I woke up feeling better than I had in months.
Usually after one of my episodes, there was always a lingering dissatisfaction. Shen Yili would soothe the symptoms, but only barely, always with that same reluctant restraint that left me feeling half-starved anyway.
Last night had been different.
Real relief.
Real warmth.
Real sleep.
And when I opened my eyes, I found Evan still there with me, letting me cling to him like he had nowhere else to be.
Of course I woke him immediately.
He blinked, sat up, and said the first thing out of his mouth in that soft voice, “Morning, sis.”
I patted his cheek, pleased. “Go to my house manager. Get one of my secondary cards. Visit your sister. I’ll handle the rest.”
His messy hair stuck up everywhere. Gratitude flickered through his eyes. “Okay.”
I tilted my head. “You didn’t sleep at all, did you?”
How could he have? His sister was in the hospital, his life in ruins, and he was lying in bed with a stranger who had bought him for the night.
He pressed his lips together, then nodded once.
“Go.”
He left quickly.
I took my time getting downstairs.
The house manager was already waiting.
“Miss Prescott,” he said, “Mr. Caldwell came last night.”
I wasn’t surprised. “Was he angry?”
“He said he would overlook your… reckless behavior this once.”
I turned to look at him. “Remind me what my family does in Harbor City?”
The house manager smiled faintly. “Nothing illegal. But when reason fails, our people do know how to use their hands.”
“Good,” I said. “Find someone with very good hands. Put a bag over Shen Yili’s head and beat him.”
The house manager blinked once.
Then he nodded. “Of course, miss.”
My family’s roots were in Harbor City, not New York. When I was little, the family had been unstable for a while, so my parents sent me away for protection. The Caldwells and Prescotts had old ties, and I ended up being raised in the Caldwell household.
By seniority, I called Shen Yili “uncle.”
By age, he was only eight years older than me.
He cleaned up my messes when I was younger. Spoiled me. Protected me. Made me rely on him until I mistook dependence for devotion. When my parents wanted to bring me back to Harbor City years ago, I refused so fiercely I stopped eating for days.
I had loved him sincerely.
He could have rejected me cleanly.
He could have told me no.
What he didn’t have the right to do was enjoy my attachment in private while mocking me in public.
By the time I got to the hospital, I happened to run into Old Mr. Caldwell being discharged.
I still greeted him respectfully. “Mr. Caldwell. Are you alright?”
Beside him stood a girl about my age—or maybe a little younger. Bright eyes. Delicate features. The kind of face that made people soften on sight.
Something about her looked familiar.
Old Mr. Caldwell said, “Nothing serious. Thanks to Julia here, I got to the hospital in time.”
Julia.
The name clicked.
The comments burst into view again.
That’s the heroine!
Our sweet genius heroine!
This is where she meets the scumbag uncle. Don’t fight her, Chloe. Please don’t become the villainess.
I remembered then. I had seen her face on one of the university boards.
Julia Reed. Two years younger than me, same academic level. A campus prodigy involved in one research project after another.
She looked me over with a gentle smile.
I looked right back.
She was impressive.
And yes, soft and lovely in a way that made it easy to understand why story worlds bent around girls like her.
Then Shen Yili’s voice came from behind me.
“Grandpa, are you okay? I came as soon as I heard.”
I turned.
He limped.
I almost laughed.
The house manager truly was efficient.
The second Shen Yili saw me, satisfaction flickered in his eyes. He thought I had come looking for him after all.
Then he noticed Julia beside me, and the look in his face changed instantly—curiosity first, then naked admiration.
Disgusting.
Julia introduced herself politely and took her leave. Shen Yili stepped in to support his grandfather and saw him off, then turned back to me wearing that familiar, composed expression.
“Come back to the house,” he said. “I need to talk to you.”
I had come for Evan, but since I’d already crossed paths with the elder of the family, basic courtesy still mattered.
So I got into Shen Yili’s car.
What I didn’t know then was that, elsewhere in the hospital, Evan had just finished handling his sister’s treatment. He hadn’t met Shen Yili before. But he heard his voice.
And he watched me get into the car with him.
The look on Evan’s face, if I had seen it, would have warned me.
But I didn’t.