Chapter 5 The Foolish Admissions Interview
1341 Words
Tyler's POV:
By the third day after Sherry's departure, the house had devolved into utter chaos.
I had always operated under the assumption that managing a household and raising children were the simplest jobs in the world—tasks easily outsourced to a nanny and a driver.
I was wrong.
When the interview notice arrived from St. Andrew's Preparatory, I realized with a jolt that I didn't even know where Ethan's portfolio was kept.
S.A.P. was the most prestigious private school in Newford. To secure a spot for my two children, I had donated an entire library's worth of books. Sherry had always handled the liaison work; she used to spend every evening conducting mock interview drills with Ethan and Nina.
"Dad, where's Mom? Why isn't she here to help me practice?" Ethan kicked the sofa cushion petulantly. "Nina's gone too. There's no one to play spelling games with me anymore."
"Your mother is just throwing a tantrum. Ignore her." I flipped through my emails, my head throbbing.
Nina was with Sherry, and there was nothing I could do about that for now, but I couldn't let Ethan lose this chance. He had to attend the best school; he had to become an elite, just like me.
"I know you're worried about Ethan's interview," Zoey said, sitting beside me and placing a comforting hand on my arm. "I have an idea to make sure the interview goes smoothly."
"Really?"
She produced a micro-earpiece, so small it was practically invisible.
"Have Ethan wear this. I'll stay just outside the interview hall and listen to the teacher's questions. If he gets stuck, I'll feed him the answers. Even if I don't know something, I can just ask AI on my phone."
I frowned, my instincts recoiling from the suggestion. "That's cheating, Zoey. If he gets caught, Ethan's academic future in this country is over."
"How can you call it cheating?" Zoey pouted, tugging at my hand playfully. "For a boy as brilliant as Ethan, this interview is just a formality. I'm just providing a safety net. Could you really bear to see him rejected by those arrogant board members over one tiny mistake? Trust me, I'll be incredibly careful."
My resolve softened. Zoey truly cared for Ethan as if he were her own.
Besides, my son didn't actually need those hypocritical interviews to prove his worth.
With that thought in mind, I nodded in agreement.
*****
On the day of the interview, I sat with Ethan in a solemn classroom at S.A.P. The lead interviewer was a stuffy old man. He adjusted his spectacles first and then posed the first question regarding logical deduction.
Ethan instinctively reached for his ear.
It was glaringly obvious that he didn't know the answer.
A flash of annoyance hit me—how could he not know such a simple question? What on earth had Sherry been teaching him all this time?
The teacher repeated the question. Panic began to cloud Ethan's face.
"Dad... there's no sound," he whispered to me, his eyes welling with tears.
I knew instantly something was wrong. Lowering my head, I secretly check the phone in my pocket.
Damn it! To prevent high-tech cheating, the school had installed signal jammers!
The interviewer's expression soured. "Mr. Burstein, is your son actually giving this any thought?"
Just as I attempted to formulate an explanation, a sharp, frustrated shriek drifted in through the window.
"Signal! Damn it! Why is there still no signal?!"
I stood up and looked through the classroom window. There was Zoey, holding her phone high, frantically scurrying back and forth through the bushes. Not far off, two uniformed security guards were already racing toward her.
I waved my hand instinctively, praying she would see me and leave.
'Run, Zoey! Get out of there before you ruin everything!' I screamed internally, but she was too preoccupied with her phone to notice.
"Ma'am! Step away from there!" the guards shouted as they closed in.
Startled, Zoey's foot slipped. With a loud splash, she tumbled headfirst into the ornamental pond behind the classroom.
The three interviewers gasped in unison. I wanted nothing more than to vanish off the face of the earth.
*****
Half an hour later, we were escorted off the premises.
Naturally, Ethan was flatly rejected by S.A.P.
"You told me you'd be careful!" I finally exploded at Zoey as we drove home.
Soaked to the skin and wrapped in a towel, Zoey began to sob pathetically.
"I was just so anxious. I... I only wanted to help Ethan. Oh, if only Sherry hadn't abandoned him, we wouldn't have had to resort to such extremes. If she had just handed over the preparation materials before she left, I could have tutored him properly..."
Her voice trailed off into a series of hiccups.
I gripped the steering wheel, my mind a whirlwind of frustration.
Sherry's choosing this exact moment to demand a divorce and play the runaway card—it must have been intentional! She had left Ethan behind because she clearly didn't care about him anymore. 'What a cold-hearted mother,' I cursed in my mind.
The absurdity of the cheating scandal spread through the Newford private school circles like wildfire. Before evening fell, several other top-tier schools where we had interviews scheduled sent polite emails declining Ethan's applications.
That night, after Zoey finished bathing Ethan and reading him a bedtime story, the boy finally fell asleep in a foul mood.
Zoey emerged wearing one of my oversized T-shirts, her long legs exposed, and walked over to me.
"Are you still worried about Ethan's schooling?" she asked softly.
She was clearly exhausted, yet she was still looking out for me.
A flicker of guilt touched my heart; I shouldn't have yelled at her earlier.
I kissed her forehead. "Ethan is lucky to have you."
"I love him like he's my own. Anyway, Tyler, I heard some news—there might be another path," Zoey said, her eyes lighting up.
"Quinn's company is hosting an 'International Painting Competition' for children under ten. It's a global call for entries. If Ethan wins, we can use that prestige to apply to the Atlas School—that new, innovative school funded by Mayfield."
"But Ethan doesn't even like painting," I said, reluctantly puncturing her fantasy. "How could he possibly win?"
"The preliminary and semi-final rounds are all anonymous submissions," Zoey whispered, her voice laced with a predatory focus. "We can just buy some masterpieces from child prodigies and submit them under Ethan's name. Once he's in the finals, I'll have my way."
Hearing she was prepared to cheat again, I knit my brows slightly.
But that was the Atlas School. If Ethan got in there, the envy of everyone I knew would be boundless. Moreover, I had heard that Quinn personally gave guest lectures there. With any luck, Quinn and I might cross paths frequently and become friends...
In the end, I nodded. "Then do it."
*****
The competition proceeded with suspicious ease. Under Zoey's "management," Ethan's name appeared on the list for the global finals.
"I'm a genius! I knew I was a genius!" Ethan hollered, jumping wildly around the living room. He had completely forgotten that he hadn't touched a single brush to those paintings.
An intense feeling of unease stirred within me. It looked like Ethan had become accustomed to solving everything with money.
I couldn't help but wonder, 'If Sherry were home, would he be acting like this?'
But I quickly suppressed the thought. Sherry had utterly betrayed this family. She didn't deserve to be mentioned.
"The finals are being held in Londale!" Zoey exclaimed, waving the invitation excitedly.
Ethan rushed over and threw his arms around Zoey's waist. "I want to go to Londale! Zoey, you have to come too!"
Suddenly, I recalled what Roger had said over the phone—Quinn was in Lyndora for a business engagement.
A premonition struck me. This trip to Londale would be the perfect opportunity to meet Quinn sooner than expected!
"Fine. We're going to Londale."
- Writer
