ICOAI

"Ugh, I'm done", Alexander groaned loudly as he dropped the laptop in order to relax on the sofa.

Although he did not spend all three hours on the test, those were the most tensive three hours of his life.

He first had to deal with the tension that came from sneaking around Xavier's laptop, then he had to deal with a complicated test.

Just sitting there on the couch while answering those questions made him rethink his life choices.

"Cool, so what did you get?", Xavier finally asked after some time.

"Are they showing us our scores immediately?!", Alexander asked, stood up without waiting for Xavier's reply, and picked up the laptop so he could check my score.

He adjusted the laptop so Xavier can see it as well, and waited for the page to reload.

"Eh? I got 67.9%? Is that it?", Alexander was dazed as he stared at his highlighted score in red, which was contrasted against a green "85%"

"Yeah that's it. You're in the top 7% congratulations", Xavier praised Alexander sincerely in a lazy relaxed tone of voice.

But Xavier's sincerity came off as sarcasm to Alexander, who immediately flared up.

"Top 7%? At least I made it somewhere where is your score? You're in the top what? Huh?!", Alexander firmly believed in his intelligence and he knew there was no way he could lose against Xavier. He assumed he only got 67.9% because of the time he wasted, but then…

"My score? It's over there, I'm surprised you haven't seen it yet.", Xavier pointed at the screen of the computer which was still turned on.

Alexander turned to look at it, and he saw a green 85% against another green 85%, and below it was written boldly with a _congratulations_ that wasn't found beside his top 7%, was a _TOP 3%_ and an unopened email.

He was dumbfounded, 'How is that possible? Xavier didn't…'

"He didn't even use up the time… and left it halfway…", Alexander muttered in a daze.

He was genuinely stunned, does that mean that Xavier is smarter than him? Somehow that thought bothered him, he knew Xavier was different in all aspects, intelligence-wise as well but was the difference this drastic?

Still in his state of shock, he heard Xavier's smooth and unbothered voice, "The cut off mark is 85% so that's what I got-"

"So if it were 100, you would also get a hundred percent as well?", Alexander cut Xavier off and sounded almost desperate.

Xavier didn't reply but gave him a knowing gaze.

"How abnormal-!", Alexander was still venting his anger when he realized something important.

"I didn't reach the cutoff mark, does that mean I can't go?", Alexander turned to ask Xavier.

"Yeah but if your score is higher among the participating candidates they might reconsider", Xavier replied after a while.

"Come on! You're talking like this just because you passed! Why do we even have to apply for a scholarship? I can pay the fees for both of us!", Alexander spoke in annoyance, gesturing with two fingers at the end of his sentence.

"Really? How about you give me that money instead, see, if you go on scholarship people will think of you as a normal kid who needed assistance to go to school. Isn't that what you're after?" Xavier said cunningly and in a "matter of fact" tone.

"That's not important right now, what really matters is if I will be admitted or not?" Alexander asked in desperation.

But before Xavier had the chance to reply, someone knocked on the door.

"Huh?", Alexander reflexively stood up to open the door, while Xavier just glanced at it.

"Young Master it's me, Thomas", Thomas spoke up when he hadn't heard anything from the inside.

'That's right the contract, but Alexander is already getting the door.', Xavier thought as he relaxed in his seat, then he realized something and quickly stood up.

"Are these the Young Master's results?", Thomas spoke up from behind Xavier.

"Yeah! Although I don't want to admit it, they're pretty great! Who knew he was this smart…", Alexander spoke up while rubbing his nose.

Xavier glanced at his butler and Alexander, before stepping up to turn off the computer.

"What are you doing here?", Xavier asked even though he already knew the answer to the question.

His butler Thomas, a man who had spent quite the number of years working in the Austin family, and had watched Xavier grow up was someone Xavier could not read or see through.

Hence, he was always cautious around the old man, and he was one of the reasons he spent most of his time outside and often came back home.

Thomas squinted his eyes while smiling and replied in a genial manner, "The Madam asked me to call you over to get the contract signed".

"She's prepared it already? How efficient…", Xavier muttered while heading towards the door.

Thomas waited for a moment before bidding Alexander bye. He went towards the door, closed it and walked towards Xavier who was a little bit ahead of him.

***

Mrs Austin was waiting for Xavier inside his study, she looked at the piece of paper in her hands while going over its contents.

Then she dropped it and picked another one, and read through it.

'The conditions are intact as well, should I add any more? No, he might not sign it, then…', The sound of the door opening brought Mrs Austin out of her thoughts.

'He's here!', she was startled by his sudden entry. She had expected Thomas to come in first, but it seems he let Xavier go ahead on purpose.

'That old man…', Mrs Austin took deep breaths, and calmed down as quickly as she could, she mustn't let Xavier have an advantage over her.

"Where is it?", Xavier got straight to the point and sat down opposite her. 'He isn't even trying to pretend anymore, but that makes sense, Xan isn't here'.

"Here, have them", she pushed the files across the table, and Xavier picked them up to read.

She had the contract made in such a way that, Xavier would not be able to find any loopholes even if he wanted to.

Xavier picked the papers up and started to read them. Not one ounce of seriousness could be seen on his face, but his expression changed soon after.

[Education requirement Contract]

[Parties Involved]

- Party A: Florence Austin

- Party B: Xavier Austin

[Contract Terms]

1. Xavier Austin shall attend school regularly for a period ranging from 1 to 3 years.

2. As long as Xavier Austin attends school on scheduled school days, he shall be allowed to continue working in the Austin Group and participate in the bridge project.

3. Xavier Austin may skip school only under the following conditions:

- When he is sick

- Has an important unavoidable event to attend

- With permission from his mother

4. Xavier Austin is not permitted to skip school for business purposes. School can only be skipped for personal reasons known to his mother.

5. Upon successful completion of Xavier Austin's schooling within the specified period (1 to 3 years) and compliance with the terms of this contract, the contract shall be terminated.

[Guardianship Clause]

By signing this contract, Xavier Austin acknowledges and agrees to the terms outlined above. He grants his mother full guardianship over him in matters related to education and employment, both within and outside the Austin Group during the contract period.

[Expiration and Termination]

- The contract shall automatically terminate upon Xavier Austin's completion of his schooling within the 1 to 3-year interval, provided that he has followed the rules of the contract diligently.

- Both parties shall be released from their obligations as outlined in this contract upon its termination, and no further commitments shall be binding between Party A and Party B.

_Governing Law_

- This contract shall be governed by the laws of the ICOAI.

_Signatures_

Party A: [Signature] Date: [Date]

Party B: [Signature] Date: [Date]

Xavier looked up and his eyes had a dangerous glint in them, "What is this?"

"It's the contract we both agreed on.", Mrs Austin replied without batting an eyelid.

"This isn't the contract we talked about, even if it is, I don't see the old man mentioned anywhere in here", Xavier's low voice was especially menacing, and the butler behind him whose expression was cold gradually softened.

Mrs Austin stood up and replied Xavier while stepping out of the room, "Isn't it better for his name to not be mentioned in any contract? After all, he is dead. And you have my word, I will not threaten you to do anything-"

"Of course you won't! When you already have a leash around my neck, why beg me to do something against my will?! Instead of just yanking me there!", Xavier cut her off in anger.

He had been duped. The contract might seem perfectly normal, but the problem was in the guardianship clause.

The only reason Xavier could run around from island to island was because it was for "business purposes", so if his mother had authority over his employment in his dad's company, and if he is required to get permission from her every time he has to go somewhere, then he would have to spill the beans and she would know exactly what he was trying to find, and what he had been dabbling in.

Even if he did not work in his dad's company, just the statement, "within and outside…", meant he was doomed.

Dangerous. This contract was too dangerous. Hidden beneath the "Education requirement contract" was a leash that had reached out to Xavier the moment he started to read through it.

Mrs Austin was backing Xavier now, and she had a perfectly good reason to. Xavier was no longer a child, and after he went to that place, he became something else.

If she were to face his gaze, her legs might just give out and she would show her weakness.

Her voice was a little bit shaky, but the enraged Xavier did not notice and she hid her fear under the nature of her voice.

"Well this is what I have to offer. If you were the least bit trustworthy, I guess I wouldn't have to go this far, but you're not! It's best if you sign it now, and not let it drag on for too long, I don't make empty threats!", She sounded quite cold to Xavier, and that familiar voice almost made Xavier go crazy from the pain that was coursing through his head.

By the time he came to, she was already gone. And all that was left was Thomas who was looking at him in concern, and the damned piece of paper.