The day I came back from overseeing overseas trade, it was my sister's lover who opened the door for me.
I was already used to it. Mabel had always kept a lover, and it didn’t bother me anymore. It was just a part of the family dynamic.
So, without a word, I walked past him and made my way up the stairs.
But then, he grabbed my arm, pulling me back with a cocky grin.
“A new servant? Perfect. Wash my feet,” he barked, like he was doing me a favor.
I gave him a hard look, too tired and irritated to deal with someone so clearly beneath me. I tried to step around him and go inside, but he blocked my way.
“Stop right there!” he shouted.
Before I could move, his fist slammed into my face.
“Who told you to leave? How dare a servant look at me like that?” he spat. “This house is mine now. Do as I say, or I’ll have you thrown out tonight.”
My jaw throbbed, copper filling my mouth, but I didn’t back down. I didn’t even stagger.
Instead, I wiped the blood from my lip, pulled my phone from my pocket, and dialed Mabel.
“You’ve got ten minutes,” I said, my voice flat and cold. “Get that bastard you brought back out of my house. If not…” I paused for effect, letting my words hang in the air. “Then you can forget about the last bit of shares you still have.”
——
In our family, daughters were valued highly, and sons were often ignored. But their love for my sister meant she could do whatever she pleased, while I was the one chained to the family business.
The result?
While I was buried in finance, Mabel was busy with a lover.
While I was handling international trade, she was still tangled up with Tyler Connor.
Our parents weren’t concerned about her ruining her life; instead, they worried that her reckless actions might influence me. When I turned eighteen, they sent me abroad—calling it 'further studies,' but in reality, it was mainly to keep me out of their way.
Now, the family’s future was in my hands, and Mabel had long since gotten used to following my lead.
So what gave her lover the right to think he could walk all over me?
Just as the phone was about to connect, Tyler yanked it out of my hand and smashed it to the floor.
Then, with a sneer, he stepped on it.
“What’s this act?” Tyler scoffed. “There were ten people just like you this morning pretending to be Mabel’s brother. You think I’m that gullible?”
He shook his head, smirking as if I was too stupid even to matter.
“You really don’t know, do you? Her brother, Patrick, ran off abroad years ago. For all we know, he’s rotting in some ditch by now. The Ashcombe estate? That belongs to me. So if you don’t want to vanish from Westbrooke like the nobody you are, you’d better learn your place and start serving me.”
I bent down to pick up my shattered phone, still processing his words.
Didn’t Mabel inform him that the entire Ashcombe family now depends on me?
I let out a mocking laugh. “Tell me, what’s so special about Mabel? How is she the one making decisions for this family?”
Tyler rolled his eyes dismissively. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, like he had all the time in the world.
“You’re hopeless,” he said. “Let me explain something. I’m the eldest son of the Connor family, the only heir. I’ve got everything.”
He paused dramatically before continuing. “Second, I’m here because of Eliza. The Ashcombes are under Eliza's management now. Mabel’s useless. She can’t even sign anything without Blackwell Group’s approval. And you? You’re just some unknown servant, and you think you can talk about her?”
Eliza? Eliza Blackwell?
I froze for a moment.
Wasn’t Eliza the woman my parents had arranged for me when I was younger?
I asked her to assist my parents with the business while I was overseas, but it was mainly about the company.
Since when had she become 'The Head of Operations '?
Since when had she become the manager?
When I didn’t respond, Tyler seemed to think I was afraid.
He suddenly kicked the suitcase by my side.
“What are you waiting for?” he spat. “Hurry up and boil some water. If you don’t serve me properly, I’ll make sure you disappear from Westbrooke by tomorrow.”
I didn’t bother answering him. My eyes locked on the chain around his neck.
It looked familiar. Too familiar.
That was the necklace I’d given Mabel for her birthday last year.
So this was her so-called 'important person'?
A clown hiding behind Eliza Blackwell’s name, stealing my sister’s heart right under my nose.
