Chapter 208
Jason clenched his fists, eyes red and head bowed. He blurted out, “Dad, I’m sorry. I’ve let you down.”
Quite disappointing indeed, Jameson thought.
He had made thorough preparations for Jason to be officially recognized as a member of the family, but to his dismay, the plan ultimately fell through.
It was really heart-wrenching to him.
After all, he held Jason in exceptionally high regard.
He firmly believed the son Natalie bore was far superior to Ross—let alone Shermaine.
Even if Shermaine turned out to be more outstanding than he expected–so what? She was just a girl, not a son.
Besides, he had lost all affection for Ruth—their marriage was practically over.
He was planning to promote Natalie’s status, but now his relationships with Ross and Shermaine had become so strained and awkward that he knew he couldn’t count on them when he got old. He simply didn’t trust them anymore.
Jameson said gently, “Don’t worry. You’re still a good son in my eyes. We missed this chance, but we’ll just wait for the next opportunity.”
‘But missing this chance means it’s off the table for the foreseeable future,’ Jameson thought. ‘Next time, we’ll need a much more thorough plan.'
Natalie let out a sigh of relief when she heard Jameson say that–her son still held favor in his eyes. She looped her arm through his and asked, “What about the party you’ve prepared?”
“Of course, it has to be held–and in grand style,” Jameson said. He paused for a moment. “But I won’t be making a public appearance myself.”
‘In public, I have to be careful about my image and not draw too much attention–otherwise, people will just have something to gossip about,’ he thought.
Natalie was bitterly disappointed.
However, as soon as SAT results were released, Natalie’s earlier interview had already made her a trending topic. Now, netizens were all watching to see if Jason could claim the title of top scorer.
Then, the rankings were released.
Jason didn’t become the top scorer in SAT—he was instantly proven wrong.
Although Jason scored an impressive 1580 on SAT, there was always a higher peak to scale. Shermaine topped him with 1590 points, truly deserving the title of academic prodigy.
Moreover, journalists released an interview clip where both Shermaine and Jason claimed they got a perfect score in math.
But Jason’s remarks at the time seemed to scoff at Shermaine’s perfect score.
In the end, both mother and son got their comeuppance, sparking a flood of online ridicule.
[Your son’s grades are decent, sure, but next time try to be more humble. There are plenty of other high achievers out there–your precious boy isn’t the only one.]
[Honestly, I never liked this mom since her last viral moment–she’s just so damn thirsty for attention.]
[The guy may be handsome, but he’s way too arrogant. Who does he think he is to look down on others?]
(Told you the capital's crown was always going to Queen Shermaine! That woman can keep dreaming.)
When Natalie saw those comments, she turned livid with rage. Without another word, she flung her phone aside.
Just after Janice hung up on Jameson, her phone rang again–It was Shermaine calling.
“Sweetie, aren’t you going hiking today? Make sure to drink plenty of water and put on sunscreen,” Janice reminded her.
“I know, Grandma,” Shermaine replied warmly.
Janice said proudly, “Your dad just called to ask about your score. I told him. As for Jason–there’s no way he’ll ever be welcomed into our family.”
‘Wasn’t this how it was always going to end up?’ Shermaine thought to herself. Then she replied softly, “Grandma, could you hand the phone to Ruth? I need to talk to her about something.”
Janice said okay and handed the phone to Ruth. “Sheary wants to talk to you.”
Ruth was both surprised and flattered.
‘Shermaine actually reached out to me? What could she possibly want?’ Ruth wondered.
Chapter 209