Babel Novel
Chapter 24
“Y-You’re Marcus?” Jennie snapped back to reality and stared at Marcus in disbelief, forgetting the sting from the slap she just took completely.
“Shut up!” Teresa wished she could just sew Jennie’s mouth shut
Cassie had been hoping to keep low-key, but that seemed impossible-Marcus was staring right at her. Annoyed, she shot at him. “What are you looking at?”
The crowd gasped. The Murphy family was well-connected, but it definitely couldn’t afford to offense Marcus.
Just when everyone thought Marcus might blow up, he leaned back a bit, looking as if he was in a good mood. “I think I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
Cassie braced herself, Here we go-time for drama! Keep it up!
“You are bullied?” Marcus asked.
“Does she even count? Cassie mumbled under her breath
A hint of laughter sparkled in Marcus’s eyes.
Cassie fell into silence.
Mr. Anderson, this is Ms. Cassie Murphy, heiress of Murphy Group, Aaron introduced them.
“Oh. Murphy Group. I know it,” Marcus replied, his eyes still shining with slight amusement as he focused on Cassie.
“Yeah, the company you almost bought. Anything else! If not, I’m outta here,” Cassie declared, turning on her heel.
She whispered to herself, “Yeah, I have to be a bit tough on Marcus. He likes the old, shy Cassie, doesn’t he? If I showed him á different side, maybe he wouldn’t be interested anymore. What a perfect plan!”
Cassie glanced back at Marcus, unable to understand why he had been into that timid version of her and what he had seen in her that was worth risking his life for her.
“Ms. Murphy, Larry called, bringing Cassie back to reality. She withdrew her gaze quickly and turned to leave.
Marcus stood still, watching Cassie’s car fade into the distance.
“Mr. Anderson, Jennie… Teresa gazed at Marcus like he was some kind of walking vault. “Oh, is there anyone better than Marcus as Jennie’s husband?”
“Really has no manners, Marcus replied coldly.
Teresa paused, instinctively thinking he was talking about Cassie’s rudeness. She echoed, “Ms. Murphy is Heston’s beloved granddaughter. She can be a bit spoiled, and just now, she was…
“Madam, Mr. Anderson is talking about Jennie, Joe interjected.
Teresa’s face drained of color instantly.
“Ca**r’s being spoiled is her business. Got a problem with that? Marcus shot a glance at Teresa.
Allen looked like he was about to have a heart attack. The two are really fools!”
“N-No, Teresa stammered.
“Good, Marcus said and walked away directly.
“You two! When we get home, you’re both in trouble! Allen glared at the mother-daughter pair, his jaw clenched in anger.
Jennie and Teresa stood frozen, feeling the weight of the mocking stares around them.
“This is all Cassie’s fault. She totally ruined my first impression in front of Mr. Anderson!” Jennie shouted in frustration.
Teresa suddenly felt a wave of clarity wash over her. An idea sparked in her mind. I need to get rid of Cassie. It’s clear that she hasn’t accepted Jennie’s apology. Plus, it looks like Marcus favors her, too. Right now, she’s a ticking time bomb that could mess everything up. So, she has to die!
On the ride home, Cassie played with her fingers. Larry, why did Marcus come to our school? Did he buy the place or something?”
She always thought that about Marcus-one day he bought a company, the next day a factory, and the day after that, he’d probably take over a whole consortium.
I haven’t heard any rumors, but I’m checking into it, Larry said.”
“Don’t tell Grandpa about Marcus being at school. I don’t want him getting all worked up, Cassie added.
Larry hesitated. “Do you know him?”
Cassie shook her head quickly. “No. How could I know him?”
“That’s good,” Larry sighed in relief. “Marcus’s family situation is really complicated. The members all seem to want him out of the picture. I heard he had a childhood sweetheart who died in a terrible way.”
When Larry said “terrible, Cassie knew it would be more than terrible. Meanwhile, she frowned slightly-she hadn’t heard anything about Marcus having a fiancée.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“Why does his family want him dead?” Cassie asked, her tone serious.
“What else could it be? Money, Larry replied simply. “Just remember to keep your distance from him. Or you might be involved and that would worry Mr. Heston Murphy
“I got it,” Cassie nodded.
Family feuds in rich circles, especially in a big family like Marcus’s, were way more brutal than what on TV or in novels. Cassie sighed, hoping that, in this life, Marcus could avoid all this danger and live a long life.
In the few days that followed, Julia didn’t stir any trouble. Meanwhile, Cassie soon had her first major exam since she time- traveled bark
In the teachers’ lounge, educators were busy grading papers and chatting.
“I just gave someone an A in Uprian. That last essay is incredible
“Really? I just graded a math test with an A too.”
“No way! My science exam has an A as well.
The teachers exchanged glances, all looking a bit shocked.
“This perfect score has handwriting that looks unfamiliar. It can be one of our usual top students, the Uprian teacher remarked.
“Mine too.”
Wait a minute. There’s also an A in literature-aside from a few points off the essay, zero mistakes up to that, the literature teacher exclaimed, clearly amazed.
“Let’s pull those papers out and see who this mystery genius is. We must have a superstar in our grade this time,” Donald chimed in, excited.
He was not only Cassie’s homeroom teacher but also the grade leader, and the students’ performance would impact his bonuses
The teachers quickly dug out the graded papers. When they saw the name, everyone’s faces went pale. “Cassie?”
Donald went through the exams one by one-all the perfect and near-perfect scores belonged to Cassie.
“How is this possible? Last time, Cassie got only F in math.”
“Exactly! She basically turned in a blank paper for Uprian. There’s no way this can be her level!”
“Well, well,” Donald sneered. ‘Cassie’s been on a roll lately, and I’ve been looking for a way to bring her down. I didn’t expect her to cheat so boldly. What a golden opportunity