Samiel knew Winter's true colors all too well. She might act all proper when she was out, but at home, she was a different person. Her petty tricks might fool others, but they did not fool him."Domestic helpers are people too. They work hard for their money and deserve respect. You shouldn't be hitting people and breaking things. Where did you get such a temper?" Samuel tapped his cane on the floor before turning to Julian. "Look at the fine daughter you've raised.""Dad!" Julian was taken aback. He never thought Winter would do such things, especially at home. He believed that despite her occasional spoiled behavior, she was still a well-mannered young lady who might complain a bit about Noelle but nothing more. "I'll make sure to teach her a lesson about this.""Please teach her the right way," Samuel said, clearly not convinced. "I just don't understand how you've raised her. She's been overly competitive since she was little, always taking things from Noelle. Snatching a toy is
Jade ushered Winter into the room. After shutting the door, she gave her a stern look. "What's gotten into you? Didn't I tell you to hold it in? You can't lose your temper at home, especially not in situations like this."Jade's heart sank as she recalled Samuel's attitude. She had been part of the Shaw family for years, but Samuel had always been distant toward her, and it was the same with her children."Mom, I know I messed up. Please don't be mad at me anymore!" Winter, ever the skilled actress, had quickly pulled herself together and was now sweetly holding Jade's hand. "I didn't manage to stay calm today, but do you know why?" Winter bit her lip, still upset about it.Jade knew her daughter well. Winter was usually so graceful and knew exactly how to act around others. She would not normally do something so out of character as she did today. "What happened?"Winter said with frustration, "It's all Noelle's fault.""Noelle? What does she have to do with it? Did she cause you
Jade quickly let go. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. Are you okay?"Winter shook her head. "Why are you telling me to keep it a secret?" She had been hoping to use that secret to persuade her grandfather to change his mind.Jade looked sad. "Have you forgotten about Simon?""Simon York?" Winter gasped as the memory of that man flashed through her mind. She remembered the day she had brought Noelle to Simon. It had been a perfect chance, yet somehow, Noelle slipped away.Noelle was drugged that day. Winter had seen her mom double the dose in the coffee. Winter figured if Noelle ended up with Simon at Samuel's birthday party, Samuel would be let down by Noelle and Xavier would think less of her.If Noelle made a scene at Samuel's party, she would be just as disgraced as Simon.Winter had thought figured out, but no one expected Noelle to slip away. Simon did not catch Noelle. Instead, Noelle turned the tables and injured him, landing him in the hospital. That mess caused City Ring Cor
Julian's brows creased with worry. "What about Noelle?""She has never repaid us with anything. It's only fair she helps the Shaw family now," Jade's biting words floated to Winter, who was surprised but kept listening.Julian was getting upset. "You've lost it! I told you we're not talking about this again. Do you want the whole world to find out?"Jade shrugged. "Why worry? I'm over it, and it's not even your problem." She added with a scowl, "We never should've brought that troublemaker home. Look how Dad's acting now."Julian cut her off, "That's enough! I need to think this over.""What's there to think about? Don't forget about the Yorks...""Enough. I've got to figure out how to bring Noelle back home!" Julian glared at Jade. "I know you don't like her, but do you think I do? Dad's no fool, and he knows what's going on."Jade stopped talking, though she was clearly upset. She could not help but take her anger out on Noelle.Winter lingered outside the door, listening.
Ava could not shake the feeling of injustice, believing that those who did not know the truth should not speak. Yet, she knew that when many voices joined together, the noise could be overwhelming, and things were rarely as simple as they seemed."Time to get back to work!""Alright," Ava replied, her energy drained. However, as she turned, she caught sight of Xavier, and her expression turned complex.Noelle caught sight of Xavier as well, and her eyebrows knitted together in a slight frown. Their relationship had changed so much that she hardly ever spent time with him anymore. Xavier, however, did not seem to realize that things were different now.Xavier walked over, his lips pressed tightly together. He was not happy when he saw Noelle's look. "Yesterday, you..."Noelle interrupted, looking up, "What? Is there something you need, Mr. Harris?"Xavier's brows were creased with worry. "Why didn't you come home last night? You're a girl, and you didn't come home all night. Don't
Noelle had wanted to earn Xavier's affection through her own hard work, so their romantic relationship was a secret to almost everyone. She never imagined that a single mistake would turn into a weapon for Xavier and Winter to use against her.Only their families knew the truth about them, but to everyone else, it was a mystery.Winter, a celebrity in the spotlight, had an engagement party with Xavier that drew in hordes of media. The story that Noelle had come between Winter and Xavier seemed to be confirmed.Noelle did not know who had managed to keep the story quiet in the end, but she was sure she would be left with the blame.Her eyes darkened as she locked eyes with Xavier. "What's done is done, and I can't change the past. But please don't come looking for me from now on unless it's work-related, especially not for these insignificant things!""What's not important?" Xavier was puzzled. He and Noelle had been so tight before, and she used to say yes to everything. Now, she
"Let me go!" Noelle squirmed, feeling sick as she looked at Xavier. She swung her hand and slapped him hard across the face. "Snap out of it, Xavier! Look at me—I'm Noelle, not Winter. If you've lost your mind, go chase after Winter.""Noelle, I made a mistake. You know you're the one I love. With Winter... I just lost control. She lured me in, Noelle." Xavier suddenly wrapped his arms around Noelle. No matter how much she wriggled and squirmed, he would not let go.Xavier's grip was so tight that Noelle could barely catch her breath. She felt gross all over, especially hearing his words. "Let me go, Xavier! If you don't, I'm going to scream for help.""Go ahead and scream. I'll just tell everyone you like me and that we're a couple. Noelle, I know you're mad about Winter, but you've got to understand that she has shares in City Ring Corp. I had no choice." He gripped Noelle's arms, continuing, "After I marry Winter and get the shares, I'll divorce her. Then, it'll be just you and m
"No, he's not some kind of wild man," Noelle said without thinking. After catching a glimpse of Xavier's face, she took a deep breath. "Xavier, this is the last time I'm going to say this—stop doing things that gross me out."She reached out and peeled Xavier's fingers away one by one. "We really should keep our distance at work!""Noelle!"Xavier watched Noelle walk away. Feeling frustrated, he punched the elevator door, startling the nearby employees. "Mr. Harris!""What are you doing here?" Joseph's voice came from behind Xavier, making him panic. "Dad!"Joseph gave Xavier a fierce look. "How many times do I have to tell you to behave at the company? You're engaged to Winter, so leave Noelle alone!" Joseph was so disappointed with his son, wishing he could just shape up. "You need to know what you really want!"Xavier scowled. "But Dad, Noelle and I really love each other." He did not want to be with Winter. He just wanted her shares and the company. Even though he was att
Liliana gazed into Sean's eyes, not looking away for even a second.Sean felt a jolt in his chest as if something had struck him, and a flurry of thoughts burst through his mind.He grimaced as if snapping out of a trance. "Is that why you pulled away from me?"Liliana looked down, silent.Feeling a mix of frustration and amusement, Sean asked, "Do you think I would think less of you because of that?"Liliana did not answer, and Sean chuckled lightly. "If I really thought less of you, do you think I'd have saved you? Would I have helped you?"Liliana suddenly lifted her head. "But I...""Nobody gets to choose where they come from, Liliana. It's not your fault," Sean said, looking into her eyes, which seemed to be on the verge of tears. Despite her delicate appearance, she had strength within her. She held back her tears, and her gaze stirred a sense of compassion in Sean.Liliana's heart skipped a beat. All her life, she had lived in the shadows. She thought everyone looked at
"Have you eaten yet?”Sean checked the time and realized it was getting late. It was way past dinner time.Liliana was still silent, her head bowed."I'm hungry!" Sean announced.Liliana glanced up, then quickly looked away. "Then you should go home and eat!""Don't you want to eat too?" Sean asked, reaching out and gently taking Liliana's hand.Liliana jerked her hand away as if she had been burned, leaving Sean's hand hanging in the air. He stared at her, surprised and a little hurt.Liliana felt bad about her reaction. "I'm sorry, Sean!"Sean scrunched his eyebrows. "Sorry for what? I told you, you've done nothing wrong. Why do you look so sad?"Sean did not usually have that much patience for people he barely knew, but he told himself that this was his good deed for the day. Besides, Liliana looked as sad as a puppy left out in the rain, and he could not help wanting to cheer her up. "Come on. Look at me," he said gently. "What's got you so scared?"Liliana did not know w
Sean was really pleased with the principal's promise. "You've got to keep your word, Principal. I may not be here, but the school is still in Brookville, and so is my family, the Smiths!" "Absolutely!" With his mission accomplished, Sean left with Liliana."Oh, and since Liliana is hurt right now..." "Of course, the school will give her some time off. Don't worry about your studies, Liliana. If you run into any issues, just come to me or the head of teaching. Your grades will be just fine!" Satisfied, Sean walked away. Liliana tagged along behind Sean. With his long arms and legs, Sean towered over her. Even though he was only eighteen, he was already much taller than Liliana by more than a head.Liliana stood by Sean, looking as tiny and frail as a malnourished child. Sean moved quickly, and Liliana had to trot to keep up with his long strides.The lawyer trailed behind them, a small smirk playing on his lips as he watched the scene unfold with amusement.After Sean dismisse
Sean always had a smile on his face, which made him look friendly. However, the principal felt Sean’s invisible pressure, and it made it hard to catch his breath."I'm not the one who got hurt, right, Principal?"It was clear that Sean meant that Liliana was the one who should decide what to do next.The principal's face froze for a second when he heard that, but he had seen a lot in his time and quickly returned to normal. "Liliana, what do you think we should do?"Liliana had never been part of something like this before. She grew up in the countryside and had never even met a principal before. Today, she had not only met the school’s top management, but even got an apology from them.She quickly turned to the principal. "Principal, it's all good. I'm fine now!"Liliana was still a bit shy, but the principal was relieved to hear her say that. "Liliana, you're really understanding!"Sean let out a huff, but he was already on the phone. Soon, there was a knock on the office do
Sean was not entirely sure why he was doing all this. It was just that when he looked at Liliana's swollen, bruised face, he found it hard to bear. Eventually, he came up with a perfect justification for himself.He figured that staring at her swollen, ugly face had made him feel a little sorry for her. Besides, it had been a while since he had done a good deed.Had his aunt not always called him a troublemaker? His aunt was always going on about karma, and after years of being influenced by her, Sean—despite his arrogance—had developed a habit of doing good deeds.She often said that all people had past and future lives, and if he accumulated enough good karma in this life, maybe he would be reborn into a fortunate family next time—perhaps even one as privileged as the one he was in now.Yes, that was it!With that logic in mind, Sean gave Jasper and McKenzie a ruthless lesson. In the end, to appease Sean, the school administration issued them both a major disciplinary record.E
Liliana remained silent, simply staring at Sean.Sean frowned, growing impatient. "If you want to forgive her, then forgive her. If you don't, that's fine too. Has she ever hit you?"His voice was cold, making the girl tremble. "Mr. Smith, I've never hit her! I swear!"She looked at Liliana, her face full of desperation.Liliana swallowed nervously. "S-Sean, she has never hit me." Even though the girl had joined in with the others to bully her, she had never actually laid a hand on her.Sean's expression remained dark, but he gave a small nod. "Alright. If you don't want to forgive her, then—""Sean!" Liliana quickly interrupted. "She really never hit me."Sean nodded again, indicating he understood.He turned to the girl, his sharp gaze settling on her trembling form. She looked truly terrified. "At least you had the sense to apologize first. I won't make a move this time. Now, get lost.""Yes, yes! Thank you, Mr. Smith! Thank you!" The girl looked at Sean gratefully, but he
Sean had never hit a woman before, but at this moment, as he looked at McKenzie, he did not mind making an exception.McKenzie was already shocked that Sean was actually taking action for Liliana, an illegitimate daughter. "Sean, just because your family is rich, you think you can do whatever you want—"Sean let out a chuckle, his tone laced with amusement. "That's exactly what I think. What? You don't like it?"McKenzie was momentarily stunned."It's the survival of the fittest," Sean continued nonchalantly. "If you think it's fine to bully someone weaker like Liliana, then why shouldn't I do the same to you?"His words were so brazen, so outright arrogant, making it crystal clear that he was here to seek justice for Liliana.His overbearing attitude was enough to make people dislike him, but so what?Sean had a point. This world operated on the law of the jungle.Everyone bullied Liliana simply because she was an illegitimate daughter. Even though she carried the Hoffman name
The crowd stiffened, completely unprepared for Sean to actually stand up for the so-called illegitimate daughter."Mr. Smith, that girl is a vixen. She—""Oh? A vixen?" Sean's narrow eyes held a faint smile. "And how exactly do you know that?""I... I...""Did she seduce you? Hmm?" Sean's gaze darkened.There was utter silence."So, it seems like while I wasn't at school, you all just assumed I was dead, huh?" Sean's voice carried a lazy drawl, yet there was an unmistakable sharpness to it. "I hear the school has a new leader?""No, no! That's not true! You're still the boss. You'll always be the boss!"Sean let out a low chuckle and turned to Liliana. "See that? These are the same people who bullied you so fearlessly. It turns out they can be put in their place too. Understand?"Liliana did not fully grasp why Sean was doing this, but she knew that after today, these people would hesitate before hurting her again.Her feelings were complicated. She knew she should be gratefu
Sean twitched the corner of his mouth. "Do I not have a name?"Liliana hesitated, her lips trembling slightly. "M-Mr. Smith."Sean frowned.Liliana immediately sensed his displeasure but had no idea why he was upset, so she dared not speak.Seeing her looking like a frightened little wife as if he had bullied her, Sean sighed impatiently. "What's with all this 'Mr. Smith' nonsense? You're not my staff.""Then...""Just call me by my name. It doesn't matter even if I'm older than you. Think of me as an older brother." Sean did not seem to care much, but his words stirred something deep inside Liliana."I..."Did she say to think of him like an older brother?She did have an older brother—Charles. He was the golden child of the Hoffman family and the future master of the household. He was raised to be exceptional in every way.Even so, she had never dared to look him in the eye, let alone address him as her brother.In her memory, Charles was a cold and distant figure, unappro