Just as I was lost in thought, a few shouts came from behind me, and the door suddenly swung open.
A basketball came flying unexpectedly, striking the side of my head with a loud thud.
"Hey, you little bumpkin, bring me my ball," a spoiled voice called from behind me.
I slowly turned. A boy about my age, but taller and broader, stood there. He lifted his chin and looked down at me with an air of arrogance.
If I remembered correctly, this had to be the Taylor family's only child—Eric Taylor.
As a typical playboy, Eric loved extreme sports like racing and skydiving and had little interest in the family business. A racing accident in his previous life had left him paralyzed from the waist down, and it had turned his temper notoriously violent.
"Hey, what are you staring at? Did you hear me?" he snapped.
I snapped back to reality, picked up the basketball, and handed it to him.
Recalling the driver's instructions, I said politely, "Eric, here you go."
He paused, then smirked. "You're not bad at currying favor. Don't think this means you'll get a share of the Taylor family fortune."
With that, he scoffed and walked away.
In the following days, I rarely saw Mrs. Taylor—Mom—and Eric appeared even less often.
David took me around to familiarize me with the house.
The villa was enormous. Once I had a sense of it, he handed me a schedule packed with business management classes.
"This is your schedule for the coming days. Starting tomorrow, you'll receive one-on-one training in company management. Mrs. Taylor has arranged everything. You just need to study diligently. It will benefit you in the future. Can you handle it?"
These were subjects I had only encountered when starting my business in my previous life.
Now that I had access to all of this at only 15, I couldn't help but feel thrilled. I nodded without hesitation. "Of course."
David's expression showed a flicker of surprise, but he made no comment and continued his instructions.
Mom had even hired a tutor to make sure I didn't fall behind in school. In my previous life, I had already mastered all of this, so it was easy.
In just a year, I absorbed all the knowledge and learned to apply it flexibly.
"She learns incredibly fast," the tutor Mom had hired praised me in front of her. "Not only has she mastered the middle and high school curriculum, but she can even follow the complicated company management courses."
I listened quietly from my seat.
The tutor smiled. "At this rate, she won't even need high school—she could go abroad immediately."
However, Mom had other plans. She wanted me to attend high school alongside Eric first before going abroad together. On the surface, it was to watch out for each other. In truth, she wanted me to keep him in check.
Mom had paid the tutor generously, and her gaze toward me carried a newfound recognition.
"Come here," she said, motioning for me to sit.
She took my hand and placed an acceptance letter in front of me. "You've done well. Eric's grades are difficult to raise, so help him out. I don't expect too much. Just make sure he passes. Once high school is over, I'll send both of you abroad. How does that sound?"
Without any preamble, Mom laid out her expectations clearly.
I didn't hesitate. "Thank you, Mom."
Her eyebrows lifted in clear delight, and she held my hand a little tighter.
"Good girl."
