I Tutored the Golden Boy for Money, Not Love

Sebastian Grayson was the sole heir to the Grayson family.

Everyone believed I loved him more than my own life.

When he skipped class to street-race, I covered for him and took the punishments from the teachers. When he secretly dated other girls, I delivered flowers to them on his behalf.

After I acted as his devoted shadow for three years and poured all my blood, sweat, and tears into landing him on the Harvard early admissions list, he dumped me in front of the entire school right before the semester started.

He stood in the center of the crowd, his tone dripping with entitlement: "I know you've liked me for a long time, but your head is constantly buried in textbooks. You're just too boring. By contrast, Vanessa is truly my soulmate. We're done, I'm going to be with her."

Everyone waited to watch me become a laughingstock.

I casually glanced at the newly deposited funds on my phone and replied with a calm tone: "Okay, I wish you both happiness!"

No one knew that my absolute obedience to him over the past three years was never born out of love, but because of the price his mother had offered.

Now that the money had hit my account, it was naturally time for me to go.

"Elena got dumped, and she actually just wished them well?"

"Her eyes didn't even get red before she hung up. That is way too abnormal."

"If you ask me, she's been waiting for this day for way too long and came prepared."

Someone cautiously glanced at Sebastian. He had his arm around Vanessa, but his handsome face was terrifyingly dark.

They hurriedly changed their tune: "Everyone has seen how much Elena has liked you all these years. How could she really not care? She must be desperately trying to save face."

"I bet within three days, she'll come crawling back, begging you not to ignore her."

Sebastian's expression softened slightly: "If she is willing to swallow her pride, I might consider giving her a chance."

I knew nothing of these discussions as I dragged my suitcase toward the airport.

If I had heard their mockery, I probably would have only smiled.

If my father hadn't torn up my scholarship application materials in public and plotted to sell me off after high school graduation; if Sebastian's mother hadn't found me on that most desperate night and offered a deal—that as long as I could get this truant, brawling problem child into an Ivy League university before graduation, she would pay all my tuition fees plus a grant large enough for me to leave that family for good...

I never would have chased after the school bully, Sebastian Grayson, serving as his on-call tutor and nanny for three whole years.

I used every method possible to turn this rebellious underachiever into a pre-admitted Ivy League student step by step.

Now that the mission was accomplished, I could take my money and walk away. I couldn't even contain my joy—why would I be sad over him changing girlfriends?

From beginning to end, all I wanted was a one-way ticket out of hell. Romance never had anything to do with me.

After graduation, I didn't report to the state university as originally planned. After all, my bloodsucking parents never would have let go of a commodity they could exchange for cash.

To leave, I had to cut all ties cleanly.

Throughout the summer, I kept it a secret from everyone as I prepared my application materials for an international mathematics competition, completed the language requirements for UK universities, and successfully secured an acceptance letter from the Cambridge mathematics department.

Right before boarding, Sebastian sent a text seeking reconciliation:

"Why did you delete all my contact info?"

"Elena, are you done throwing your tantrum? Even if Vanessa and I are together, we can still be friends. Stop causing a scene and add me back."

Between the lines, his words still reeked of that same entitled superiority.

It was as if he was absolutely certain that no matter how he trampled on my feelings, I would eventually return to his side obediently.

I simply powered off the old phone and shoved it into the very bottom of my suitcase, sealing it away along with all the subservience and calculation of those three years.

The plane pierced through the clouds, leaving the past entirely behind.

Later, I heard from a friend that Sebastian left comments under every single one of my social media accounts. The content was nothing more than: "What exactly do you want?" "It's just a breakup, isn't it?" and "Add me back right now."

My friend said: "At first, he was convinced you would come back to him. Later, when he saw there was no news from you, his temper got worse and worse. Whenever someone brought up your name, his face would turn completely black."

I listened as if I were hearing someone else's story, my heart utterly devoid of a single ripple of emotion.

Using the money Sebastian's mother gave me, I started completely over at Cambridge.