Chapter 12 Your Son Doesn't Qualify
Grace looked at Max in surprise.
Max sheepishly pulled out his keys to unlock the door.
Grace followed close behind. "Max?" How did he know it was Alexander who had taken her?
She'd assumed Alexander had discovered Max's identity and brought Max to the Hayes family.
Max said, "Mommy, you and Zara sit and chat. I'll make dinner for you both."
With that, he headed into the kitchen.
Grace felt suspicious. She always sensed Max was hiding too many secrets.
She didn't say much to Zara, who was always understanding and knew everyone had things they preferred not to discuss, so she didn't press further.
Zara suddenly asked, "Isn't Max about to start school?"
Grace nodded.
This was another worry weighing on her mind.
She didn't own any property, so Max could only attend school as a transfer student. The elementary school in their district had outdated educational standards, and just a few months ago, there had been reports of teachers physically punishing students.
Grace said, "If I had the means, I'd want Max to attend Windsor Academy."
Zara said, "Windsor Academy... I just remembered, Windsor Academy offers one scholarship spot each year that covers full tuition, but the interview requirements are extremely strict. Only one student in ten thousand gets selected. But Max is so brilliant—maybe he could win the scholarship?"
Grace asked in surprise, "A scholarship spot?"
Zara said, "Yes! The scholarship recipients get full tuition waived at Windsor Academy. Grace, why don't you try applying?"
That evening.
Grace organized Max's documents and accessed Windsor Academy's website to submit an application.
The website featured numerous campus photos.
Beautiful libraries, impressive academic buildings—Grace's eyes lit up with possibility.
She was the eldest daughter of the Foster family, but when she was very young, her mother had died early and her father remarried. After her stepmother arrived, she quickly bore her father a son and daughter.
From then on, Grace had been moved to the attic, transforming from a beloved little princess into a servant who did laundry and cleaning.
Originally, her father had enrolled her at Windsor Academy, but under her stepmother's opposition, he'd sent her to an ordinary boarding school instead.
Meanwhile, her stepmother's son and daughter had been sent to Windsor Academy and were now studying abroad on full scholarships.
She couldn't let Max repeat her life's path.
Monday morning.
Grace arrived punctually at Windsor Academy's gates with Max.
Bentleys, Rolls-Royces—the vast school entrance resembled a luxury car exhibition.
Among the uniformly dressed students in their pristine uniforms, she and Max stood out as outsiders.
Scholarship applicants needed to take a standardized test measuring the children's intellectual abilities.
The exam was computer-based with immediate results. The top five highest-scoring children and their parents would face an interview with the principal.
Outside the elementary division testing room.
Grace waited patiently while nearby parents chatted:
"Windsor Academy's tuition is expensive for good reason. Each class has only ten children with two teachers plus a caretaker. With such high staffing ratios, how could the children not excel?"
"Every parent wants their child to be outstanding! Besides, children attending elite schools form connections with heirs of wealthy families from childhood, broadening their perspectives and horizons."
"Windsor Academy isn't just about having money. Even wealthy families' children go through strict screening. Some parents pay the fifty-thousand-dollar annual tuition plus donate several hundred thousand more each year just to get their kids admitted!"
Grace grew more alarmed the more she listened.
She hadn't realized the cost of attending Windsor Academy was so astronomical!
"Mommy!"
Max was the first to exit the testing room, walking toward her with something clutched in his hand.
Grace approached him gently. "Max, you finished so quickly?"
A group of parents gathered around. "He turned in his test after just ten minutes?"
"Were the questions difficult?"
Max ignored the other parents and looked at Grace, suddenly handing her an interview notice: "I passed the exam. We have a principal's interview in twenty minutes."
"Oh my goodness!"
"Were the questions really that simple?!"
Exclamations erupted from the surrounding parents.
Grace excitedly lifted Max up, kissing his adorable little face repeatedly. "Max is amazing! Max is Mommy's pride!"
Twenty minutes later.
The principal's office.
An assistant entered and said, "Principal, only one child passed this exam screening."
The test questions had been very difficult, so only one spot was filled while all other children failed completely.
The assistant handed over the application list.
The principal glanced at the information sheet.
"Max, age seven..."
The principal said, "Send them in for the interview."
The assistant could sense the principal's impatience and dismissiveness. After all, students applying for scholarships were mostly from ordinary backgrounds, and for Windsor Academy, which valued family pedigree, this spot felt like charity—naturally receiving little attention.
Not every year did children pass the scholarship exam, precisely because the principal deliberately created extremely difficult questions to screen out parents who naively thought attending Windsor Academy would automatically elevate them into high society.
The door opened.
Grace entered holding Max's hand.
"Good afternoon, Principal."
The principal looked up, glanced over briefly, but his gaze lingered on Max with some surprise.
This child seemed different from the usual applicants.
He wore simple clothing—a crisp white shirt, cute dress pants, and polished leather shoes. A black bow tie adorned his collar. Max stood straight with his hands behind his back, looking like an elegant little gentleman despite his ordinary outfit.
The principal said, "You must be Max?"
Max replied, "Yes. I'm Max, and this is my mommy."
The little boy answered confidently without any nervousness.
The principal asked, "Where's your father? Why is only your mother here?"
Max said, "I don't have a father."
The principal looked at Grace. "Ms. Foster, are you a single-parent household?"
Grace said, "Yes... I'm divorced and raising my child alone."
The principal's expression grew troubled. "Ms. Foster, I don't think you understand Windsor Academy's standards. We place great importance on children's family backgrounds. In a child's development, fathers are as indispensable as mothers. A complete family structure is a mandatory requirement for admission to Windsor Academy."
Grace was stunned—she hadn't known Windsor Academy had such strict requirements.
"Single-parent children shouldn't face prejudice," Grace said. "My son is exceptional, so I hope he can attend an exceptional school and receive quality education."
"This isn't prejudice," the principal smiled. "Ms. Foster, may I ask—if you couldn't even manage your own marriage successfully, how can you ensure you'll play such an important role properly in your child's development?"
Grace frowned, feeling the principal's question was somewhat offensive. "As far as I know, Mr. Hayes's son also attends Windsor Academy. Mr. Hayes is also unmarried and from a single-parent background—why was he granted an exception?"