Luxury Receipt Drops: The Social Climber Snaps

My mind kept replaying the phone call between Ivan and that woman even after class had ended.

The woman's voice and tone sounded so much like Mom. Anyone who didn't know Mom's phone habits would have believed the person on the other end was Charlotte Livingston, the chairwoman of Livingston Group.

But I knew that Mom would answer every call in a foreign language whenever she was abroad for a business trip, no matter who it was from. It was a negotiation instinct she was hard-wired into after years of dealing with business internationally.

But that woman had clearly omitted this detail. Her tone when she spoke our native language was superficial. She also didn't have that sharp, decisive edge Mom always carried when she was working.

So, who was the woman Ivan claimed he was about to marry? Did she have anything to do with my account being frozen?

Once I went back to the dorm, I forced myself to calm down and dialed Mom again. Still, it went unanswered.

I could only send her a long voice message detailing everything that happened at the mailroom, asking her to call me back as soon as she could.

Troubled, I opened my laptop and tried to distract myself by finishing the application for my exchange program. Just as I logged into the college's application system, my phone rang.

Overjoyed, I grabbed it immediately, only to find a familiar campus office number. It was Ms. Warner, my advisor for the exchange program.

"Hello, Ms. Livingston," Ms. Warner said, sounding a little confused and worried. "I just got a call from someone claiming to be your father. He requested to cancel your application for the exchange program. I just wanted to check with you if something urgent has happened at home."

…

I rushed to Ms. Warner's office, and I saw a familiar figure there.

"Can you stop your nonsense already, Ivan?" I yelled.

Ivan shrugged, looking completely unfazed. With a righteous confidence, he claimed, "I'm currently dating Mindy's mom. By seniority, that makes me her stepfather. I have every right to cancel her exchange program application. The reason is—"

He dug out his phone and pulled up the surveillance clip of me throwing my parcel at him outside the mailroom during the noon. "I don't think my stepdaughter is able to control her own emotions. She's not fit for an exchange program right now."

My vision went dark. "Please don't listen to him, Ms. Warner! My mom and I have nothing to do with him! And she'd never agree to cancel my exchange program application!"

"Mindy!" Ivan turned around and looked at me helplessly. "You saw it for yourself. I was the only one who could reach your mom. Why are you still being so stubborn?"

Ms. Warner looked between the two of us, her brows pulled tight. "Mr. Judd, you kept claiming that you're Ms. Mindy Livingston's stepfather and that you're speaking on Ms. Charlotte Livingston's behalf.

"Do you have any documentation? Like a marriage certificate or an authorization letter from Ms. Charlotte Livingston?"

Ivan's smile froze for a moment, but he recovered quickly. He spread his hands casually. "Lottie and I are about to get our marriage registered very soon, Ms. Warner. It's just a matter of time.

"As her soon-to-be legal husband, is it really wrong for me to care about her daughter's education? As for the paperwork, I'll naturally provide it once we register our marriage."

"We cannot accept your claims without proper documentation." Ms. Warner's tone turned serious as she continued, "Ms. Livingston's exchange program application will move forward as planned. Please stop interfering in her affairs as if you were her parent, Mr. Judd."

Ivan's face darkened instantly. He shot me a vicious glare. "So, you insist on learning the hard way, huh? You're going to regret this, Mindy."