Ch. 11..15: My Wife Is A Hacker Chapter 11-15

Chapter 11

Half an hour later, Sean drove them and arrived at grandpa’s place.

Mr. Riddle Sr. and his three sons- and daughters-in-law had already arrived. When they saw them entering, the second daughter-in-law, Karen, could not help but smile triumphantly. “Daniel, Gloria, have you two been very busy lately? You are making us wait.”

“I am sorry, Karen. The traffic was a little bad today.” Gloria squeezed a smile. She would endure it all for Nicole’s sake.

Nicole studied Karen with a frosty face and did not greet her.

When Karen’s eyes met hers, Karen felt a chill run up her spine. Nicole was just a brat. What was she afraid of?

Thinking of this, she scoffed and said, “So this is your child that had gone missing for years? She indeed looks a bit like her brothers. But have you done the DNA test? Don’t mix up again this time.”

Hearing Karen open the old wounds of his parents, Sean frowned and said, “Aunt, what you said is a bit too much.”

Leaving Nicole wandering outside all these years was Gloria’s deepest pain. So what Karen did was tantamount to adding salt to injury.

“Sean.” Daniel shook his head at him, motioning him not to speak.

Gloria put up with Karen’s jabs and let out a gentle smile. “Thank you for the reminder, Karen. But this time the police have compared the DNAs, and Nicole is our family member.”

Gloria was timid, but her hand holding Nicole’s hand was powerful and made Nicole feel warm.

“It had better be. Don’t raise someone else’s child for ten years only to find out that it is a fake again.” Karen continued to taunt, and Gloria’s face looked pale this time.

“Karen, stop digging up the past, would you?” Nicole’s third uncle could not bear to hear it and coldly interrupted Karen.

Karen only then relented after Nicole’s third uncle spoke.

“The meal is almost ready. Please take your seat.” Mr. Riddle Sr. did not want to hear the quarrel and motioned for everyone to sit down.

While the maids were serving food, Nicole’s third aunt looked at Nicole with tender eyes. “Nicole just turned eighteen this year, right? Are you in high school?”

Nicole nodded. “Yeah, eleventh grade.”

“Eleventh grade? Well, if you can transfer to Royal Creek Institute, you will become a schoolmate of Ella, my daughter.” Her third aunt seemed genuine and looked sincere.

“Royal Creek Institute?” Karen frowned when she heard that. “You two are too naïve. Not any Tom, Dick, and Harry can enter Royal Creek Institute. Even if it is just the high school, there is a minimum requirement.”

“How can you talk like this, Karen?” Nicole’s third aunt felt what Karen said was unbecoming.

“I am just telling the truth,” Karen said as he glanced toward Damien, Nicole’s eldest uncle. “Damien and his wife should know it better. Even if Dad and Mr. Ellison are old acquaintances, Mr. Ellison still

set a high bar for our children. Nicole grew up in the countryside; the chances for her entering Royal Creek Institute are slim. Don’t waste Damien’s time.”

Nicole’s eyes darkened a little as Karen was so mean that her words were hurtful.

Daniel and Gloria did not expect that Karen blocked what they were going to say before they could even say it. The couple was so sad and could not find a word to respond. They felt indebted to Nicole and wanted to give her the best, but they could not help her at all.

Mr. Riddle Sr. looked at Nicole in silence and felt sorry for his granddaughter.

He turned his head and frowned at his eldest son. “Damien, what do you think about this?”

Damien knew Mr. Riddle Sr. best. Knowing that for the sake of the Riddle family’s reputation, Mr. Riddle Sr. would want him to put Nicole in Royal Creek Institute.

But his wife suddenly said, “Dad, Karen has a point. Nicole came from the countryside where the education standard was average. Even if Mr. Ellison lets her in, her grades are not going to make it. It will only make the Riddle family look bad.”

Damien’s wife did not speak earlier, but she shared the same thinking as Karen.

After all, her daughter was going to be a star in the future. If people found out that her daughter had a country sister at school, she would be very ashamed of it.

Seeing that his wife objected to it, Damien fell into silence.

Mr. Riddle Sr. could not help but glance at Nicole.

He knew that Nicole’s grades might be unsatisfactory, but she was his granddaughter. Besides, she and Jared from the Johnston family had an engagement. How could he let her alone?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. “Well, since you don’t want to help, leave it to an old man like me. I will ask Mr. Ellison for help.”

“Dad! How could you?” Mr. Riddle Sr.’s second and third sons spoke in unison.

The faces of Nicole’s second and third aunts changed subtly. They did not expect that Mr. Riddle Sr. would want to seek Mr. Ellison’s help personally, which was a treatment that none of the children in the family had ever received.

Damien had no choice. “Dad, leave it to me. I will take care of this matter.”

Daniel and Gloria were pleasantly surprised, not expecting that Damien would agree.

Just that the faces of Nicole’s second and third aunts looked anything but good.

Nicole quietly sighed upon seeing that her family was doing so much for her. She did not need anyone’s help. Seeing through the face of the first and second aunts, she disdained the help of her first uncle even more.

She looked at her watch impatiently, wondering why the old man, Ellison, had not called.

Just when she thought so, Sean’s phone rang.

A smile crept up Nicole’s lips. Ellison was still punctual.

Sean heard his phone ring and quickly got up, thinking that it was a call from his company. “Excuse me, I have got to take the call.”

 

Chapter 12

Just after turning on the screen of the mobile phone and saying a few words, his voice suddenly rose a few octaves. “Mr. Ellison?”

“Mr. Ellison?” Everyone was surprised to hear the name.

Only Mr. Riddle Sr. and Damien had access to Mr. Ellison usually. Surprisingly, Mr. Ellison was calling Sean now. But no one dared to ask, only trying to listen in to what he was saying.

Sean stopped in his tracks and looked back at everyone, finally his gaze landing on Nicole. “Really? Thank you so much, Mr. Ellison.”

Everyone then looked over at Nicole in curiosity. Nicole took a sip of water and did not look surprised.

As soon as Sean hung up the phone, Gloria was the first to ask, “Sean, how did you get Mr. Ellison’s phone number?”

Sean regained his composure and sat back down at the table. “I don’t know Mr. Ellison’s phone number. It was he who called me.”

“What did Mr. Ellison say?” Mr. Riddle Sr. asked in a deep voice.

Sean looked at Mr. Riddle Sr. respectfully. “He asked Nicole to report to the high school of Royal Creek Institute tomorrow and said that he was glad to have Nicole coming to Royal Creek Institute.”

Sean was looking at Nicole with a hint of disbelief in his eyes when he said the last sentence.

While everyone was scratching their heads and in a heated debate about how to get Nicole into Royal Creek Institute, the unthinkable happened with Mr. Ellison calling and saying that he was happy that

Nicole was going to Royal Creek Institute.

Karen could not be more surprised. “Sean, did you hear it correctly? Mr. Ellison invited Nicole to the high school of Royal Creek Institute?”

She had just denigrated and satirized Nicole because she did not want Nicole to enter Royal Creek Institute. Yet, she did not expect that Mr. Ellison’s call would be a slap in the face.

But Nicole was just a country girl. What made Mr. Ellison extend his invitation to her?

Ignoring Karen’s expression, Gloria turned to look at Nicole. “You know Mr. Ellison?”

She did not even believe her own question. But Mr. Ellison had said that he was glad to have Nicole studying at Royal Creek Institute. So he and Nicole must know each other.

Nicole did not hide the truth, saying, “We met once in Great Oak.”

It was only a brief encounter, but if not for Nicole’s help, Mr. Ellison would have died from a car explosion.

“Just met once?” Just met once, and Mr. Ellison remembered her and invited her to Royal Creek Institute? Things got even more unbelievable.

Sean seemed to have accepted this reality, but was still a little doubtful. “Even if you know Mr. Ellison, how did Ellison know you were going to enroll?”

Nicole looked sideways at Sean, her expression telling him it was a matter of course. “I called him when Dad and Mom said three days ago that they were going to send me to Royal Creek Institute.”

Nicole’s icy look exuded a bit of arrogance. It gave the impression that Mr. Ellison was at her beck and call.

“Mr. Ellison sent me an email invitation that day, but I still asked him to call today to inform my family, saving you all from worrying too much about me.” Nicole’s eyes swept over Karen and Damien.

Karen felt embarrassed and could not say a word.

Damien was shamefaced, too, as Nicole could enter Royal Creek Institute all by herself, yet he had just acted so reluctantly, which made him a complete joke.

Sean looked at the faces of his first uncle and wife, and his second aunt with a touch of triumph in his eyes. He then pretended to be puzzled and asked, “You are really naughty, Nicole; you actually have Mr. Ellison’s phone number. Why didn’t you say it earlier? Second Aunt and First Uncle were beating their brains out trying to help you just now.”

Sean’s words once again poked at the self-esteem of the two, making their faces turn red and pale.

Nicole looked at Sean and played along. “I didn’t think Royal Creek Institute was a good choice, so I didn’t tell. But since First Uncle had to work so hard to help me get a place there, I thought I had better do it myself.”

Nicole stirred the milk tea in front of her, her attitude getting on Damien’s nerves. Every child of the Riddle family used to rely on his help to get them into Royal Creek Institute, not expecting that a brat would get him a slap in the face.

“Hahaha, well, you’re truly my granddaughter, so calm. You all elders are not as good as this child.” Mr. Riddle Sr. laughed and satirized all the elders. Everyone at the table dared not say a word.

Mr. Riddle Sr. could not describe how delighted he was. He took the lead and started eating. “Okay, since Nicole has settled her school matter, let us all eat now.”

Finding this the moment of saving face, everyone quickly dug in.

For the first time, Gloria could not describe how happy she was because for the first time, she could feel so proud in front of everyone.

“Cheers, Nicole.” She toasted her daughter. She and Daniel had been living under the shadow of the other brothers for years. It was the first time they felt so vindicated and proud.

Daniel could finally hold his head high, as his daughter was making them proud today.

Since then, no one dared to disrespect Gloria and Daniel, and Karen had also relented a lot.

After dinner, Mr. Riddle Sr. went upstairs. Feeling too embarrassed to stay, Damien followed Mr. Riddle Sr. upstairs and was back to his study room.

Dillon and Karen also got up. But before leaving, Dillon said to Daniel in embarrassment, “You know Karen has never minced her words. Please don’t mind.”

Chapter 13

Daniel had never seen Dillon graveling to him for all these years, so he pretended to be jovial. “It is okay. We are all family.”

But Karen glared at them indignantly. “Since Nicole has entered the high school of Royal Creek Institute, she had better not disgrace the Riddle family with lousy results.”

So what if Nicole had entered Royal Creek Institute? She would still be a disgrace for the Riddle family if she could not show results.

Gloria’s expression subtly changed, but she plucked up the courage and said, “We will make sure Nicole delivers. Besides, Mr. Ellison is going to take care of her. Don’t you worry, Karen.”

Karen’s expression darkened immediately, as she did not expect that Gloria would dare to shoot back.

Seeing the situation, Dillon quickly stepped forward and dragged Karen away, saying, “It is getting late now. Hurry up. We have got to go.”

Daniel and Gloria looked at each other and could not help but feel proud of their daughter.

When they were back at home, Daniel praised Nicole, saying, “You really made us proud today.”

Daniel had been looked down upon in the family for so many years, and it was the first time he felt so proud.

It was extremely satisfying whenever he thought of Karen’s red face. Karen had been bullying Gloria all this while, and this time, it was her turn to get a taste of her own medicine.

Norah just went downstairs and sensed something was wrong when she heard this. “Dad, what made you so happy?”

They should have come back in frustration when Nicole could not get into Royal Creek Institute. Why did they praise Nicole instead?

Seeing that his father was happy, Sean briefly told Norah what had happened and did not forget to look at Nicole. “Nicole is the lucky star of our family.”

Norah was wide-eyed. “Mr. Ellison invited her?”

What was going on here? Why did Mr. Ellison invite Nicole to the school if they had only met once?

“We didn’t expect that either, but Mr. Ellison had sent Nicole an invitation by email, asking her to report to the school tomorrow.”

At first, Norah wanted to see Nicole get taunted. But Nicole did not suffer any embarrassment. Instead, she had made herself stand out.

Norah immediately bit her lower lip and looked at Nicole with indignation. It really surprised her that this hillbilly was so capable. She had really underestimated her.

“Congratulations.” Deep down inside, Norah was really upset, but she still pretended to be congratulatory.

Nicole ignored her and said politely to her parents, “Dad, Mom, I am tired. I will go upstairs now.”

“Go rest up.” Gloria said dotingly.

Nicole bowed her head and left, not noticing that Sean was looking at her with his deep-set eyes.

There seemed to be more to this sister of his from the countryside than met the eye, he thought.

It was a sunny morning the next day.

Nicole got up early to go for a walk. When she returned from martial arts practice, she saw two more people in the living room. The two were dressed differently, but their faces were made from the same mold.

“This is our sister?” Seeing Nicole, the teenager in a tracksuit stood up and came up to study Nicole, as if she was some kind of strange creature.

Nicole was also studying the teenager, who looked about her age, athletic and sunny.

“Nicole, this is Samuel, your fifth elder brother.” Sean saw that Samuel’s behavior was a little rude and pressed a hand on his shoulder to tell him to behave.

“My fifth elder brother?” Nicole looked at the teenager, who had a baby face and looked like an adolescent boy. Yet she had to call him her elder brother.

“Your voice sounds so sweet. Let’s say it again.” Samuel was naughty and playful.

“Sean, Samuel needs some good spanking. Do it.” At this time, another teenager sitting on the sofa spoke.

“Don’t do it, Sean. I didn’t do anything!” Samuel hurriedly begged for forgiveness.

Sean patted him on the shoulder. “I have no time for this. I have got to go to work now. You take care of your sister and send her to school. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!” Samuel got up and gave Sean a salute.

A smile crept to her lips as Nicole found that this fifth elder brother of hers was hilarious.

Nicole recognized the boy who sat on the sofa and looked almost exactly the same as Samuel. “This must be my fourth elder brother, right?”

Gloria had told her that her fourth and fifth brothers were twins. Since Samuel was the fifth, this must be the fourth.

“Smart.” Her fourth elder brother let out a smile. His name was Spencer, who also had a sunshine smile but with an added artistry persona, which was completely different from Samuel.

“We both are in twelfth grade at Royal Creek Institute. Dad and Mom said you were unfamiliar with the school and asked us to take you to report to the school.”

“Okay, then. I will go upstairs and get changed.” Nicole nodded and went upstairs.

“Nicole seems to be unfriendly. Norah is better.” Samuel scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Sean glared at him and said, “But Norah is not your biological sister.” He then left.

Samuel blinked and looked at Spencer. “Is Sean angry?”

“What do you think?” Spencer rolled his eyes at him because Samuel was asking the obvious.

When Nicole came downstairs again, breakfast had already begun. Daniel, Gloria, and Norah were also present.

“Spencer, Samuel, you two have not been back for many days. I miss you guys so much.” Norah deliberately coddled them in front of Nicole.

Samuel could not help but smile. “It is still Norah who has me at heart.”

“Ahem!” Spencer saw Nicole coming down and quickly signaled his dumb brother.

 

Chapter 14

Samuel was stunned at first, but when he saw Nicole only then he realized he had said the wrong thing again. He looked embarrassed and changed the subject bluntly. “Nicole is beautiful. I can see how popular you will become in school.”

What Samuel said aroused jealousy in Norah. She looked at Nicole but could not deny that Nicole was blessed with beauty and a good figure, while she herself looked a lot more ordinary.

Daniel noticed Norah’s melancholy and pondered for a moment before saying to Samuel with a frown, “You should keep your mouth shut if you don’t know what to say.”

Getting reprimanded, Samuel quickly lowered his head and continued his breakfast.

Daniel then turned to Norah. “Since you are not blood-related to your brothers, keep your distance from them, and you can no longer be so willful like last time.”

Norah’s face turned pale after getting reprimanded. Feeling hurt, she bowed her head. “Understood. I will not be willful next time.”

But it hurt Samuel to see that. “Dad, even if Norah is not our biological sister, we have lived together for so long. To me, as long as Norah treats me as her brother, I will always be his brother.”

Samuel spoke with principle, startling both Daniel and Gloria.

Spencer could not help but face-palm when Samuel said something stupid again.

“Samuel…” Norah looked at him, feeling touched. He was probably the only one who still cared about her.

Just when Daniel was about to speak, Gloria shook her head at him, then looked at Samuel. “You are right. Norah has lived with us for so long. Even though she is not blood-related to us, she is still your sister.”

“Mom…” Norah’s eyes were welling up. Even Spencer’s heart had somewhat softened.

After all, what did Norah do wrong?

Not that she deliberately impersonated Nicole. It was the birthmark behind her ear that was too similar to that of Nicole.

“Dad, Mom, I am full.” Nicole was not interested in things about Norah. After taking a few bites, she planned to leave.

“Spencer, Samuel, I will wait for you in the living room. Call me when you guys finish your breakfast.” With that, she turned and left.

Samuel could not help but look back at Spencer and gave him a look that said, “I can’t believe she is so calm.”

Spencer also felt that Nicole was too calm to be an eighteen-year-old. She did not show any emotion facing Norah.

Soon, the breakfast was over. With the support of Samuel and Gloria, Norah warmed up again with her two brothers again.

She chatted and laughed with them as they walked to the door with school bags on their shoulders.

She usually went to school alone. Since Samuel and Spencer were back today, she, of course, would want to go with them.

As soon as the car arrived, she took the lead to jump into the backseat and sat with Spencer and Samuel.

She was expecting to see Nicole get jealous of her, but Nicole did not even look at her and care about her being close to her brothers when she got into the car.

“Why don’t you talk, Nicole? Are you feeling that you are being neglected?” Norah deliberately asked.

She looked hurt, as if Nicole was wrong not to speak.

“I have nothing to say.” Norah was so self-righteous. Nicole was not interested in all her stuff.

Spencer also thought Nicole was upset and tried to smooth things out. “Nicole, please don’t mind because Samuel and Norah have been close since small. They didn’t mean to neglect you.”

“That’s right.” Samuel quickly nodded, also feeling that he had done something wrong. “But I will be good to you from now on. I heard Dad and Mom say that you had gone through a lot while staying outside.”

Norah at first wanted to make Nicole jealous, not expecting that Samuel would shift his attention to Nicole. A hint of indignation flashed in her eyes.

Nicole did not look back, but her hands had clenched together, and she pretended to be calm. “Got it.”

No one had ever cared too much about her, so she did not know how to respond to Samuel. But deep down inside, she felt a touch of closeness to this innocent brother of hers.

Spencer was relieved after Samuel had explained himself. “Look, Nicole is not a petty person, so you and Norah shouldn’t assume too much.”

Norah felt depressed after being accused of assuming too much. Looking back at the quiet Nicole, Norah could only feel that what she had just done was a joke—Nicole was not jealous of her, yet she was jealous of Nicole to the bone.

There was a moment of silence, and then Samuel suddenly said, “Nicole, I heard Mom say that you have already met Sean and Steve, but not Stanley.”

Nicole nodded without thinking, “Yeah.”

Knowing that Nicole really had not met Stanley, Samuel became enthusiastic. “Stanley is the president of the student union of the university and a top student. He is a badass.”

Samuel chattered about Stanley along the way, and Nicole listened to it and became curious about these three brothers.

 

Chapter 15

Finally, twenty minutes later, they arrived at Royal Creek Institute.

Royal Creek Institute was a century-old school with a solid background, its campus architecture majestic with a stone-carved gate of Hustuaburg’s characteristics. It looked classical and showed signs of age.

As the car was parked in the parking lot, the three of them got out of the car.

As soon as Nicole arrived, she felt that there were many girls secretly looking in her direction.

“Please don’t mind. Those are all fans of the school basketball team who came to catch a glimpse of Samuel.” Spencer rolled his eyes at Samuel with disgust.

“Who said that? Some of them are fans of your music society.” Samuel stared back unapologetically.

Nicole did not expect that these noisy twins were so popular in the school.

“I have seen Norah, but who is that girl?”

“Could she be Samuel’s girlfriend?”

“Huh? I envy her walking with them.” Many girls chattered among themselves.

Norah’s face darkened. The person who had been envied before this was her Norah, but now, Nicole got all the limelight.

Nicole did not expect these two brothers to be so popular. She turned her head and said, “Spencer, Samuel, thank you for sending me to school. I will report to the school registrar now.”

Since her identity was unique, she had better keep a low profile, reducing her exposure.

“Oh, well.” Samuel said, pointing the way for Nicole.

With Samuel’s guidance, Nicole quickly walked away from the two of them.

“Sigh, Nicole went away because of your fans.” Spencer scoffed.

“It was you,” Samuel retorted, not wanting to be outdone.

Pretending to be gentle and demure, Norah looked at the two of them and said, “It is almost time. I will go to class now.”

“Okay.” The two responded and also turned to leave.

Norah breathed a sigh of relief and went to her class. She was curious, not knowing which class Nicole would go to. But judging by that hillbilly’s results, she was sure that Nicole would be assigned to Class F.

By this time, Nicole had arrived at the headteacher’s office to report herself.

She introduced herself upon entering the office. “My name is Nicole. I was told by Mr. Ellison to report to the school today.”

“You are Nicole?” The headteacher, Ms. Farrell, immediately broke out in a smile. “Mr. Ellison has instructed me to assign you to the best class. The two teachers of Class A and B will be here later. You may choose your teacher.”

Nicole was a bit surprised, not expecting that Mr. Ellison would be so thoughtful, giving her the freedom to choose her teacher. She was really flattered.

Ms. Farrell studied her and was quietly surprised.

According to records, Nicole was from the Riddle family. Mr. Ellison used to be unenthusiastic about the first few children of the Riddle family. There must be more to this little girl than met the eye.

It was not long before two teachers knocked on the door and walked in.

The one coming in first was wearing a white shirt and a red skirt. She rushed up to Ms. Farrell at the desk without noticing Nicole. “You did not finish talking on the phone, Ms. Farrell. Did you say you were going to place a transfer student from the countryside in my class?”

“Ms. Emerson, that student is right here.” Ms. Farrell winked at her.

Ms. Emerson looked back and was startled when she saw Nicole.

The girl looked younger than most of the students in her class. But she was beautiful with a pair of bright, energetic, deep-set eyes. She was not inferior in any way to any girls from wealthy families.

“This—is this the student you are transferring to my class?” If it was not because she had asked Ms. Farrell before where Nicole came from, she could not really tell Nicole was from the countryside.

“That’s right, this is Nicole. Nicole, these two are Ms. Emerson and Mr. Kennedy.”

The man wearing glasses and came in later, also looked surprised when he saw Nicole. But he was more composed than Ms. Emerson. “Hello, I am the class teacher of Class A of eleventh grade. You can call me Mr. Kennedy.”

“Hello, nice to meet you two.” Nicole nodded her head lightly and gracefully.

Ms. Emerson liked Nicole because of her appearance, but thinking of the fact that Nicole came from the countryside, she was worried about her grades.

Class B lost to Class A in the first semester in terms of overall grades, and there would be an excellent teacher award in the second half of the semester. She could not afford to let anyone drag down the overall grade of her class.

Since what she had said was already pretty offensive, Ms. Emerson might as well be frank. “Ms. Farrell, now I have met the student. We have five more students in Class B than Class A, and I really do not have the energy to take care of so many students. Let Mr. Kennedy take her in.”

Mr. Kennedy pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled at Ms. Emerson. “What are you talking about? You are young and capable, and that is the reason the school assigns more students to you. I am older and have no experience in dealing with transfer students. You are the right person to take her in.”

“You… Mr. Kennedy, you can’t always say such irresponsible things because you are older, can you?”

“I am not. I said that out of good intention. I heard that she had scored top grades in the countryside. You don’t have to worry about dragging the overall results of your class.” Mr. Kennedy unceremoniously exposed Ms. Emerson’s hypocrisy when he was accused of being irresponsible.

“You—” Ms. Emerson looked flushed and could not find a word to respond.

“Well, I didn’t call you two here asking for your opinion.” Ms. Farrell then looked at Nicole with a smile. “Nicole, Mr. Ellison has said it—choose whichever teacher and class you like.”

“What?” Ms. Emerson and Mr. Kennedy were wide-eyed.