Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)

Lying in bed with a heavy sigh, Kailee's phone buzzed-it was Clara, suggesting they meet up. After hanging up, Kailee couldn't help but grimace. Truth be told, Clara wasn't exactly her favorite person.

Back when Kailee's mental health took a dive, college slipped through her fingers, while Clara not only got into Harvard but also seemed to have made her way into a prestigious graduate program by now. Ever since Joseph took the reins of the Sanchez family, money flowed like water for Kailee. She could easily drop millions in a single night without batting an eyelid.

After all, her brother was working under King, having taken full control of the Sanchez family's empire, which had its fingers in almost every North American hospital as a major investor. From then on, spending money carelessly became second nature to her.

But Kailee had her vulnerabilities, which Clara often exploited to ridicule her: Kailee's lack of a college degree. In the elite circles of North America, her educational background was a glaring sore point. Others might compensate for poor grades with hefty donations to secure a spot in an Ivy League, but Kailee had scorned such routes, believing wealth made education redundant.

After all, wasn't the end goal of education to land a lucrative job and make more money? She had already achieved that, so why chase after a degree? Kailee's simplistic view blinded her to the deeper significances of education. Hence, Clara's jibes about academic credentials always got under her skin.

Ironically, despite Clara's academic success, rumors had it that Lewis was the real star of their batch. Kailee hadn't gone out of her way to learn this; Clara herself had often spoken of Lewis with an admiring tone. Whenever Kailee saw Clara subtly bragging about Lewis's excellence in front of their friends, she was tempted to reveal her little secret-that she had once shared a kiss with the very man Clara idolized.

The mere thought of Clara's frustration filled Kailee with smug satisfaction, easing her discomfort. Resting until the evening, she headed to the gathering with her head held high, joined by two other "friends" who were nothing more than fair-weather companions. Upon her arrival, Clara couldn't resist taking a dig. "Must be nice, living off your family's fortune without having to work a day. Your brother will take care of you anyway," Clara sneered, barely concealing her jealousy.

Kailee settled into a chair, offering a

smile to the group. "I did think about working, but my brother insisted. Why slave away for someone else deal with office politics, when you can't even afford multiple mansions that way? He said if I wanted them, he'd just give them to me no need for detours."

Ordering the café's most expensive pastries, Kailee barely touched one before frowning. "I usually have Michelin-starred chefs cook for me. Even a degree too cool affects the taste. This... has been sitting out for hours. Take it away; I've lost my appetite."

Having previously witnessed Kailee's exacting standards, the staff hurried to call the chef to her table, ready to prepare whatever she desired on the spot. Turning to Clara and the others with a friendly smile, Kailee

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continued, "Why stop now? Weren't we discussing job hunting? Oh, right, I mentioned it to my brother before leaving. He said I should recognize the fortune I'm living in."

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Clara, unable to bear the boasting, forced a smile, "Lucky you, having such a brother. Anyway, our research institute is welcoming a new member soon. You know, only the best from Harvard, Cambridge, and Oxford get in. This new person is supposedly even more brilliant than me."

Kailee rolled her eyes covertly as the others quickly echoed Clara's sentiments. Their backgrounds weren't as privileged, and their wages hardly covered the extravagance of places like this without Kailee footing the bill-their generous benefactor.