Second Chances

Chapter 8 

Hearing Emma was about to make her entrance, the crowd couldn’t stop talking. 

“I heard Emma, Mateo’s eldest daughter, is a complete screw–up. She finishe one remarked contemptuously. 

in just 30 minutes yesterday. Can you believe that?” 

“Come on, think about it. Mateo dumped her mom and married Nora. Then they had Aria. And Aria, wow, she’s got it all–looks, grace, you narne it. Emma’s been out of the Wilson family for years. How could she possibly compete with her?” another replied. 

“But rumor has it that Liam is into her, right?” one asked. 

“Liam? Into her? Nah, you’ve got it all wrong. If anything, he’d go for Aria,” someone muttered in disbelief. 

Before heading downstairs, Emma glanced over the crowd from the top of the stairs. Many faces looked familiar. At a similar party in her past life, Mateo had invited their Vark College teacher to publicly praise Aria’s grades, and then they shamelessly handed Aria the entire 2 million dollars inheritance. 

Scanning the room, Emma spotted that same teacher and the trust company folks her mom had hired. 

The trust company’s team stood out, looking sharp and elegant. But among them was one person everyone wanted to cozy up to: Daniel Rivera. 

Daniel, the investment genius, a guy who played with billions like pocket change. He was a stock market legend known worldwide. 

The crowd went wild again. 

“Even though Liam Hall didn’t show up, Daniel Rivera is here!” 

“The Wilsons must have serious clout to get Daniel here. They say any stock he touches skyrockets. If I could just get a few tips from him, I’d be set for life.” 

“There he is, check it out!” 

People saw him but were too intimidated to approach. “Yeah, that’s him, but Daniel keeps his distance. If anyone gets too close without permission, his assistant will toss them out in a heartbeat.” 

Right then, someone spilled the beans. “I heard Daniel’s here about the inheritance from Mateo’s late ex–wife.” 

“Mateo’s late ex–wife? Who’s that?” one asked curiously. 

In fact, Daniel was Emma’s uncle, the younger brother of Stella. 

In her past life, the moment Emma stepped downstairs, Daniel recognized her instantly. He’d gone all out for her at that party, but the Wilson family had brainwashed Emma into thinking Daniel was just a ruthless capitalist. She fell for their lies, distrusting her uncle who genuinely cared for her, and refused to cooperate. As a result, her mom’s hard–earned money ended up in Aria and Nora’s pockets. Thinking about it now, Emma’s eyes hardened with icy contempt. 

As Emma descended the spiral staircase, she made sure Daniel could see the birthmark on her neck. From across the room, Daniel, usually as cool as a cucumber, froze mid–sentence. “Emma!” he blurted out. 

The Rivera family had four sons, and only Stella was their daughter. While the brothers were busy with their careers and stayed unmarried, Stella fell for Mateo and had Emma. 

Stella’s brothers adored Emma, the only child in the family. After Stella’s tragic end and Emma’s disappearance, they searched the globe but 

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found nothing. Now that Emma was back, they would give her the world. 

As Emma reached the bottom of the stairs, she spotted Mateo with the mic, putting on a fake smile. “And here’s my eldest girl, Emma.” 

The people present also began to offer insincere compliments. 

“Wow, she’s so stunning.” 

“Not at ali like the rumors say, huh? She’s got this classy vibe that Aria totally lacks.” 

“Mr. Wilson, happy for you.” 

Emma wore a sleek black gown. In her past life, she’d spent so much time outdoors that her skin was deeply tanned. Now, trying to restore her complexion, she chose black–not the flashiest color, but it made her stand out elegantly among the sea of colorful gowns like a regal black swan, making everyone else seem ordinary in comparison. 

Mateo and Nora shared a glance. Seizing the opportunity, Nora turned to Emma and Aria’s homeroom teacher, Maya Baker. “Hey, Maya, why not spread some good vibes on this happy day?” 

The Vark College exam results were in, and Nora had invited Maya to publicly announce Emma and Aria’s scores, hoping to show off Aria’s superiority. 

But Maya hesitated. “Mrs. Wilson, with all these people, maybe we should skip it.” 

“Skip it? Why? It’ll just add to the celebration. Go ahead, Maya, announce it,” Nora insisted. 

Maya started to sweat. As the homeroom teacher, she knew Aria well. She warned again, “Making it public might hurt your daughter’s feelings!” 

Nora, thinking Maya was talking about Emma, flashed a look of disdain. “Hurt feelings? Please, she’s got a thick skin. Just say it.” 

Aria stood nearby, practically quivering with excitement. Finally, a chance to reclaim my pride. I have put up with so much, and now I could crush Emma’s dignity into the ground,’ she thought. 

Aria whispered to her classmates, “Watch this. Emma’s a total idiot. Poor, dumb, and ugly. I’m the real Miss Wilson here.” 

“Yeah, you’re the bomb.” one of her classmates chimed in. 

“Emma seems braindead. What good’s a pretty face if there’s no brains behind it?” another added. 

“Who does she think she is, trying to keep up with Aria?” a third exclaimed. 

Just then, Maya pulled out the report cards. “Aria scored 1570,” she announced, leaving everyone in shock. 

“1570 out of 1600? With that score, she can get into any top university in the country!” someone marveled. 

“Mateo, your daughter’s grades are exceptional!” another guest praised. 

“Congratulations! Having such an outstanding daughter is a true blessing,” someone else added. 

“Aria is absolutely remarkable,” echoed around the room. 

Even though it was Zoe’s birthday party, with all the fuss about Emma making her big comeback after disappearing for so long, everyone could see that Aria was Mateo’s top pick for a daughter. 

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People began showering Aria with attention left and right, while Daniel’s look toward Aria and Nora had turned ice cold. 

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Zoe couldn’t contain her excitement. “Wow, Aria is just amazing! Having her in the Wilson family is a real godsend. Emma, check out how awesome your sister is. We gotta send her to a top–notch university abroad.” 

And there it was. The Wilson family was all set to show off Aria’s superiority to the world and then squeeze that 2 million dollars out of Emma for Aria’s overseas education. 

Chapter 9