In Yobril, Emily was waiting to hear good news from Hazel and Madelaine with her phone in her hand. If my guess is right, Janet must have gotten expelled by Mr. Goldstein by now.
After pondering for a moment, she brought up her phone and gave Megan a call. “Mom,” she called obediently. She was known all over Sandfort City now, so Megan treated her even better.
As soon as Megan picked up, she was both taken aback and pleasantly surprised. “Emily, what’s the matter?”
Emily giggled. “Mom, can’t I call even if nothing is wrong?”
Megan laughed. “Of course, you can. I missed you so much. Did Hilbert tell you when you can come back to Sandfort City?”
She thought for a moment then said, “The World Piano Competition is coming up soon. I can go home when it ends.” This major competition was very important to her. It was also the main reason she went to Yobril to study piano. As long as she won the trophy, her value would shoot up. She would then be able to break through the music industry and gain a foothold as a pianist. Thus, she had to win this trophy.
“World Piano Competition?” Megan marveled. “It must be very important.”
Nodding, Emily boasted, “Mr. Hilbert says that with my current level, I’ll probably be able to get top three, but my goal is to be the champion.”
“You’re doing a fantastic job, Emily. I knew I wasn’t wrong about you.” Megan felt extremely excited. If Emily was truly able to become the overall champion of this global competition, the entire Jackson Family, and not just herself, would gain high prestige in the art circles.
Emily chuckled bashfully then said, “Mom, stop flattering me. No matter how skilled I am, I still can’t beat Janet!” She then pretended to show concern for her sister. “How is Janet doing these days? I miss her.”
The mention of Janet made Megan hesitate for a few seconds. Ever since Janet moved out, she only came back once when Jade returned from her trip. Nonetheless, Janet was an independent girl. The money Megan sent to her was always returned in full.
“Your sister? She’s doing quite well.”
Emily was slightly taken aback. Based on her tone of voice, it did not sound like she hated Janet as much as she used to anymore.
Ever since Janet got perfect scores on her college entrance exams and became the top scholar, Megan’s attitude toward her improved drastically, but that was exactly what Emily feared the most. She feared that once Brian retired, the Jackson Enterprise would be passed to Janet, his biological daughter.
For Emily, did that imply that she would no longer be able to stay in the Jackson Family? Feeling anxious all of a sudden, she immediately blurted, “Mom, Janet got a perfect score on an assessment again recently.”
Megan hesitated briefly but quickly regained her composure. “Well, it’s quite normal for her.” After all, she did enter Woodsbury University with perfect scores on her college entrance exams. Attaining a perfect score on an assessment was hardly unexpected.
The calmer Megan sounded, the more frantic Emily became. “But it seems like she got into a bit of trouble this time. A friend of mine from Woodsbury University told me she plagiarized Lady Rose’s novel in her paper during the recent assessment. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it wouldn’t be strange even if she did. Since she got perfect scores on her college entrance exams, it would be awkward if she didn’t get a perfect score again this time.”
Megan was quite reactive. As soon as she heard the word ‘plagiarized’, the smile on her face stiffened, and her voice fell. “Plagiarized? That’s not possible. She was a top scholar with perfect scores on the college entrance exams. She is capable enough.”
