**Cooper Household.**
After the serious discussion...
"Missy, what are your plans for the future?" Adam asked with a smile.
Missy shrugged. "I'm not as smart as Sheldon, and I'm not as good at business as Georgie. I'll just go with the flow."
"Sheldon has high IQ, Georgie has high financial intelligence, but you have high emotional intelligence," Adam said with a smile. "I think you could pursue a career in entrepreneurship or sales. You could go to college while helping Georgie grow his company. If the company becomes big one day, they'll definitely need someone with your talent.
Of course, if you're not interested in that, you could also consider becoming a psychologist or a host.
You're great at communicating and noticing the little details that others miss.
In this regard, you have an incredible gift—just as impressive as Georgie's talent for business and Sheldon's genius in science."
Sheldon, who had been lost in his own world, scoffed as soon as he heard this.
"Sorry," Sheldon said seriously. "I thought we were telling jokes just now."
Missy rolled her eyes, not even bothering to argue with her twin brother.
She had been belittled by Sheldon enough over the years. It didn't bother her when it came to math, but when it came to their parents' love and attention, it was heartbreaking.
Most of the time, she had to create a scene just to get her parents to glance away from Sheldon for even a moment. This had left her, a naturally beautiful and talented girl, feeling insecure and lost for a long time.
If Adam's influence hadn't been strong enough, Missy might have ended up becoming the "lowly waitress" her brother Sheldon always mocked her as.
"I'm not joking," Adam said with a smile. "Sheldon, don't you remember the test you and Missy took together? You didn't find it funny back then."
Sheldon's outburst startled Adam, who almost thought he was yelling about 'fake news.'
"That experiment was complete nonsense!"
In 1990, when they were ten years old, Sheldon and Missy participated in a twin study, thanks to their grandma's boyfriend, Dr. Sturgis.
At first, Sheldon was very excited—almost as much as his dad, who was thrilled about the hefty participation fee.
Missy, on the other hand, didn't want to participate at first because she didn't want to feel inadequate. But not wanting to disappoint her dad, and swayed by the promise of ice cream, she eventually agreed.
The first experiment tested their IQ.
Unsurprisingly, Sheldon aced it and dismissed the questions as child's play.
Missy, however, struggled despite chatting up the female test administrator the whole time. Her scores were poor, but she managed to build a good rapport with the administrator, even making her self-conscious enough to change her hairstyle and adjust her belt.
The second experiment tested their emotional intelligence.
Missy effortlessly came up with detailed stories for each picture, noticing tiny details that even the administrator missed.
The test administrators were stunned.
Sheldon, on the other hand, couldn't understand the point of the storytelling exercise. When asked repeatedly, "Is there more?" he grew impatient and refused to participate any further.
Missy was fantastic in every way except for one: she was terrible with numbers. When she heard they were getting paid for the experiment, she asked her dad for half of the money.
Her dad lied, saying they only earned $7.50 (when it was actually $300), and then asked her how much half of that was.
Missy thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so she had to get Sheldon's help.
She often struggled with numbers, even losing count while brushing her hair from one to a hundred.
With math skills like that, it was no surprise she would have trouble getting into college.
If Adam hadn't intervened, Georgie's tire business would have been delayed for several years.
By then, Missy would have missed the right age for college, ending up working low-paying jobs and gradually fading into the background—just as Sheldon had predicted.
"IQ and emotional intelligence are two different things," Adam said with a smile. "If Missy puts in the effort, I can write her a recommendation letter. She'll have no problem getting into college, and her future will be completely different."
He then looked at Sheldon, who was still grumbling. "Sheldon, don't you want your sister to be successful? You're twins. Her success reflects on you, too."
Sheldon paused, then frowned. "I hadn't thought of it that way. You have a point. We share the same genes. I'm so exceptional, so even if I got all the nutrients, Missy should still be above average."
Mary's eyes lit up with hope. "Is that possible?"
Adam's words reminded Mary of the lonely look Missy had during the experiment.
As Missy had once put it, their family was divided into three teams.
Dad and Georgie were one team, always playing football together. Original content can be found at novelFɪre.net
Mom and Grandma were the second team, always focused on Sheldon.
And she was the third team—just herself.
Even though Mary felt guilty and tried to compensate, Missy soon faded into the background again because Sheldon was such a handful.
Now, reminded by Adam, Mary felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and was even more determined to focus on Missy's future.
"Of course," Adam said with a smile. "It might not be the best college, but it'll be enough for Missy to grow and improve."
It was a small effort with huge potential benefits.
Georgie was likely to grow his business into a leading tire company in Texas, but could it get even bigger?
Adam believed it could.
Georgie had a knack for business, but he was terrible academically, barely scraping through high school by cheating.
With his limited knowledge and vision, even his high financial intelligence would only take him so far.
Missy, on the other hand, was gifted at interacting with people. Whether in sales or as a business leader, she could excel.
If she went to college and received proper training, she could fully develop her talents and help Georgie expand the tire business.
High financial intelligence combined with high emotional intelligence could lead to something huge—maybe even another Michelin.
And if that happened, Adam's 30% stake in the company would be worth a fortune, even after dilution from future investments.
Thinking about it that way, this investment could be as valuable as investing in companies like Apple, Google, or Amazon.
All he had to do was spend $200,000 now, give a little guidance, and help out when needed.
And if it didn't work out?
No big deal. The important thing was to stay true to his intentions.
As Sheldon's good friend, Adam didn't want to see Missy's potential go to waste just because no one guided her.
It would be a tragedy for such a talented girl to end up as the "lowly waitress" Sheldon had always called her.
That would be a terrible waste.
And wasting potential is a shame!