A figure interrupted Millyâs train of thought as she was memorizing a poem. Her expression darkened immediately. âPlease move aside,â she said firmly. Stephanie felt Millyâs icy gaze pierce through her; she trembled and instinctively wanted to retreat. However, upon realizing this fool had been admitted to Crestwood High, she stopped in her tracks. Blinked, Stephanie quickly concealed her jealousy and changed to a pleasant expression. She approached Milly, grabbed her arm, and said, âMilly, I was surprised earlier. Please donât take it to heart. âHow did you manage to get into Crestwood High with your grades? Did you sneak in?â Stephanieâs tone was sharp, almost causing Millyâs ears to ring. Pulling her arm away, Milly distanced herself and replied, âThatâs none of your business.â
With Stephanieâs intelligence, how did she score six hundred points in the exam? Did she think the schoolâs security guards were blind? They would allow someone to sneak in and leave the school premises. Despite this, Stephanie was convinced of her beliefs. Especially when she saw Milly walk away, Stephanie became more convinced that she had guessed right. The broodingness in her heart was instantly gone. She quickly took two steps to catch up with Milly. âHey, slow down. I know you want to make Mom and Dad proud by getting into Crestwood High, but you canât resort to sneaky tactics. You have to admit your mistake to the teacher. Iâm sure they wonât blame you.â âVanity harms both yourself and others. If you truly want to excel academically, I can help you with your studies. Donât worry; as long as you pay attention, you can definitely get into a good second-tier high school.â Second-tier university? Haha! This is amusing. Milly stopped in her tracks. She turned to Stephanie with a neutral expression and asked, âOh? Do you want to help me? How many marks can you score now? 750 marks?â Stephanieâs expression darkened, especially when she noticed the mocking expressions of passersby. She forced a smile and said, âHaha, you surely like to joke.
750 are the full marks.â This b*tch! I bet she did this on purpose. No one could score full marks in the college entrance exam. Milly laughed disdainfully. âYou canât score full marks. Arenât you embarrassed by your offer to tutor me?â âPff!â The students passing by couldnât help but burst into laughter with their exchanges. âYou ⦠!â Stephanieâs eyes had turned red with the humiliation. She was on the verge of tears. Anthony witnessed the scene as he came out of the school gate. Stephanie was in distress, with her eyes red and looking pityful. Meanwhile, Milly looked coldly from the side and seemed condescending. Anthony straightaway stood in front of Stephanie and confronted Milly, âAre you bullying her?â Milly looked at Anthony, who suddenly showed up before her. She raised an eyebrow and asked, âHave you seen me bullying her?â Anthony clenched his fist and said, âStephanie is upset! How dare you deny this?â Stephanie tugged on Anthonyâs sleeve with red eyes. She said, âAnthony, donât blame my sister; she didnât mean to.â
Milly clicked her tongue at the drama unfolding. What a b*tch! Stephanie had lived with her brothers for so long that she certainly knew their personalities well and was aware of how to manipulate them. Sure enough, after she said those words with hidden meanings, Anthony became mad. He demanded, âMilly, apologize to Stephanie now!â Milly coldly sneered and rebuked, âWhy should I?â Anthony hated the way she glared at him. Clearly, she could be very friendly to everyone during the day. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He blurted out, âIf you donât apologize, you wonât be my sister anymore!â In an instant, the atmosphere around them stagnated. Milly slowly raised her eyes to look at him. The previous brightness was gone, replaced by lifelessness, dullness, and chilling indifference. At that moment, although she hadnât moved, Anthony felt like there was a chasm between them. After a while, she said coldly, âOh, you donât want me to be your sister, so be it. Please stay away from me in the future. I donât want to see you again.â With that, she turned and left. Anthony felt a rage pent up in his chest, unable to go up or down, feeling very uncomfortable. Especially when he thought of the icy gaze that Milly had just given him, his heart seemed to tighten in an instant, making the discomfort even more intense. Stephanie hid behind Anthony. When she saw him protect her and witnessed the conflict between the two, she couldnât stop smiling. See! The true daughter has returned, but so what? Iâm still the precious and darling in their eyes. My status is still unshakable. She raised her hand and pretended she was wiping the tears from the corner of her eye. Stephanie suppressed the smile on her lips desperately; she then tugged at Anthonyâs sleeve and said pitifully, âDonât argue with Miley for my sake. She didnât mean it.â
Anthony put his thoughts aside and felt sorry for how pitiful she looked. He instantly shoved aside the discomfort in his heart and rubbed her hair to comfort her. He said, âItâs okay; youâre my sister, and I wonât let anyone hurt you.â Moved, Stephanieâs eyes welled up with tears and she said, âThank you, Anthony.â Then she glanced at Milly, who was not far away, and blinked her eyes. She casually asked, âShould we invite Miley to ride home together?â In the evening, it was usually their driver who came to pick them up after school. Anthonyâs expression stiffened. He recalled that Milley just arrogantly told them to stay away from her. He was instantly furious. With a cold snort, he said, âHmph, if she doesnât want to see us, she can find her own way home.â ⦠Milly had no intention of getting in her family car. The thought that she needed to face that b*tch if she rode in the car was worse than reciting the poem while walking. âIn the fall, during the seventh monthâs full moon, two men sailed near the Red Cliffs. A gentle breeze whispered through the air, causing ripples on the water.â She merely began, but a figure appeared in front of her again. âMs. Burnett, itâs been a while.â Milly suddenly felt Crestwood High was bad for her, as she kept running into people she didnât want to see.