Chapter 25 - A Chess Piece

Chapter 25: Chapter 23 A Chess Piece"I’m not suited for school; I’m more suited for the Owen Clan." Faced with his grandfather’s nitpicking, Liam not only wasn’t angry but even followed his words, mentioning the Owen Clan Group, making him feel like he had a thorn in his heart, even more uncomfortable.

"How can that be possible? As a descendent of the Spencer Family, you must excel in any field, especially since school is the most straightforward place. Look, during the time you were managing the school, even your two sisters at home were beyond your control, and it ended up with the police involvement. This was not handled well."

"Dad, last night’s incident was all a misunderstanding, all caused by that little troublemaker Maya; it’s actually not that serious."

Aunt Hannah was afraid that last night’s incident would implicate Elia, affecting her future inheritance, so she was eager to blame Maya.

"Shut up! I know who is good and who is bad in this family, who loves to make trouble; do you really think I’m senile?"

"Pfft!" Jane Spencer couldn’t help but laugh listening to her grandfather’s reprimand and then hurriedly served a bowl of soup to Old Master Spencer, saying, "Grandpa, don’t be angry, have some soup."

Old Master Spencer’s attitude today really left Maya puzzled. Usually, Grandpa didn’t like her. Could it be that this time everyone thought Aunt Hannah’s actions were too much and knew she was wronged? Thinking of this, Maya suddenly felt a bit warm in her heart.

Across the table, Aunt Hannah looked at Maya’s relaxed expression and gritted her teeth with hatred. She not only hated Maya but also resented Jane, thinking, if it weren’t for Jane instigating things in front of Grandpa, how could Grandpa protect that little demon?

She could do nothing to Jane; Jane was Grandpa’s favorite granddaughter. Whatever good things, Grandpa thinks only of her, allowing her to stay in the company’s headquarters and make her the chairman’s assistant, so she didn’t dare to provoke Jane.

"Elia, how’s your studying recently?" Old Master Spencer took a sip of soup and then looked at Elia, inquiring about her grades.

"Studying? Grandpa, I’m doing very well; almost perfect scores. Last month, I even received a bonus."

Obviously, Elia was startled by Grandpa’s sudden mention. This was the first time today Grandpa actively talked to her. Fortunately, she usually did well academically, otherwise answering this would have been difficult.

"What about Maya? Can she get perfect scores too?"

Maya’s face paled at Old Master Spencer’s question. She put down the spoon and took a deep breath, secretly glancing around the table at her relatives before her eyes finally landed on Liam beside her. He was seriously drinking soup.

Swallowing hard, she softly said, "No, I can’t."

"How much can you score? Will you fail?"

"I will fail."

"Maya, this won’t do; your grades are really letting the Spencer Family face down. There is no reason for Spencer kids to fail courses. From your sister Jane to Elia, they always have the best grades. You need to work harder."

"Pfft!" Elia couldn’t hold back her laughter listening to Grandpa’s lecture, making everyone look at her.

Old Master Spencer asked, "Elia, why are you laughing?"

"Grandpa, I just remembered Maya scored 8 points last time, it’s so funny."

Having held grudges all afternoon, Elia finally seized the chance to vent her frustrations, revealing Maya’s embarrassing past.

Across the table, Liam looked at Elia’s smug look with eyes that seemed like it could swallow her whole.

Elia, startled by Liam’s gaze, thought to herself, why is the Third Brother so anxious about her revealing that little demon’s embarrassing past? Even if he protects her, speaking about her grades isn’t that big of a deal!

However, shortly after, everyone heard Old Master Spencer say, "Maya, this is not okay; you must improve your grades."

Then he turned to Liam and said, "Liam, before the finals, you tutor Maya. If her grades can catch up to Elia’s, I’ll recognize your performance at school this time; otherwise, Grandpa will have you continue to toughen up! This is for your own good."

Actually, the old guy already knew about Maya’s situation well. His intention today was simply to find an excuse to trap Liam in school, preventing him from returning to Owen Clan Group.

Although Owen Clan Group had reliable assistants to manage things, being absent meant he couldn’t fully grasp many situations and make a quick judgment. As long as Liam stayed in school even for a day, his opportunities for dealing with him increased. He couldn’t believe that he couldn’t handle this young Liam.

However, Old Master Spencer’s scheme had long been seen through by Liam. Last time, the old guy’s project in the south lost to Owen Clan Group. But recently, the piece of land in the west suburb of S City was coveted by various groups. The old guy had already teamed up with several companies to try to win it, so he stopped him from returning to Owen Clan, interfering with his work.

Hence, just now, he glared at Elia, thinking she was meddlesome. He wasn’t incapable of defeating the old guy; he just didn’t want too much interaction with Maya, because he really disliked this sister.

"Grandpa, I can learn on my own." Of course, Maya resisted Liam tutoring her. She feared he might hit her.

"Maya, Grandpa has decided on this matter. If you keep pushing it away, that wouldn’t be good. Don’t waste Grandpa’s kindness."

Under Jane’s persuasion, Maya accepted Grandpa’s arrangement. She thought Grandpa wanted Third Brother, the new principal, to help her catch up with Elia in studies but didn’t realize she was merely dragging Liam down as a pawn.

Across the table, Elia, seeing Grandpa not only not dislike Maya but instead have Liam tutor her, was so angry that smoke almost came out of her ears, nearly slamming the table and scolding the old man for being too biased.

After dinner, when Jane helped Grandpa back to the villa’s wooden building, Old Master Spencer suddenly turned around and spoke to Maya.

"Maya, study well with your Third Brother, don’t disgrace him."

"Grandpa, I understand."

Sending Grandpa off, Maya felt like she was carrying a heavy burden. She didn’t find catching up with Elia difficult but felt being with Liam was very stifling.

In her bedroom, she composed herself and carried her backpack upstairs to find her Third Brother.

Maya knocked several times until she heard the words "come in" before pushing the door, poking her head inside to ask, "Where do we have the tutoring?"

"Here."

With permission, Maya dared to walk into his room.

Liam’s room was at least ten times larger than hers, not only had a dedicated library but even a gym as well. Clearly both shared Spencer blood, yet the treatment was vastly different.

She walked into the study, stood by the desk, took out her textbooks from her bag, and stayed still.

Seeing this, Liam slowly walked over, opened her textbook, and asked, "What don’t you understand."

"Everything."

Liam took a deep breath, bent down, resting his right hand on the wooden desk, turned sideways, looked straight at Maya in bemusement. He couldn’t understand how she got 8 points; even guessing would be more than those few points.

Maya felt the surrounding pressure, moved slightly trying to evade, and accidentally knocked the pen holder to the ground, startling herself into Lao Liam’s arms, and her lips inadvertently collided with his warm lips.