Chapter 24: Harper
"Oh my God, Charlie… he's… actually handsome." My grandmother stepped closer, giving me a long look, "You poor thing. You inherited the looks but hopefully not the brain damage."
Hum, that was a good jab.
"Hello, grandmother. I'm Francis Jacob Pritchett," I introduced myself politely
"Hi, sweetheart. I'm Evelyn Nora Harper," she replied with a poised smile before turning sharply to Charlie. "You still haven't added Harper to his name? I don't have bastard grandchildren, Charles."
"Mom, we met three days ago, and the DNA results came out yesterday," Charlie said defensively.
"Charles Francis Harper, you met this boy three days ago and I'm just finding out now?" Evelyn raised her voice theatrically. "And only because I happened to drop by?"
She crossed her arms. "And what DNA test? Don't you have eyes? Or has all that drinking already blurred your vision?"
"He could be our brother. I'm not the only one who had multiple partners," Charlie mocked
"I would know if I had given birth to a third one," Evelyn retorted sarcastically and walked toward the kitchen.
"Where are your witty, quick comebacks, Francis?" Charlie glanced at me.
"Are you kidding me? Grandmother looks like a wealthy and successful woman. Why would I confront her when I have so much more to gain by being on her side, Dad?" I explained.
Even though I already had plenty of money, having one more person with strong connections is never a bad thing. There's no reason for me to go against her - unless she crosses the line.
"You called me Dad," Charlie said with a wide grin, placing his hand on my shoulder. "But wait… what do you mean by being on her side? You're supposed to be on my side."
"I can do both, don't worry," I replied calmly, and we all headed to the kitchen.
Evelyn was already pulling a few papers from the folder she was holding.
"Francis, dear, we'll talk in a moment. Grandma needs to deal with her other son's problem," Grandmother told me.
"What problem?" Alan asked, already reaching for some coffee.
"This is a list of the top divorce attorneys in Los Angeles," Evelyn said, showing a thick stack of papers. "I've made appointments for you with each of them."
"I don't need to meet any attorneys. I'm not getting a divorce," Alan denied the idea, pouring coffee into his cup.
"I'm sure you don't think so," she gave him a sharp look. "The point is, if you consult with all the good lawyers, it'll be a conflict of interest for them to represent Judith.
She'll be stuck with some ambulance-chasing clown from Van Nuys who'll fold like an origami swan," she explained.
I didn't know much about lawyers, but it sounded like a valid tactic. Judging by Judith's personality, she'd probably try to squeeze out as much as possible.
"I don't want this to be-" Uncle Alan began, but was cut off by Evelyn.
"Mommy busted her hump on this, Alan."
"Thank you?" he replied, not really sure what to do
"So, Francis, how old are you? Where are you living and studying?" Evelyn looked at me.
Alan and Charlie also sat down, with Berta appearing as well, mentioning that Jake was in his room playing video games.
"I'm sixteen. I turned in January. I'll be studying at Brentwood School, which is very close to where I live," I answered her.
I decided to give high school a try; I can always quit if I find it not worth it. Brentwood School is the same one Haley attends, and Jay managed to get me in through his connections (I haven't shown my full intelligence yet, and my record doesn't exactly help).
"Good school," Evelyn nodded. "You'll be a junior, I presume?"
"Nope, I got expelled from my old school. I'll be doing sophomore year again," I revealed.
"Why?" This time it was Alan who asked.
"Got caught in libidinous acts," I replied with a straight face. There was no reason to lie about something that sooner or later someone would find out.
Everyone immediately looked at Charlie.
"Yes, he's your son," Evelyn said dryly.
"Grandmother, save your judgment for the end of this month. I can prove that intelligence isn't an issue in my case," I told her seriously.
I sent a copy of my proof of the Fundamental Lemma of the Langlands program to some of the greatest mathematicians alive:
Robert Langlands and Pierre Deligne (Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton), James Arthur (University of Toronto), Gérard Laumon (Université Paris-Sud), Jean-Pierre Serre (Collège de France), Benedict Gross (Harvard University), and Gerald Lambeau (Caltech).
The last one was the only surprise I came across while researching the top mathematicians of this era. I remembered him from the movie Good Will Hunting (which doesn't exist in this world), but unfortunately, I couldn't find any William Hunting.
I would've loved to have another genius to compete with.
It serves two purposes: first, I'm reinserting myself into the world of mathematics. It was good to take a break, but now I want to return to it.
The second is that I'll gain support and letters of recommendation from several prestigious universities. This will basically shield me from any problems at Brentwood School - I'll have plenty of freedom to do as I please. Only if I did something extremely serious would they even consider punishing me.
A prestigious school like that would never expel the second coming of Gauss.
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A few days passed, and I continued balancing the two families I now had. Charlie bought only the best to redecorate my room in Malibu. Now I have a place where I can have fun without much concern (or judgment).
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