Reborn From Ashes novel Chapter 14

Well, Anna wasn't wrong, for it was all a part of Hayden's plan.

He had purposely said those words to lure Anna over. He knew that only Anna would be able to decipher the underlying meaning behind his words. After all, she was the only one who was exceptionally intelligent and sharp-minded.

As for the piece of paper that Hayden had handed to her, he had prepared it in advance.

It was true that Morgan wasn't a foster son but Francis' illegitimate son. Why else would Francis love Morgan so much and treat Hayden like shit?

It was also due to Francis' influence that the rest of the Sterling family had begun to treat Hayden indifferently, and even Hayden's biological mother, Charlotte, placed more love and attention on Morgan than Hayden.

Hayden had found out this particular secret by following Francis around when he was still a spirit and hadn't yet been reborn. He had also witnessed miscellaneous situations.

For example, he knew that Morgan and his mother met up frequently at the housing complex and that they had a very harmonious relationship.

Another example was that Francis would visit the housing complex as well, which made the three of them look like the perfect family.

Yet another example was when Morgan's identity was revealed. At that time, Charlotte had already passed away from chronic poisoning, and when the three sisters of the Sterling family learned of the truth, they had all broken down.

Then, Morgan had proceeded to replace Julia and take over her position as the CEO of the Sterling Group. He had also undermined Anna in every way possible to take her off her pedestal.

At the same time, he had imprisoned Lily and treated her like a prized possession that was nothing more than a tool to be exploited.

These events had all happened within the Sterling family, and the public knew nothing of them. To the outsiders, they only regarded it as an organizational change within the Sterling family.

After all, Morgan had finally become the star of his generation, with multiple youngsters looking up to him. He was regarded as the most brilliant man in the younger generation and was favored by everyone in the capital.

As Hayden watched how Morgan reached all the way to the top, step by step, countless waves of anger and resentment washed over him and eventually built up over the years.

Fortunately, he was given another chance at life. This time, Hayden would make sure to crush Morgan under his feet completely, so much so that Morgan wouldn't be able to retaliate or make a comeback.

Now, the first step for that to happen was to let the Sterling family know about Morgan's true identity. When that happened, Morgan would start to notice the changes surrounding him.

By then, at least Charlotte wouldn't be in as much denial as she was now.

However, Anna would have to be the one who made the first move. She was a smart person, so Hayden wanted to know what sort of choices she would make facing this situation.

There was an inexplicable sense of oppression in the air, and the atmosphere was thick with tension. The two stared at one another with different expressions. Hayden had a smile on his face, while Anna's face was twisted with anger.

The way they looked at each other seemed as if they had a lot to say, discuss, or argue about, but they remained in silence until the end. There seemed to be something flashing across their eyes as they exchanged gazes as well.

At long last, Anna admitted defeat and lowered her head. "It looks like I've underestimated you. Who knew that you'd be so ruthless and catch me off guard?"

Anna sighed as she stared down at the piece of paper in her hand with a bitter smile.

"You're smart, Anna, so I believe that you'd be able to judge for yourself whether the message on this paper is true or false," Hayden said with a light smile and waved. "I'll be going now, if that's all."

Anna wanted to speak, but she hesitated and finally decided against it. Then, she looked at Hayden's retreating figure with a strange expression on her face.

Just what sort of person was he?

At that moment, Anna finally realized that she knew nothing about this brother of hers. The person whom she had never cared about in the past seemed to be able to stir up a storm within the Sterling family now.

Anna let out a sigh and then drove back to the Sterling residence. She sat in the car for a long while even after she arrived. She still had the piece of paper with her, and after a great amount of consideration, she decided to light it up and let it burn into ashes.

Just how many more secrets were there to the Sterling family?

"It's called learning something new by reviewing the old books. You wouldn't know that, would you?" Hayden smiled.

"Uh… You might not have seen the teachers' expressions, but they were looking at you as if you were an idiot." Roy sighed.

"Stop exaggerating. Let's head down to eat!" Hayden waved his hands and went to the cafeteria with Roy.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, they took some food and looked for a place to sit. Even then, Hayden still had a book clutched under his arm.

"My goodness! Have you gone mad? Are you trying to attract someone by studying so hard? I've never seen you touch a book before this," Roy blurted out uncontrollably. He felt as if Hayden had turned entirely into someone else.

"Studying is the only way out, and the SAT is the only platform that can allow one to achieve boundless success," Hayden casually said as he studied and ate at the same time.

"You must have been brainwashed. Even the students around us are looking at you like you're an alien," Roy reminded him.

"It doesn't matter. There's only a month left anyway. We won't see them anymore after this," Hayden replied indifferently.

At that, Roy pursed his lips. Hayden was right. But it still felt a little strange to see Hayden like this.

"You might find a way out and get successful by studying, but that doesn't mean you'd become rich," Roy stated his opinion seriously.

"How else would you become rich, then? It's not as if you're one to become a businessman." Hayden laughed lightly.

He remembered that Roy had never once tried to become a businessman in his past life and only liked to live a stable life.

"By buying a lottery ticket, of course!" Roy exclaimed cheerfully.

Upon hearing that, Hayden felt as if his mind had exploded from a lightbulb moment, and his eyes widened. "Buying a lottery ticket?"