THE BILLIONAIRE'S SEVENTH WIFE

The School Mockery

The School Mockery

The following morning, Elara forced herself out of bed after another sleepless night. Her father's funeral was barely over, yet life refused to slow down for her grief. Every step she took felt heavier than the last as she put on her neatly washed but faded school uniform. Looking at herself in the cracked mirror, she tried to smile, but the sadness in her eyes refused to disappear.

Her mother's words echoed endlessly in her mind.

"We have no choice, Elara. We owe Mr. Sherman everything."

She clenched her fists before leaving the house.

The journey to school felt longer than usual. The cheerful conversations of other students only reminded her that she carried a burden none of them could understand. By the time she arrived at the college, her heart was already exhausted.

Instead of going straight to class, she climbed to the first-floor corridor overlooking the school compound. Students walked around laughing, chatting, and preparing for lectures while she stood quietly by the railing, staring into the distance.

Her thoughts were miles away.

How could she become the wife of a man old enough to be her father?

How could her mother even consider such an arrangement?

Most of all, how would she continue living if everyone eventually found out?

She sighed deeply, wiping away the tears that threatened to escape.

Suddenly, someone gently tapped her shoulder.

"Jesus!" she cried, spinning around in fright.

Standing before her was Richard with a wide grin on his face. His backpack rested carelessly on one shoulder, and he was dressed in a clean white polo shirt, blue shorts, white socks, and polished black shoes.

He laughed softly.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I only wanted to scare the fearless lady everyone knows."

Elara managed a weak smile before shaking her head.

"Please don't do that again, Richard. I'm really not in the mood today."

The smile slowly disappeared from Richard's face.

He had known Elara for years. She was always cheerful, always encouraging others, and never allowed problems to weigh her down. But the young woman standing before him looked completely different.

There was pain in her eyes.

Pain she could no longer hide.

He hesitated before speaking.

"I heard something... and I need to know if it's true."

Elara looked at him.

"What did you hear?"

Richard swallowed.

"They're saying Mr. Sherman wants to marry you."

The words landed like thunder.

Elara froze.

She stared at him in complete shock.

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly. "Who told you that?"

Richard leaned against the railing.

"You may have tried to keep it a secret, but everyone is talking about it now. The rumor has spread throughout the school."

He forced a bitter smile.

"My friends have been making fun of me all morning. They keep saying I'm spending time with the future wife of a billionaire."

Elara lowered her head.

She never imagined the story would spread so quickly.

The humiliation had already begun.

After a long silence, she looked back into Richard's eyes.

"Are you... jealous?"

Richard blinked.

The question caught him completely off guard.

He looked away before answering.

"We've been friends for a very long time, Elara."

He paused.

"Of course hearing something like this hurts me."

His voice became softer.

"But what hurts me even more is knowing you never chose this. Everyone says Mr. Sherman is forcing the marriage because of your family's debt."

Elara's lips trembled.

"So... you know everything?"

"I know enough."

Richard stepped closer.

"I know your father borrowed money for his treatment. I know your family is struggling. But I also know you shouldn't have to sacrifice your future to repay that debt."

Tears filled Elara's eyes.

She had spent the entire night believing she was alone.

Now someone finally understood her pain.

She looked directly at him.

"Richard..."

He raised his head.

"Do you... have feelings for me?"

The question stopped his heartbeat.

Everything around them suddenly became silent.

He had imagined this moment countless times.

He had loved Elara for years but never found the courage to confess. He always believed there would be another opportunity.

Now that opportunity was slipping away.

He wanted to tell her.

He wanted to say he loved her more than anyone else.

But fear won.

Fear that she might reject him.

Fear that his confession would only make her situation worse.

Fear that he was already too late.

He forced a smile.

"I... I have a lecture to attend."

He slowly stepped backward.

"Maybe we'll talk about this another time."

Without waiting for her response, Richard turned and walked away.

Elara watched him disappear down the hallway.

Disappointment settled heavily inside her heart.

She had hoped for a different answer.

Meanwhile, Richard continued walking, his heart breaking with every step.

"I love you, Elara," he whispered to himself.

"I've loved you for years."

He lowered his head in regret.

"If only I had confessed earlier... maybe things would have been different."

He clenched his fists.

"I can't watch Mr. Sherman take her away."

Moments later, Richard entered his classroom.

Almost immediately, laughter erupted from every corner.

Students pointed at him while whispering among themselves.

One of the boys stood up with a mocking smile.

"Hey, Richard!"

Richard frowned.

"What do you want?"

The classroom burst into laughter again.

Another student folded his arms.

"So... is it true?"

Richard stared at him.

"What's true?"

"That your girlfriend is about to become the wife of billionaire Mr. Sherman."

More laughter followed.

Richard's face darkened.

"Watch your mouth."

The first student walked closer.

"You really don't understand your place, do you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The poor and the rich don't belong together."

Another student added mockingly,

"You were dreaming of dating Elara, but now she's moving into a billionaire's mansion."

The classroom exploded with laughter once again.

Richard's hands slowly formed into fists.

"What makes you think she's my girlfriend?"

The student smirked.

"Because everyone can see the way you follow her around."

Richard grabbed the front of the student's shirt.

"I'm warning you."

His voice shook with anger.

"Say another word, and you'll regret it."

The classroom suddenly became quiet.

Then another student stepped forward.

"Oh, so you're finally admitting you love her?"

Several boys surrounded Richard.

"You've been pretending she's only your friend."

"But now the truth is out."

Richard looked around at the circle closing around him.

"If any of you comes closer, I'll defend myself."

The warning only made them laugh harder.

One student shoved him.

Another pushed him from behind.

Richard fought back, grabbing one of them by the collar.

Within seconds, the situation exploded.

A punch landed on Richard's face.

Another struck his stomach.

Someone kicked him from behind.

He stumbled to the floor.

The students surrounded him mercilessly, raining punches and kicks upon him.

"You think you can fight all of us?"

"Pathetic!"

"You're nothing but a poor loser!"

Richard tried shielding himself, but there were too many of them.

Blood appeared at the corner of his lips.

Just then, the classroom door burst open.

"Stop it!"

Everyone turned.

Elara stood at the entrance, breathing heavily after hearing the commotion.

Her eyes widened in horror as she saw Richard lying helplessly on the floor.

"What are all of you doing?"

She rushed toward him and stood protectively in front of him.

"Do you want to kill him?"

The students laughed without showing the slightest remorse.

One of them pointed at Elara.

"You're still pretending to care about him?"

Another student folded his arms.

"Stop giving him false hope."

"You already belong to Mr. Sherman."

"Soon you'll abandon Richard completely."

"You'll forget poor people like him once you become the billionaire's wife."

Every word pierced Elara's heart like a knife.

She looked down at Richard, whose face was bruised from the beating.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

She realized that even before the marriage had happened, it had already begun destroying the lives of everyone she cared about.