Chapter 4

Phoebe's mom hurled the vilest insults at me, calling me a lowly tramp like my mom, saying I should have died with my parents, rotting in the mud. Grandpa couldn't stop her. I pretended not to hear.

Go on, curse all you want. I'm staying with the Lewis family anyway. The more you curse, the longer Grandma lives. Until someone chuckled from the corner of the sofa. Everyone's eyes turned to him. He stood up lazily, straightening his wrinkled shirt.

"Mr. Lewis, your house is quite lively today. I see you have a lot to handle, let's reschedule our meeting about the land in East City."

Grandpa was startled, having forgotten there was an outsider in the mansion.

"Theo, sorry for the oversight. You should head back today; I'll invite you to the garden for tea another day."

He strode over to me. "Excuse me, your bag is in my way."

Oh, sorry. I obediently moved my luggage aside. He gave me a meaningful look, muttering softly, "Let's see how long you can keep this up..."

Then he turned to Grandpa with a smile, "I heard Declan is about to get promoted. Congratulations in advance. A scandal wouldn't be good right now. Mr. Lewis, you should keep an eye on your backyard."

Grandpa's face turned dark as he saw him out. Turning back, he slammed his tiger-head cane on the ground and pointed at Phoebe's mom, scolding her.

"You're a disgrace! Embarrassing us in front of the Taylor family, get inside!"

She wanted to retort but was silenced by Grandpa's fierce glare, reluctantly taking Phoebe with her.

"Wait," Grandpa stopped her, rubbing his temples tiredly. "I know this is hard on you, but we can't let anything jeopardize Declan. Haven't you always wanted that Rongxi Jewelry under my name? I'll transfer it to you the day after tomorrow."

Her expression softened. "Thank you, Dad."

I secretly rolled my eyes. See, in this world, everything has a price.

With that jewelry store, Phoebe's mom was appeased and would mostly ignore me. But Phoebe never knew when to quit. Even at a young age, she had a knack for making people's lives difficult. She'd pour water on my bedding, dump my tests in the toilet, and let the Lewis family dog drink from my cup.

Once, she tossed an expensive hairpin into my coat pocket and then told Grandpa it was stolen. When they found it in my coat, her face was smug and arrogant.

Everyone could see her framing me, but no one would blame her. She told everyone I was a thief. People in their circle all hated me. Except Theo.

When Phoebe tried to slander me, he'd laugh, "If I were her, I'd steal money instead of some worthless hairpin. That'd be brainless."

The Taylor and Lewis families had a long-standing relationship. He was very respected in their circle.

Phoebe always clung to Theo, but he found her too young to hang out with. His defense of me fueled her resentment. Grandpa enrolled me in top-notch piano lessons, and the teacher was very strict about punctuality.

If a student was late, they wouldn't be accepted, no matter who vouched for them. So when Phoebe got my schedule, she deliberately sabotaged all the car tires at home when I had class.

The Lewis mansion was over ten kilometers from the piano teacher's studio in the city center. I bit my lip, ready to run the distance. Just then, Theo, finishing his business at the Lewis's, saw me. He called out to me.

"You'll be late even if you run till your legs give out. My car's by the riverside, I'll take you."

I turned back, surprised. Phoebe cried, "Third Brother, why do you always help her?"

Theo glanced at her, his tone cold, "Third Brother? Who said you could call me that?"

She was startled, sobbing quietly. He walked over to me, frowning, "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

His presence was intimidating; I shrank back, quickly following, thanking him as I went. "Thank you, Mr. Taylor."

"...Stop babbling."

He suddenly spoke from the back seat. "The softest fruit gets squeezed first. Do you want to be trampled forever?"

I saw his disapproving eyes in the rearview mirror. Only then did I realize his annoyance was because I didn't fight back.

"Thank you, Mr. Theo."

"...Stop rambling."

Even though he's only twenty, he's already experienced in negotiations alongside his father. That's why I address him as Mr. Theo. It seems like a respectful title, but he still looks displeased.

Feeling defeated, I opened the passenger door and got in.

From the back seat, he unexpectedly said, "The weakest get trampled on first. Do you want to be walked over your whole life?"

I caught his frustrated expression in the rearview mirror. It dawned on me that his annoyance was because I hadn't stood up for myself earlier.