. It's not enough, I know. But there's another document inside. A titled property in Brooksville with a two-storey house. Fully furnished. All you have to do is move and live there. That's payment for what you did."

She didn't know how she managed to get out of that place. She was able to go to Xavier Hill, her favorite hiding place.

She couldn't believe that the professor accepted the money and the house. The director received half a million dollars, a brand new Ferrari and a condo unit. All in exchange for her expulsion.

Who was that woman? She wondered. It wasn't Ruby so it must be Eva Grayson. But why? Why would Eva suddenly appear after more than a decade and ruin her dreams?

She wanted to cry, but instead she screamed. She wasn't sad or disappointed. She was mad. She was furious.

"Mom, why do you have to choose that asshole as my father? And why did you leave me alone?" She shouted.