Chapter 163
r 163
“Looks like you’re a repeat offender–practiced to perfection. Tsk tsk… having fun p>
She’d grown up as a pampered little princess herself, so there was no way she’d back down from Sienna’s petty provocations.
It was obvious Sienna was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong, and watching her expression sour further only made her want to laugh.
Julian frowned, about to say something, when the door opened again and Simon walked in, looking tired.
The moment he saw Autumn, his hand on the door hesitated, but he quickly recovered.
Autumn glanced at him once before looking away.
Seeing him only reminded her of their mother’s death anniversary–how they had waited, hoping her two brothers would show up.
And the result?
Exactly the same as the past two years.
Today, Hector had tossed out a few light words, as if that could erase what they’d done.
Ridiculous.
Simon acted as though he hadn’t seen her, striding past to Luna. “Luna, Hector’s out at a dinner. I happened to be free, so I came to pick you up p>
The sight pulled Autumn back to when she was very young, after a fight with her mother.
She’d hidden in a corner and fallen asleep.
Her mother had searched everywhere nearby before sending her two brothers to look for her.
It was her eldest brother who’d found her first, speaking to her in that same gentle tone.
But now, years later, Simon bypassed her completely to use that voice with another sister.
Maybe they’d long since forgotten who their real mother and sister were.
Ever since Luna and her mother moved in, everything had changed.
Her eyes stung, though she told herself she didn’t care about them anymore–she only felt sorry for her mother.
She tugged lightly on Selena’s sleeve and murmured, “Let’s go p>
“Alright p>
Selena nodded.
Even as an outsider, Selena could feel the suffocating tension in the air–so how much worse must it be for
1/2
Autumn, who was right in the middle of it?
They had barely reached the restaurant entrance when they ran into Derek, striding toward them in a rush.
The moment he saw them, he turned on Selena, unleashing a barrage of scolding.
“Selena, how could you hit Sophie? Do you have any idea how you look right now? Just like a street shrew!
“You were never like this before. You’ve clearly been corrupted by Autumn. My advice–stay far away from her.
“I just don’t get it. She couldn’t even keep her own marriage together. What on earth could you possibly gain from spending time with someone like that p>
He was already worn thin from dealing with company matters, and for Selena to stir up trouble now was, in his mind, the height of thoughtlessness.
He thought back to how she used to hang on his every word, only to see her now stubborn and defiant.
Worse, she had even encouraged her brother to move against his company.
The very thought made his temper flare.
Autumn hadn’t expected his anger to spill over onto her yet again, and this wasn’t the first time, either.
Did they really think that just because she hadn’t struck back yet, she was some harmless kitten?
Her expression hardened as she let out a cold, derisive laugh.
“What, did you eat crap for breakfast? You’re spewing nothing but filth. Honestly, don’t you disgust yourself?
“So, I can’t make a man stay–that’s your excuse for cheating, is it?
“You run off with your precious ‘true love,‘ then expect Selena to be gracious and keep playing the fool. Unbelievable p>