The Graham Heir—I Am Not An Adopted Nobody

Chapter 47: Thunder at the Gates

The energy of the morning break slowly faded away, and the students began dragging themselves back to their desks. The hallway noise died down, leaving the red Ferrari outside to glow under the harsh sun like a lonely trophy.

Anna stayed in her seat by the window. She didn't look out again. She didn't want to see the crowd or the car. She just stared at her desk.

A few minutes later, Jane walked in, her three shadows trailing behind her. They were still glowing, still whispering, their faces lit up with the kind of smug joy that only comes from hurting someone else.

Jane didn’t even look at Anna as she laughed her way to her seat.

The teacher came in and lectures continued, her voice filled the classroom with facts and figures, but Anna didn't hear a single word. Her mind was like a broken record, replaying the sound of Jane’s laughter and the sight of her notebook being crushed under her heel. She gripped her pen until her hand ached, forcing herself to just get through the day.

Hours went by. Finally, the long ring of the bell signaled the end of school.

Students poured out of the building like a tidal wave, their voices loud and excited. Outside the gates, the usual line of luxury cars was already waiting. Lamborghinis, Porsches, and Rolls-Royces idled in the heat, their engines humming a low, expensive tune. And right in the center, the red Ferrari sat like a queen on her throne.

A crowd was still gathered around Jane.

“It’s actually hers!” one girl squealed.

“That is insane, Jane. You’ve literally won life.”

Jane leaned against the shimmering red hood. Her designer sunglasses were back on, and her diamond studs reflected the light.

Anna walked down the stone steps slowly, her eyes scanned the parking lot.

No Bugatti. No Robert.

Her chest tightened, a cold knot of anxiety forming in her stomach. She tried to keep her face blank, but Jane noticed the moment she faltered.

“Well, well,” Jane called out, her voice cutting through the chatter. “Looks like someone’s ride didn't show up after all.”

A few students giggled. Anna kept walking, staring straight ahead, pretending she was deaf.

Jane stepped into her path, blocking her again. “Where’s the Bugatti, Anna? Oh, wait. I remember now. It wasn't even yours to begin with.”

Her friends laughed.

“I heard your brother had to beg Avery to let him borrow it,” Jane continued, her voice dripping with fake pity. “He probably spent every cent your family had left just to show off for one morning.”

Anna’s fists curled at her sides.

“And now?” Jane tilted her head, and her smile became wry. “Now you’re stranded. You might have to walk home, like the little beggar you are.”

“Or maybe she can start asking us for a ride,” one of the other girls added with a sneer.

Jane laughed— a cold, dry sound. “Or maybe she should just go back to being sold. At least then she wouldn't have to worry about transportation.”

The words hit like a physical blow. Anna felt her throat tighten and her eyes began to burn, but she refused to let a single tear fall. Not here. Not in front of them. She stepped around the crowd. Behind her, the laughter only got louder.

Then— the world paused.

BANG!

A sound ripped through the air, so deep and violent it felt like it was coming from the earth itself. It was a V12 roar, but it didn't hum— it screamed. It sounded like a series of gunshots rolling closer and closer, cracking the sky wide open.

The parking lot went dead silent. Conversations stopped mid sentence. The engine didn't fade, it grew louder— a loud aggressive growl that made the windows of the school rattle.

Every head turned toward the gates.

Something blue and inches from the ground rolled into view. It was wide, lethal, and completely unreal. A Pagani Barchetta. The metallic blue paint shimmered like liquid sapphires under the setting sun. Every curve of the carbon fiber body looked like it had been sculpted by hand. It didn't look like a car, it looked like two hundred million dollars turned into a weapon.

“No way...”

“Is that a Barchetta?!”

“That’s one of the rarest cars on the planet!”

Even the teachers and the professional drivers stepped forward, their mouths hanging open. Everyone stared. Jane’s smug smile slowly began to fade away.

The Pagani rolled through the gates, the engine rumbling like thunder. It glided across the lot and came to a smooth, perfect stop— right beside Anna.

The silence was deafening.

The scissor doors lifted upward slowly, like the wings of a predatory bird. A man in a glittering tailored suit stepped out from the driver’s side. He was calm, professional, and moved with a precision that made everyone else look clumsy.

“Oh,” someone whispered. “He’s just a driver. Who is he here for?”

The man walked around the front of the car and stopped directly in front of Anna. He didn't just nod, he gave her a deep, respectful bow.

“Miss Anna,” he said, his voice clear and steady. “The young master sent me to collect you in your new ride. This Pagani Barchetta belongs to you.”

The silence hit even harder than the engine roar. A student nearby actually dropped their phone. Jane stared at the car as if she had forgotten how to breathe.

Anna blinked, the shock washing over her for a split second before a calm, steady smile appeared on her lips. It wasn't a loud smile. It was the smile of someone who finally knew exactly who was standing behind her.

“I knew I could trust my brother,” she said softly.

The driver stepped aside and held the door open. Every eye in the school followed Anna as she walked forward. There was no rush or hesitation. She stepped into the Pagani, the door closed with a soft, expensive click.

The engine roared again. BOOM.

The sound echoed off the school walls like a warning shot. The Pagani zoomed forward, its V12 scream fading into the distance as it left every other luxury car in the lot looking like scrap metal. The Ferrari suddenly looked small and cheap.

Jane stood frozen in the middle of the parking lot. Her face was a deep, burning red. “This is fake,” she hissed, her voice shaking. “It has to be a lie. Nobody owns a Barchetta.”

But no one was looking at Jane anymore. The crowd had already turned away, their whispers filled with awe and fear.

“Did you see that?”

“That was hers? She owns it?”

“Her brother came earlier in a Buggati... who is he?”

Jane clenched her fists so hard her diamonds shook. “Get in the car!” she snapped at her driver. “Now! Take me home!”

She scrambled into her Ferrari, but this time, nobody cheered. No one took photos. The engine started, but compared to the Pagani, it sounded like a toy.

For the first time that day, Jane left the school without a smile on her face. The war had just moved to a whole new level.