The next day, Jennifer and Maxwell went to the airport to pick up Caleb. He happily brought out gifts he had brought back for his parents, grandma, and sister. "Here's a necklace for Mommy, a tie for Daddy, and a scarf for Grandma! By the way, where's Cass?"Jennifer and Maxwell were delighted to receive the gifts, feeling proud that their son was finally growing up. Meanwhile, Camila thought to herself that Caleb would be perfect if only he wasn't Jennifer's blood.Maxwell told Caleb, "Cass isn't home from school yet. You can put her gift in her room and surprise her when she gets back."Caleb winked at Maxwell. "Do you think she'll still be upset? I brought her the most gifts—chocolate, a doll, and a cute dress."Maxwell chuckled. "If I were Cass, I'd think I have the best brother and wouldn't be upset at all.""Really?" Caleb ran straight to Cassidy's room as soon as they got home, eager to hide the gifts in her closet.Later that evening, when Cassidy came home, she wasn't as
Cassidy put down her utensils and ran upstairs. Jennifer and Maxwell were stunned, unable to understand why their daughter was acting this way. Camila scolded them, "What's wrong with both of you? Why are you being so harsh? Poor Cassidy! She's just a little girl. How can you speak to her like that?"With that, she went upstairs, pretending to be concerned about Cassidy. Jennifer was too upset to keep eating, and Maxwell didn't know how to scold Cassidy. They wanted to check on their daughter, but Caleb needed comforting too. So, they stayed and consoled him first.…In her room, Cassidy lay on her bed, sobbing. Camila walked over. "There you go again, crying. But have your parents come to comfort you?"Cassidy sat up and leaned into Camila's arms. "Grandma, what should I do? It feels like Daddy and Mommy don't like me anymore.""Oh, Grandma worries about you too. Look at how biased your parents are," Camila said slyly. "When your mom's new baby is born, they'll probably not want you
Maxwell nodded. "Got it."After Camila left, Cassidy continued thinking about making her mom slip. Maxwell noticed her distraction and asked, "What's on your mind?""What? No… nothing." Cassidy quickly replied. "I was just thinking, will you… hit me?"Maxwell sighed. "Do you realize you made a mistake?"Cassidy suddenly felt guilty. She glanced at Maxwell, wondering if she had gone too far at dinner and if that made her parents dislike her even more. She whispered, "I know I was wrong. Daddy, I'm sorry."Maxwell patted her head in relief. "Now, why don't you apologize to Cal, too? The things you said must have hurt him. It's okay for kids to be moody sometimes. But if it keeps happening, people start to lose heart. Then, in time, no one will care for you."Cassidy nodded. "Then… I'll apologize to Cal."Maxwell held her hand and walked her to Caleb's room. Caleb was still upset about Cassidy's behavior."Cal, don't be mad anymore," Cassidy tugged his hand and apologized.Caleb
But Cassidy refused to leave. Her reluctance revealed the truth.The teacher sighed, disappointed. "Mrs. Lance, I understand that not doing homework is mainly an academic issue and could simply mean a lack of interest in learning. We can work on that. But what's more concerning is that she's lying at such a young age."Jennifer felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole. Why was there such a big difference between her two children? Caleb had skipped grades and excelled in every subject, while Cassidy seemed to be under some sort of curse. Not only was she struggling academically but she was also lying about her homework.Jennifer sternly asked Cassidy, "Why didn't you do your homework?"Cassidy kept her head down. It wasn't that she didn't want to do it. She was just so preoccupied with debating whether or not to make her mom slip that she couldn't focus at all.Out of respect for Maxwell, the teacher refrained from criticism and said instead, "Mrs. Lance, I think lying is a much m
As Cassidy thought about the fact that after her punishment, she would likely have to stay up all night catching up on homework, she felt her life was growing bleak. Standing at her room door, she felt humiliated each time a maid passed by and saw her.By noon, she rubbed her aching legs, hoping time would speed up. Just then, Camila came with a bag of snacks."My sweet granddaughter, I pity you!" Camila pulled out the snacks. "Hurry, eat up. Your mom may not care about you, but I do!"Cassidy was moved to tears. "Thank you, Grandma. But… but Mommy didn't say I could eat. She'll be angrier if Martha tells her."Camila chuckled. "No need to worry. Your mom just went out. Don't worry, I'm here. I'd like to see who dares to trouble you!"With that, Camila led Cassidy to her room, giving her snacks and drinks. Camila feigned pity. "You poor thing. In a few months, life will only get harder for you when the baby arrives."Cassidy's heart sank. Suddenly, her favorite cookies and chocol
Maxwell was likely in the study, and Jennifer should be in the bedroom. Cassidy nervously wondered if she should really do as Camila suggested and make her mother fall. Would her parents treat her as their precious princess again, instead of being so strict with her if the baby were gone?With that thought, Cassidy began to walk toward the master bedroom. She peeked inside. No one seemed to be there. She slipped into the bathroom and stared at the bottle of body wash. Her hand trembled as she reached for it, planning to pour it onto the floor.But as soon as she touched the bottle, her heart tightened and she dropped the bottle as if it were burning in her hands.No, she couldn't do it! She didn't want her mother to fall. It would hurt her.Just then, Jennifer's voice came from behind her. "Cass, why are you here? Did you finish your homework?"Cassidy quickly turned around, staring at Jennifer in shock. Her heart was pounding against her chest.Jennifer gazed at her daughter in conf
Caleb was shocked by this and looked at Cassidy in disbelief. "Say that again. Who told you to do something like that?"Cassidy said dejectedly. "It was Grandma. She said it was our little secret, and I couldn't tell anyone else.""That's going too far!" Caleb stood up, seething. "That's evil! Do you understand? If Mommy really fell, it wouldn't just hurt a bit. You would practically be killing your own sibling!"Cassidy trembled with fear and sobbed, "It's not like that. Grandma said it would just be a little fall and wouldn't hurt much. I… I'm so glad I didn't do it."Unable to hold back his anger, Caleb stormed out and headed straight to Camila's room.Camila was in the bathroom, running water to prepare for a warm soak. She was savoring the thought that the foolish Cassidy would soon make her move. If Jennifer and Hugo wanted her and Maxwell to tear each other apart, then she would make sure Jennifer and her daughter were at odds with each other instead.She wondered if Jenni
Maxwell hurried over to help Camila up. He yelled, "What happened here?"Caleb was also shaken. He hadn't intended to hurt Camila. Cassidy cried, "It's my fault!"But the maid, who had witnessed the whole thing, nervously spoke up, "I… I saw Mr. Caleb push Madam Camila."Maxwell glared at Caleb and shouted at the maid, "Call an ambulance, now!"…At the hospital, Camila had five stitches on her forehead.Maxwell and Jennifer sat silently, lost in thought. Jennifer knew Camila was still Maxwell's mother despite everything, and blood ran thicker than water. However, she didn't understand why Caleb and Cassidy would do such a thing.Maxwell asked Camila directly after her stitches were done. "Mom, why did Cal push you?"Camila put on a sad look. "How would I know? He came in and started asking what I had taught Cassidy. I'm baffled myself. I don't understand why those two hate me!"Maxwell had a dark look as he helped Camila up. "Let's go home and get to the bottom of this."