This Life Wasn’t for Love, It Was for Payback

Bryant's POV

In this life, she could date whoever she wanted. As for me, I’d focus on my research. We’d stay out of each other’s lives.

Or so I thought.

That night, after drinking farewell shots with my buddies, I returned home, only to find a dozen men blocking the entrance to my room.

Inside, standing at my computer, was Ellen.

She was giving orders.

“Delete everything,” she commanded coldly.

I rushed forward like a madwoman the second I saw my application screen had been wiped clean.

“Ellen! The deadline’s in just a few minutes! What the hell are you doing?!” I barked.

But the bodyguards were already prepared. They pinned me down at the doorway like it was nothing.

Ellen held up my little notebook, the one I used to record all my passwords, and gave me a chilling smile.

My voice started trembling. “Ellen, I didn’t apply to Stanford! There are still three minutes left. Please… just help me re-enter my application. I promise, I won’t take Toby’s spot. I swear!”

Yet, she only scoffed. “Your acting’s not bad.”

Then she reached out and wrapped her hand around my neck. “You really think I don’t know? You threatened Toby into giving up his spot just so you could take it for yourself. And now you’re back to sneak in again, aren’t you?”

My eyes widened in shock. “Threaten him? I’ve never even met him!”

But she wasn’t listening. She pulled out her phone and called him right in front of me.

“Baby, I’ve cleared his application,” she said sweetly. “Go ahead and apply to Stanford.”

“Ellen!” My eyes stung with tears. I was panicking. “You erased everything! If you won’t let me apply to Stanford, then at least put back my original choice, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology! That school won’t even affect you two being together!”

“Bryant.” She forced me to meet her gaze. “Mistakes come with consequences. Whether in this life or the last, this is what you owe Toby.”

Then, the alarm went off.

“No!!” I screamed, my throat raw.

The deadline for college applications had just ended.

Then, from the hallway, I heard a familiar voice.

“Ellen?” Toby ran in and swept her into his arms.

“I can’t believe you really did this for me,” he said, overwhelmed. “I’m… I’m so happy…”

The iciness in her eyes melted instantly into warmth.

“Of course I did,” she whispered. “It’s my job to stand up for the one I love. This year, we’ll get into Stanford together. And when we graduate, I’ll marry you.”

Toby stiffened in her arms.

She caught it immediately. Her eyes searched his face and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you not get your application in?”

His face was drained of color when he embarrassingly admitted, “Actually… my score… it wasn’t high enough for Stanford…”

She frowned at his answer and replied, “You got a 1550. It’s high enough. Why wouldn’t you qualify?”

At this point, his lips went even paler. “Not 1550… it was… 650…”

“What did you just say?” Ellen blinked in disbelief. “You told me your score was enough. You said Bryant threatened you, that’s why you didn’t apply to Stanford.”

I looked up at her, eyes red and swollen.

So my future was ruined over someone who couldn’t even come close to qualifying?

“Ellen, I—I…” Toby stammered as he dropped to his knees with a thud.

Then suddenly, he pointed at me as tears welled in his eyes and continued, “It wasn’t just during the application. He threatened me before the exam, too! He said if I scored over 700, he’d make sure the hospital pulled my grandma’s oxygen tube!”

“You liar!” I roared, lunged forward, and punched him square in the face. “You only ever scored high because Ellen was feeding you answers during tests! That 650 is your real score! You knew you couldn’t make it, so now you're blaming it on me?!”

Toby trembled on the ground, cowering.

But Ellen yanked me by the arm and slapped me across the face hard. “You bastard!”