Editor: Henyee Translations Remembering Grace’s complaints, Aric’s resentment toward Evelyn only deepened.
In his eyes, like any celestial being, Grace was the purest, unable to commit any wrong.
She had merely reminded Evelyn to mind her manners in front of guests, yet Evelyn had repaid that kindness with hostility and insults.
Aric and Grace had grown up inseparable.
He would never allow anyone to bully his sister.
With that thought, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and headed downstairs.
Evelyn’s eyes lingered on him for no more than a second before she looked away.
Grace already treated her like an unwanted outsider.
She had even less reason to expect anything from a younger brother she had never met.
As long as they stayed out of her way, she couldn’t care less what they thought of her.
Unfortunately, the siblings seemed cut from the same cloth.
Both were determined to provoke her.
As Evelyn walked past him, she caught a glimpse of Aric casually sliding one foot into her path.
A sneer tugged her lips.
Trying to trip me?
Before he could succeed, Evelyn stepped firmly onto his foot.
Completely unprepared for Evelyn’s response, Aric immediately lost his balance.
Seizing the moment, Evelyn planted a hand between his shoulder blades and gave him a sharp shove.
“Ahh—!” His startled cry echoed through the villa.
A second later, he tumbled down the staircase.
Evelyn stood at the top and looked down at him without the slightest concern.
Aric landed awkwardly on his knees, one hand clutching the bannister for support.
A sharp pain burst through his legs, leaving him unable to stand for several seconds.
Just then, Isabelle walked through the front door.
The moment she saw her son sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, her face drained of color.
“Aric!” Panic surged through her.
She rushed over and helped him up.
Aric had been ready to curse Evelyn out, but the instant he heard his mother’s voice, an idea struck him.
His eyes reddened as he put on a pitiful face.
“Mom, she pushed me down the stairs.” Isabelle was already furious over everything that had happened that day.
Seeing her son injured pushed her over the edge.
She had tolerated Evelyn’s attitude for the sake of the marriage alliance with the Lowells.
But Aric was her son, and he meant a life for her.
If anyone dared bully him, she wouldn’t let it slide.
She glared at Evelyn and snapped, “Why did you push your brother?” Evelyn looked at Aric’s aggrieved expression and couldn’t help sneering inwardly.
The siblings really are alike.
Even their performances follow the same script.
“He tried to trip me first,” Evelyn answered calmly.
“I simply returned the favor.” She sounded less like someone defending herself and more like someone stating an obvious fact.
Aric’s heart skipped a beat.
At the end of the day, he was only fifteen.
Faced with Evelyn’s composure, he felt an inexplicable sense of panic.
What if Mom believes her!
He immediately grabbed Isabelle’s arm and changed tactics.
“Mom, she’s lying!
She pushed me on purpose!
I never tried to trip her.” His voice cracked as tears welled in his eyes.
“Ah..
My leg hurts so much.
What if it’s broken?” Recently, news of Matthias’s injury had spread throughout Norbright, and everyone lamented the downfall of the city’s once-golden heir.
The moment Isabelle heard the words “my leg hurts,” her anxiety skyrocketed.
She quickly wrapped an arm around Aric.
“Don’t worry.
We will get you to the hospital right away.” An ambulance was called immediately.
Once that was taken care of, Isabelle finally exploded.
“I’ve barely brought you home, and you’re already trying to put your younger siblings in their place?
Clearly, I haven’t disciplined you enough.
Today, I will make sure you remember exactly who I am!” She stormed up the stairs and stopped in front of Evelyn.
Without hesitation, she raised her hand.
But before the slap could land, Evelyn caught her wrist midair and shoved it back down.
Isabelle froze, “How dare you…” Before she could finish, pain shot through her wrist.
Evelyn’s grip tightened just enough to make her suck in a sharp breath.
Looking directly into Isabelle’s eyes, Evelyn spoke slowly and clearly.
“I already told you.
Your son tried to trip me first.
He got what he sowed.” Her voice remained calm, but there was something chilling beneath the surface.
“Isabelle, I never expected fairness from you.
But don’t mistake that for weakness.
If you want me to marry Matthias and secure whatever benefits you have been scheming for, then stop provoking me.” She paused.
“Otherwise, you will only have your precious younger daughter left to marry that man instead.” Then she released her hand.
Caught off guard, Isabelle stumbled backward.
She nearly fell down the stairs and only managed to steady herself by grabbing the bannister.
Evelyn didn’t spare her another glance, and walked upstairs.
Isabelle had yet to recover from what she had encountered and only watched Evelyn’s retreating figure.
The image of Evelyn’s eyes lingered in her mind.
Cold, sharp and unsettling.
For the first time, she realized she didn’t understand this daughter at all.
In her memory, Evelyn had always been quiet and obedient during their occasional phone calls before Grace was born.
She had always assumed Evelyn was someone easy to manipulate.
Yet the woman standing before her today felt like an entirely different person, and a faint unease crept into Isabelle’s heart.
Evelyn had refused to get changed and to lie like she was told, and refused to obey.
All of it pointed to one undeniable truth– Evelyn was not someone who could be controlled.
And her words made something equally clear.
She wasn’t naive.
More importantly, she was aware of why they had brought her back.
The realization unsettled Isabelle more than ever.
If she understood the situation so clearly, why had she agreed to join them?
What exactly was she planning?
For the first time, Isabelle wondered whether bringing Evelyn home had been a mistake.
What would happen once Evelyn married into the Lowell family?
Would she interfere with the benefits Mrs.
Lowell had promised Ashford?
The more Isabelle thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became, and a large part of that discomfort stemmed from shame.
She had assumed a girl raised in the countryside would be naive and easy to deceive.
After all, Isabelle herself had grown up in a small town, and she still remembered how timid she had felt when she first moved to the city.
Evelyn seemed unlike anything she had expected.
In front of her, Isabella felt that she was making a fool of herself.
A flicker of guilt surfaced as well.
After all, Evelyn was her daughter.
No one knew better than Isabelle herself how unfairly she had treated her.
But the guilt didn’t last long.
Almost immediately, another thought followed.
She was the daughter, and she should help shoulder the family’s burdens.
Besides, marrying into the Lowell family would give her a lifetime of wealth and luxury!
Yet that ungrateful child dared to speak to her with such disrespect.
It must have all been that old woman’s influence.
No wonder she had been raised into an ill-mannered and uncivilised person.
Meanwhile, Aric remained stunned by Evelyn’s words.
Not because he had reflected on them, but because he was more certain about what Grace had told him before – His eldest sister was malicious, violent, and nothing more than a crude country girl.