That was where the call ended.
It was late by the time I got home.
Several Rolls-Royces and Maybachs were parked at the gate.
Even the Harding matriarch had come.
"Since the Delgado heir is Neal, and since the two of them are already husband and wife in every real sense, then we break the rules and let them marry."
Neal and Phyllis were still standing there fingers laced together, wrapped up in each other, kissing like they couldn't contain themselves.
Everyone watching gave satisfied nods.
"Here, these are all my gifts for Neal."
"The suit is pure hand-stitched silk, custom-made. And the shoes, the luxury jewelry, all of it."
The moment Fay Harding finished, she turned to look at Phyllis.
"And the Harding family's heirloom jade ring? Bring it out now too, put it on Neal."
Her words had barely landed when the servants noticed me standing at the door.
"Young Master, you're back."
Every head turned toward me. The stepfather curled his lip in a cold smirk. Neal looked smug but didn't dare let it show.
Phyllis and my mother just sat there watching me, perfectly at ease with themselves.
As I walked in, Phyllis stood and came toward me.
Her face, in that moment, gave me only one feeling. Cold.
Not a word of explanation, no greeting either, she simply put out her hand and asked me to hand back the Harding family's heirloom jade ring.
The servants looked at me with eyes full of pity.
In that instant, everything I had called family and love turned to ash.
"Before I give it back, there's just one thing I want to know."
"If you never loved me, why did you agree to be engaged to me first?"
"Is the human heart really that weak under any test?"
Phyllis's expression darkened.
"Then do you know why I changed my mind, why I broke it off and got engaged to Neal instead?"
How would I know that? She saw me stay silent and took it to mean I didn't dare say.
"Hmph. So you don't dare say it in front of everyone?"
"So it turns out you're afraid of people finding out what terrible thing you did too?"
Terrible thing? I had never done anything to wrong a single person, so I pressed her for the truth.
"You say I did something terrible? Then tell me. What exactly did I do?"
The words had barely left my mouth when Neal rushed over and threw his arms around Phyllis.
"Phyllis, stop. Don't say it."
"Whatever my brother did, he had his reasons. He was probably afraid I'd steal Mom's love away."
He was crying again. What did he have to feel wronged about? Then he turned to face me and dropped straight to his knees.
"Brother, please don't be angry."
"No matter what you've done to me, I won't hold it against you."
"I won't take Mom from you. And as for control of the company and Phyllis, if you're unwilling to give them up, then I won't dare ask for them."
"All I want is for my father and me to live out our lives in the Delgado house, simply, in peace. That's all!"
With that, he kowtowed to me. Phyllis quickly stopped him.
"Neal, don't kneel to a man that black-hearted. And you certainly don't need his permission to have happiness or a place in this family."
"As long as I, Phyllis Harding, am alive, I'll protect you. One day of my life, one day of protection. A lifetime, a lifetime of it."
The words sounded so familiar. She had once said the very same thing to me, to protect me.
How everything had changed while the things themselves stayed the same.
"Are you two done with the performance? Because if you're done, then tell me. What did I do?"
Phyllis started to speak, but Neal shook his head hard.
On the surface it looked like he was shielding me. In truth, the more pitiful he looked down there on his knees, the more Phyllis would do anything for him.
"Neal, this time I'll question him if it kills me."
She looked at me, her eyes full of fury.
"You already had everything. So why did you hire someone to kill Neal?"
