Chapter 103 Aliceâs voice was icy.âTo be precise, it hasnât been that way for a very long time.â
âYou want cut ties with me? Luke asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
âYouâve said that many times. Have you forgotten?â she countered.
Luke looked slightly guilty.âI guilty. âI was just venting. I never meant it seriously.â âBut I did. Actions speak louder than words,â Alice said, her gaze unwavering as she looked at her two brothers.âI never say things I donât mean. Goodbye. Or rather, itâs best if we donât see each other again.â
Her expression was serious, her features sharp, her eyes dark and intense. As she turned, she saw Jack and Gator. Jackâs eyes held a hint of approval. Gator clapped. âWell said!â Seeing them eased her tension. Sheâd avoided this confrontation, fearing it would make her seem too invested in the family, but her brotherâs interference with Jack, forcing him to the hospital, had been the final straw.
âAlice, donât think that just because you got good grades you can abandon us! Without the Winds, youâre nothing!â Lukeâs voice cracked with anger, his eyes burning. He couldnât believe how much this meant to her; why hadnât she said anything before?
Heâd thought she didnât care. Alice turned, her gaze cold.âIsnât it true that without me, you wouldnât have even made it to the esports finals? Isnât it true that without me, that gaming software partnership would have been canceled?â
A flush of embarrassment crept across Lukeâs face. He couldnât deny the truth. Gator added fuel to the fire.âWithout you guys, Little Lemonâs grades skyrocketed, she became a top streamer, and tons of esports teams are throwing themselves at her.
Leaving you guys is the best thing that ever happened to her.â
Jackâs voice was cold.âAsk yourselves, what have you done for her all these years?â
Luke instinctively retorted, âWhat do you mean, nothing? But he couldnât come up with anything beyond Alice revolving around him. Heâd taken her contributions for granted, forgetting that giving requires reciprocity.
Aliceâs tone was flat. âDonât use that blood is thicker than waterâ nonsense. Itâs pathetic.â
And with that, she walked away.
Luke Wind clutched his stomach, his vision blurring as he collapsed. A wave of profound sadness washed over him.
Luke and Chloe shouted, âBrother, whatâs wrong?â
Hearing the commotion, Alice stepped into the elevator. Seeing her brother lying on the floor, his eyes fixed on her, she remained expressionless until the doors closed, cutting off all contact.
âAlice!!â
Luke Wind mumbled her name, eyes squeezed shut. Only now did he realize what he was truly losing. In the past, when he was sick, Alice wouldnât have abandoned him. She cared deeply for him. Even last time, sheâd taken him to the hospital.
But this time was different. He was losing his sister.
Outside the hospital, Alice breathed deeply, exhaling the weight of the par Gator drove, saying, âLittle Lemon, you shouldâve done this a long time ago. They were walking all over youâ
âYouâre right,â she agreed. She should have been clearer sooner, instead of letting them think the was just throwing a tantrum. It hadnât been a joke. Sheâd been carefully planning her departure from the family all along. Theyâd clung to the delusion that she was juse angry. Jack, in the passenger seat, glanced in the rearview mirror. Itâs not Relaxed, Alice said, âSomething weird happened. Garrett just dropped the whole thing to apology needed.â
Gatorâs voice was slightly strained. âYeah, well, he started it, right? Maybe he finally realized he was wrong âReally?â Alice still felt something was off. Garrett wasnât usually so forgiving, based on her past lifeâs experience. But maybe Chloe played a part; the âwhite lotus was probably pulling strings to impress the Wind brothers.
Back at the apartment, Aliceâs phone wouldnât stop ringing. Seeing âBrother Sixâ on the display, she blocked the number. Finally, peace and quiet. She knew what he wanted to say, but she wasnât interested.
She spent the afternoon grinding inâgame dungeons with her friends. That evening, Alice went live for her PvP stream. A win tonight would put her at the top of the rankings. But just as she went live, her classmate, Jiang Lu, messaged her: âIdol, Chloeâs trashâtalking you on her stream.â
âWhatâs she saying?â
âThat you made your brothers sick and are ignoring them; that youâre ungratefulâ Typical white lotus move.
Alice ignored it, focusing on her stream. There were some haters in the chat, but her fans quickly shut them down. She played intensely, finally reaching #1, a sense of accomplishment washing. over her.
During a break, a hater spammed the chat: [Streamer], why arenât you responding? Are you guilty?â
Alice sneered. âWhy would I respond to such baseless accusations? A white lotus cries a couple of times, and suddenly everyoneâs a judge and jury. If youâre so good at this, I suggest you become. detectives. Cry a little for the criminals, maybe?â
â[Streamer], donât change the subject. Answer the question.â
Aliceâs eyes were sharp and direct.âEveryone knows my relationship with the Winds has always been rocky. Iâve never hidden that. I want to state clearly: I have nothing to do with the Winds anymore. Iâll rely on myself.â
Jiang Lu also jumped into the comments:â[Alice] has always been treated unfairly. We, her classmates, know this.â
â[Alice] finally escaped her toxic family, and now that sheâs the top student, theyâre guiltâtripping.
her.â
Soon, the comments were flooded with discussions of her top Daniels. Her interview video was everywhere online. She trended again.
29.31 Seeing the public opinion swaying against her, Chloe angrily ended her livestream. Her viewership had been dwindling lately. But Aliceâs fan base was exploding Chloe was furious. Couldnât Alice just disappear?
Then, a message popped up on Chloeâs phone:âAxiang (Chloe), that girl Alice is in your way. Dad can help you get rid of her.â
Chloe screamed. What was going on? Sheâd blocked that number. Was this really her father? Impossible.
âChloe, whatâs wrong?â
Luke entered her room. Chloe frantically shut off her phone, her hands shaking. âNothing. I saw a disturbing video and got scared.â
Sheâd finally secured her place in the Wind family and didnât want to return to her impoverished past.
âWho would send you something like that? Give me your phone!â
Chloeâs face paled. That inexplicable text message absolutely could not be seen by Luke! What to do?