Chapter 17
By the time Sadie got home, it was already dark.
The butler stepped forward. “Your brothers and Ms. Houston are having dinner out with the others. They won’t be back
tonight.”
“Okay.”
Sadie headed to the dining room and quietly ate by herself–for
once, enjoying the rare peace and quiet.
She unlocked her phone and, unsurprisingly, saw a new post
from Lorena.
Lorena: [Out for a fancy dinner with my favorite brothers.]
In the photo, all her brothers were smiling indulgently at the
camera, doting on her like she was the star of the family.
Sadie stared at it for a second, then closed the app and went
back to eating in silence.
The next morning, Sadie got up and went to the dining room for
breakfast.
None of her brothers had snow up you
Lorena beamed smugly. “I made a lot of progress at training
yesterday!”
Sadie sat down, ate her breakfast without saying a word, and
completely ignored her.
But Lorena didn’t mind the cold treatment–she was in high
spirits.
She thought, ‘Sure, act all calm on the outside. Deep down, she
must be seething.
Sadie finished her food in just a few bites and got up to leave.
The driver stood nearby but didn’t move. “Ms. Houston hasn’t
come out yet. We’re supposed to wait and take you both
together.”
Sadie got in the car and waited… ten minutes passed. Still no sign
of Lorena.
She glanced at the time, growing more and more irritated. “If
she doesn’t come soon, we’re going to be late.”
She was really starting to lose her patience with the entire
Douglas family.
Finally, she reached
own.
Just then, Malik stepped out.
“What’s the big deal about waiting a little longer for Lorena?” he snapped. “Her dad saved your life, remember? He didn’t run off
and leave you. And now you can’t even wait a few minutes for
his daughter?”
Sadie’s hand tightened around the door handle, knuckles white.
Just as Sadie was reaching the edge of her patience, Lorena finally appeared–unbothered and running late as usual.
She jogged over with a sheepish smile. “Sorry! I was just talking
to Rhett about the team and totally lost track of time.”
Malik brushed it off with a chuckle. “It’s fine. At least you’re
doing something useful for the family–unlike someone else who
doesn’t know how to appreciate what they have.”
The driver added kindly, “Don’t worry, I’ll drive a little faster.”
Even with the extra speed, they still ended up late.
By the time they arrived at school, their homeroom teacher was
already standing at the classroom door.
Chapter 17
Lorena, looking a bit flustered, spoke first. “I’m really sorry. This was all my fault. I held Sadie up too.”
Sadie said nothing, her face completely blank.
The teacher gave Lorena a warm smile. “It’s alright. No need to
explain. Go on in.”
“Thank you.”
انات
Sadie followed her in, but just as she stepped through the door,
the teacher’s tone suddenly turned cold.
“Sadie, don’t drag Lorena down with you again. I won’t tolerate
this kind of behavior next time.”
Sadie paused and looked back. “But Lorena just said it was her
fault.””
The teacher’s smile vanished. “Don’t talk back. I know your
attitude. One more word and you can stand for the rest of the
class.”
Sadie bit her tongue and walked to her seat. She didn’t want to
miss another lesson–she was already behind.
‘Just get through the next exam, she thought. ‘The sooner I’m
out of here, the better!
Chapter 17
At lunch break-
Lorena was surrounded by classmates, animatedly talking
about her training with the pro team. Her audience was all ears,
hanging on every word.
One of her friends shot a glance at Sadie and whispered, “She
probably made you late on purpose. Jealousy’s a scary thing.”
