Kicked Out, She Came Back To Rule - Chapter 37: Chapter 37

"How'd you know I like this flavor?" she asked.
"I guessed," Tobias said with a smile.
Kaia wasn't buying it.
"It's fresh. Eat it while it's good," he said.
She was still a little annoyed from earlier, but letting such a good tiramisu go to waste felt like a crime.
She dug in, looking even happier than when she drank the yogurt.
"How'd the test go?" Tobias asked, frowning a little.
Kaia played it safe. "If nothing weird happened, I got a perfect score."
Tobias rubbed his forehead. He thought about saying something but let it go. Even if she did badly, he could still help her. "Alright, go home and get some rest."
Kaia knew he didn't believe her, but she didn't care. The results would speak for themselves.
Back home, Kaia rested a bit, then remembered something.
Her grandparents' birthday party was this weekend. They were huge fans of the famous artist Collin, whose paintings cost a fortune.
She decided that would be the perfect gift, and getting one would be easy for her.
Kaia called Samantha without a second's hesitation.
Samantha picked up right away. "Why are you calling? Oh, I see. Are you free to teach me boxing? Where are you? I'll come over right now!"
Hearing how eager she was, Kaia felt a little guilty. "I'll teach you in a few days. I actually need your help with something."
Samantha perked up even more. "You need my help? Say the word! I'd walk through fire for you!"
"You don't need to do anything crazy. I just want your grandpa to paint something for me. It's my grandparents' birthday, and they love his work," Kaia said.
"No problem. I've got you. What kind of painting?" Samantha asked.
*****
The weekend came fast. The Bennett family threw a big party.
Kaia walked in with her gift and was immediately surrounded by cousins.
"Kaia, SAT scores came out today. How'd you do? What's your score?" Phoebe, her second uncle's daughter, asked, her voice dripping with mockery.
Kaia blinked—she'd totally forgotten the scores came out today.
It wasn't that she didn't care. The test had been so easy that she'd been focused on her research instead.
When something was easy, she tended to forget about it.
"What score? Phoebe, you're giving her too much credit. She always gets zeros," Sienna, Kaia's third uncle's daughter, sneered, giving Kaia a disgusted look like Kaia was beneath her.
"I don't think she'll get a zero. Even guessing gets her a couple right," Phoebe said.
"I bet she gets zeros," Sienna said with a nasty smile.
Ruth heard all this and felt embarrassed. She stayed far away, pretending she didn't notice Kaia getting ganged up on.
"Forget the SAT. Kaia, what did you get Grandma and Grandpa? We all already gave ours. Andrea gave them a fancy decoration worth around 30 thousand dollars," Phoebe said.
"I've got something," Kaia said, taking out the painting.
Before she could even unroll it, Sienna burst out laughing. "Don't tell me you painted something yourself. That's so cheap. People will think your family's broke."
Some guests nearby chuckled quietly.
Kaia ignored them and walked up to Melvin and Emma.
"Grandpa, Grandma, I wish you both a long and happy life," she said, handing them the painting.
Melvin and Emma didn't look happy. They'd heard every word the kids had said.
If Kaia really gave them one of her own paintings in front of everyone, it would be humiliating.
To them, Kaia was useless. They regretted ever bringing her back from the countryside. Even though Andrea wasn't their real granddaughter, they'd pick her over Kaia any day.
"Uh, just put it over there," Melvin said awkwardly.
Then a sweet-but-obviously-fake voice cut in, "Grandpa, this is Kaia's gift from the heart. You should at least take a look, even if it's not that great."